French Bulldogs or Frenchies were first bred in the 1800s from Toy Bulldogs from England and Ratters from France. The French Bulldog was born and it has surged to become one of the top 3 most popular dog in the USA.
Frenchies are known for their adorable looks, flexible nature, friendliness, and quirky characters. They’re superb dogs for a variety of first-time and experienced owners.
This article will discuss the best dog crates for French Bulldogs, the types of crates available, sizes as well as some helpful hints and tips for crate training your Frenchie.
Contents
- Best French Bulldog Crate – Our Top Eight
- 1. 🏆 MidWest iCrate Double Door Dog Crate Kit
- 2. EliteField 4-Door Soft-Sided Dog Crate
- 3. Frisco Heavy Duty Fold & Carry Single Door Dog Crate
- 4. MidWest LifeStages Double Door Wire Dog Crate
- 5. Firstrax Noz2Noz Sof-Krate
- 6. Paws & Pals Oxgord Double Door Dog Crate
- 7. Frisco Indoor & Outdoor 3-Door Soft-Sided Dog Crate
- 8. Frisco Plastic Dog Travel Kennel
- About Dog Crates
- Selecting Your Dog Crate
- Dog Crates: A Breakdown
- What Size Dog Crate for French Bulldogs?
- Crate Training: A Starters Guide
- Crate training for sleep
- Dog Crate Hints and Tips
- Conclusion
Best French Bulldog Crate – Our Top Eight
1. 🏆 MidWest iCrate Double Door Dog Crate Kit
Suggested Crate Size: 30 Inches
The complete dog crate starter kit for French Bulldogs of all ages. The kit comes with a double-door wire crate, a removable fleece bed for the base, snap-fit water and food bowls, and a crate cover.
2. EliteField 4-Door Soft-Sided Dog Crate
Suggested Crate Size: 30 Inches
This soft crate is recommended for dogs who are already house trained and not serial escape artists. For use in the home or as a travel crate, it’s airy, roomy and incredibly convenient.
3. Frisco Heavy Duty Fold & Carry Single Door Dog Crate
Suggested Crate Size: 30 Inches
4. MidWest LifeStages Double Door Wire Dog Crate
Suggested Crate Size: 30 Inches
This French Bulldog crate is a more affordable option than the kit.
5. Firstrax Noz2Noz Sof-Krate
Suggested Crate Size: 30 Inches
6. Paws & Pals Oxgord Double Door Dog Crate
Suggested Crate Size: 30 Inches
7. Frisco Indoor & Outdoor 3-Door Soft-Sided Dog Crate
Suggested Crate Size: 30 Inches
8. Frisco Plastic Dog Travel Kennel
Suggested Crate Size: Medium
About Dog Crates
Dog crates or cages have more uses than you might think. They primarily act as a safe haven for dogs, or a den, where they can seclude themselves to sleep and relax. They also double up as a safe way to carry a dog. For discipline and training, they can help housetrain your dog and in some scenarios, they may be required for medical purposes.
Building a positive association to a dog crate is extremely important and this can transform your dog. Once they learn their crate is a place of safety, they can go right in to calm their nerves if they’re feeling anxious and afraid.
This will also reduce destructive chewing and other troublesome behaviors. For some dog breeds, dog crates are part of pack training and will help teach a dog to be obedient.
Selecting Your Dog Crate
French Bulldogs are small dogs and you won’t need to invest in a huge dog crate for them. There are a few varieties of crate to choose from, though. Wire crates are often larger and suit dogs that enjoy a little space, they’re also unchewable so are ideal for puppies that are teething.
Soft crates are made from plastic and/or fabric and are more ideally suited to trained or adult dogs that can’t chew their way out. They may also be lighter so are generally better suited for travel. Travel crates designed specifically for that are smaller and aren’t comfortable for dogs embarking on long journeys. Car crates may be better here, which can take up the entire space of your trunk.
Dog crates are multipurpose, and you can generally find a dog crate that fulfills a couple of different purposes, e.g. carrying and sleeping. However, dogs may or may not like smaller crates, and whilst some may enjoy the cozy confined space, many won’t. It’s best to experiment with dog crates and consider carefully what type is best for your dog.
Dog Crates: A Breakdown
Frenchies are small dogs and they’re pretty easy to fit to a crate. Though Frenchies are generally easy to train, they are capable of amusingly stubborn or random behavior too, so you’ve got to bear in mind that not every crate will appeal to your Frenchie equally.
Frenchies do love relaxing and snuggling up so if you wish to train your Frenchie to sleep in a crate, it should be relatively simple to make this a nice place for them to be.
There are 3 different types of crate:
Wire Crates
These are the most common types of crate. Resembling a cage, wire crates are durable, fully breathable, and also allow your dog to see outside of the crate without much hindrance.
