French Bulldog owners, get ready to learn how to train a French Bulldog to sit on command! The first thing that you want to do is get down on the floor with them.
Sit next to their right side and place one hand under their belly while using your other hand to pet them gently behind their ears. Once they are in position, use a gentle tone of voice and say, “sit.”
For this exercise not to be too easy for your dog, try moving around as you say “sit” so he has more trouble figuring out where exactly he needs to go.
This will help him learn more quickly because it forces him to think about what he needs to do instead of just following a verbal cue without question.
Keep reading our below comprehensive guide on how to train a French Bulldog to sit on command where we have provided all the required details to train your french bulldogs.
How To Train A French Bulldog To Sit On Command
Get your treat ready in front of your Frenchie
When you start training your Frenchie, you want to do it in a quiet place with low distractions. French bulldogs are brilliant and trainable dogs, but they can be stubborn at times too.
You will need some delicious treats for this training session! Don’t forget them! Hold their favorite treat in your hand.
One of the best things you can do when training your French Bulldog is to get down on their level. It works for kids, and it also helps with dogs! That’s why we recommend getting down on all fours so that both of you are at eye level.
Offer the tempting treat over his nose
Offer your French Bulldog the treat and use a happy tone of voice when saying something like “take it!” or “good boy.” By doing this, you are training them to associate good things with treats.
You have to be very patient for this trick to work correctly because dogs do not learn as quickly as humans do.
The best way to get your Frenchie excited about the treats is by adding some praise words like “good” or “well done.” This will help them feel even better about what they are doing!
When you offer the tasty treat over their nose, move it back so that they have to follow it with their head until they are in the sitting position.
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Allow their nose to follow the treat as you move it over their head
When their head is up, you can move the treat back to make them follow it once again. As long as they are following your hand with their eyes and body, it means that they understand what’s going on!
Get ready for some serious cuteness because French Bulldogs actually love sitting in this position. If they don’t want to, then you can always try another time again.
After a few repetitions, your little Frenchie will be sitting on command without any problems! They might not sit for long at first, but they should get better with time and practice.
If your dog is having trouble sitting in this position or if they seem anxious about following the treat up to their head, then we recommend that you stop and try another day again.
When the tail touches the floor, sit down and offer the treat
Once your Frenchie sits down, you can reward them with a treat and lots of praise. Make sure to use a happy, excited tone while saying something like “good boy” or “well done!”
One thing that some French Bulldog owners prefer is using hand signals instead of verbal commands. The signal for sitting down involves putting one finger inside your mouth before touching it on the floor.
Some people use the same signal for all their dogs, while others change it depending on what trick is being taught at that moment.
Keep doing the process several times a day
When you do this trick, make sure to mix it up a little bit by changing the position of your body and their body and where you are standing in relation to them.
This will also help them understand that they cannot sit down until you permit them! For example, one-time stand close to their left side and stand on their right the next time.
If they start to get anxious and jump around while trying to train them, then we recommend that you stop and leave it for another day. You can always try again later when they feel more comfortable with what’s going on!
If this doesn’t work, slightly push their bottom down
If your French Bulldog is not sitting down after a few tries, don’t give up! You can try many things, such as slightly pushing their bottom down or lightly pulling the leash towards the ground. You could even turn around and ignore them for a little while, so they know that if they do what you want, then there will be a reward!
If they do not understand what’s going on, it might be the right time to take a break and try another day again. If you want your dog to learn new tricks as quickly as possible, then we recommend that you practice at least once or twice every day for five minutes.
Once their bottom hits the floor, then give them the treat and lots of praise. It’s imperative that you do not get frustrated or yell at your French Bulldog if they have a hard time learning the new trick! All dogs learn differently, so try to be patient with them while practicing this command.
Can You Train A French Bulldog To Sit In one day?
Even if it takes a little while, we believe that you will be able to train your Frenchie to sit on command within one or two weeks of practice! Just make sure not to get angry with them and keep trying new things until they finally understand what’s going on. It might take longer than normal dogs as French Bulldogs are known for their stubbornness!
If you practice this trick at least once a day, we believe that it will only take four to five days to sit down on command. Of course, your dog might already know how to do the same thing with another word such as “down”.
If they do and want them to learn something new, then we recommend that you look at our article on how to teach your dog the down command. Check this guide on how to stop Frenchie from pulling leashes.
Why Do French Bulldogs Sit Funny?
Today, you will most often see them sitting down and standing up with one of their legs higher than the other. This is because French Bulldogs are brachycephalic (flat-faced) dogs, and this physical trait often gives them balance issues while standing up.
Their legs might also get in the way when they try to sit down, so that’s why you see their back end lift into the air before coming down on all fours again.
This issue can worsen when they get older, so make sure to help them out by lifting their back end off the ground if you see that it is taking too long for them to sit or stand up.
If your dog is not used to doing this at all, then it might be because they are anxious about what’s going on around them or if you are pulling on their leash too much.
Once they get used to sitting down and standing up like this, we recommend that you try adding a little bit of variety into the mix, such as moving your body around or using hand signals instead of verbal commands. Why my Frenchie is digging? We have made a detailed guide on it that you can read here.
Few Words Before Wrapping Up…
The French Bulldog is a stubborn breed known for its terrier-like qualities. If you are trying to teach your Frenchie the sit command, then many different techniques may work depending on their personality type and how much patience they have with this new trick.
For example, some dogs might respond better to slight pressure or pull towards the ground, while others will need attention during training sessions.
The best thing about these tricks is that most of them can be used in other instances, too, such as when teaching your dog how to lie down! We hope this article on “how to train a french bulldog to sit on command” has helped you understand what goes into adequately training a Frenchie, so now it’s time for us all to get started!