They may seem like the most confining but the opposite is true as they allow for full airflow whilst not impeding your Frenchie’s vision. Wire crates can easily be padded out to cover the metal and keep your dog comfortable and warm.
Soft Crates
Soft crates are made from plastic and fabric, they’re more of a soft tent than a crate or cage. They’re only suitable for adult dogs or trained dogs that don’t feel the need to chew on their crate. The perks of a soft crate are that they’re warm and flexible so may feel less confining and more comforting.
Car and Travel Crates
Travel crates are usually smaller and allow you to transport your Frenchie by hand. They’re confining and generally only fit for short journeys unless your Frenchie is very comfortable and willing to sit inside the crate – they may even enjoy the coziness of it!
Car crates are bigger and roomier, ideal for longer journeys.
What Size Dog Crate for French Bulldogs?
French Bulldog adults will find a 30-inch dog crate to be a perfect size.
French Bulldogs don’t need huge crates, but you may find yourself needing to upgrade in size if they really don’t enjoy being confined. Generally speaking, a 30-inch dog crate is ideally sized for most adult French Bulldogs. This will give them enough room to stand up and stretch out fully.
To measure your dog for a crate, take their height – measured from the ground to the head when sitting upright and their length – measured from the nose to the start of the tail. Add 6 to 10 inches depending on how much room your dog enjoys.
Crate Training: A Starters Guide
French Bulldog crate training varies depending on how your Frenchie takes to being inside a small space, also potentially away from you at night if you want your dog to sleep inside it.
Frenchies, like other dogs, do love a good den and it may well be that your dog takes to its crate very easily after training and snuggles down in it at its own accord. It’s also possible, especially in the case of Frenchies, that your dog will be problematic at night and won’t want to leave you.
Step 1: Introduction
To begin crate training, place the crate somewhere where you and your family spend a lot of time, e.g. the living room or lounge. If your dog already has a favorite blanket or blankets, you can place those inside the crate, and sometimes, this might be enough to lure them in, in which case you should give them treats to positively reinforce the behavior from the outset.
Otherwise, once you’ve shown your dog a crate, it’s time to put treats inside the entrance. Once they’re happily retrieving those, move on to placing treats further into the crate. If treats don’t work then try their favorite toy instead, or both in combination. This will begin to build a positive association with the crate.
Step 2: Feeding your dog inside the crate
Next, it’s time to try and feed your Frenchie whilst they’re inside the crate. This will further build a positive association with the crate. If they’re already going in and out of the crate quite easily then you can try placing their meal at the back of the crate. If not, place it somewhat inside the crate. By placing their meal on their blanket, you’ll also hopefully teach them to not be too messy inside the crate.
Step 3: Training your dog to remain in the crate
Now the challenging bit! Once your dog is relatively comfortable with going inside or outside of the crate, it’s time to try and close the door without your dog panicking. You can do this by calling them to the crate and when they go inside, give them a treat before closing the door gently. Tell them to stay as you go and sit down nearby.
If your dog protests rapidly then open the door and act disinterested for a while before leading them back to the crate. Lure them in with a treat and try again.
Repeat this process as you spend more time away from your Frenchie in the crate. You should never leave your dog alone in a crate for more than 4 or 5 hours, and this is debatable even then. Always leave water and food accessible in the crate or beside it.
Crate training for sleep
Most owners like to crate train their dogs for sleeping. This is usually crucial at the puppy stage as roaming dogs will get into trouble and may even get hurt or escape.
Crate training, when successful, will help them feel secure and safe. At first, though, you’re highly likely to get a good amount of resistance! This will intensify once you’re out of sight. When you first do this, you must make sure you keep the crate nearby. Just outside your bedroom door is ideal as your dog will hear you and smell you nearby.
If your Frenchie whines a bit, you’re safe to ignore it and see if they stop at their own accord. Try and make your appearance known without actually interacting with your dog, to remind them that you’re there.
If your dog is whining a lot, barking, howling or rattling the cage, it’s best to let them out and try and calm them down before returning them to the cage. If they don’t whine, give them a treat, and try and repeat the process.
Dog Crate Hints and Tips
Always leave your Frenchie with water when you leave them inside the crate. You can get water bowls that attach to the side.
Don’t use a crate as punishment as this will worsen anxiety and troublesome behavior.
Leave a dog chew inside the crate for teething puppies and dogs that enjoy chewing.
Always make sure the crate is padded out nicely. Items with your small may help build positive associations and reduce separation anxiety.
Conclusion
Frenchies are small dogs that are generally very obedient but they do have a little bit of a naughty streak, in a fun way, which might play up when crate training. You have to remember that your dog wants to be close to you.
Never get angry or impatient with your dog if they whine or bark when you close the door in the age, this will greatly worsen their anxiety and make crate training almost impossible. If nothing is working and you’ve worked hard to try and crate train your Frenchie, it might be worth trying a different crate, either a bigger one or a different style.
