The move cross country has been hard on all three of our dogs, especially our French Bulldog diva princess. DH is “her” human and he has been gone a lot since he started working in Chicago while we put the house on the market in CA.

Frenchie girl has been very depressed without DH, even to the point of losing weight (she’s a natural glutton and tends towards chunkiness).

During our drive east, she has been acting out more and more. She has peed on both me and DH, on purpose, the last two days over perceived slights (like not getting a treat first when we hand them out). It’s not an accident. It’s obviously purposeful.

This dog is smart. She knows exactly what she’s doing.

What I desperately want to know is how can I make the rest of the transition easier? I know this whole situation is hard on everyone, especially her.

We really strive to be good puppy parents. Any advice? We have Benadryl we can give her, but I’d rather not drug her 24/7 to get her through this.

Thanks in advance for any advice! It’s sad to know what she must be feeling to act out so badly.

If I were in your position, I would sit down with her alone (I know you are in the process of moving, but side-by-side on a sofa if you can do it would be ideal, so she can hang over your lap if she wants), and I would TELL her what is going on, and explain about your husband having to work, and tell her that all of you are going to have a new home soon, and things WILL get back to normal in your new neighborhood...and while all of this is going on, I would be lovingly stroking her, and scritching her wherever she most like skritches.

Tell her that you and your husband are doing the best you can, and that what is going on is hard on both of you too, and that once all of you are able to begin in your new home, things will soon get back to the way they used to be.

Dogs understand more than we realize, and if you carefully explain what has been going on, and what is likely to go on in the future (once you get to Chicago), there is a fairly good chance she will understand enough to calm down some.

(If there is any special treat she loves, I would give her some of that, too...it can't make anything worse, and it just might get across to her that you still love her, and she WILL have her own, stable, family and home again in the not-too-far future.)



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/15/2018 04:33AM by Tevai.

French bulldogs are incredibly empathetic. Talking to them really works. She will understand from your intonation.

This is great advice. :)

We have been running a month's plus long PR campaign. We talk to our dogs all the time, with a simplified vocabulary and grammar. I think when we use "their" words they understand us 100% of the time.

So, we've told her at our "new home" there will be more treats, more snuggles, and more "sleepy night night" with Daddy. All things that are highly appealing to her! Maybe she's tired of mere promises at this point though!

I will try and spend some one on one time with her this morning. I realized today how much I miss snuggling with them even though they're "with" us in the back of the car.

Ohdeargoodness nli Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The move cross country has been hard on all three
> of our dogs, especially our French Bulldog diva
> princess. DH is “her” human and he has been
> gone a lot since he started working in Chicago
> while we put the house on the market in CA.
>
> Frenchie girl has been very depressed without DH,
> even to the point of losing weight (she’s a
> natural glutton and tends towards chunkiness).
>
> During our drive east, she has been acting out
> more and more. She has peed on both me and DH, on
> purpose, the last two days over perceived slights
> (like not getting a treat first when we hand them
> out). It’s not an accident. It’s obviously
> purposeful.
>
> This dog is smart. She knows exactly what she’s
> doing.
>
> What I desperately want to know is how can I make
> the rest of the transition easier? I know this
> whole situation is hard on everyone, especially
> her.
>
> We really strive to be good puppy parents. Any
> advice? We have Benadryl we can give her, but
> I’d rather not drug her 24/7 to get her through
> this.
>
> Thanks in advance for any advice! It’s sad to
> know what she must be feeling to act out so badly.

It would help to know how old she is, how long she has been with DH, and how long DH is going to be away on end. But my suggestion, as the owner of a French bulldog born in 2007, is this:

No medication, to begin with. A Frenchie needs love more than anything else. If DH is the person she loves most, make sure she understands he will be back. (I know that in reality, she will be the one to join him in Chicago rather than he return to CA, but that is, of course, beyond her understanding.) So surround her with as much stuff as possible that belongs to him. Next time he leaves home, leave his unwashed sweater where she sleeps. Things like that.

And if she shows that she needs more attention than usually, then just give her that attention. If she is more interested in treats than in her regular food, give her more treats. It's the canine equivalent of bingeing on ice cream. And don't punish her. She may be naughty on purpose, but it is a cry for help. Use positive reinforcement.

Does she have any things she particularly likes and rarely gets, now is the time to give it to her. For some dogs that's a walk on the beach, for others it is sleeping in your bedroom. Make an effort. Even if that beach is 150 miles away, you can probably do it in a weekend.

Frenchie girl will be five this April. She's had DH in her life for 2.5 years. DH has been away quite a lot for the past 10 months. I know this is a long time for me, but for her it must be more painful because she doesn't understand.

I'll try to think of ways to spoil her, but the problem is she is already very loved/spoiled! DH talks to her on the phone when he's gone, she only ever sleeps in our bed, etc. I got her at a time in my life when my heart was very broken and she mended it, so she's always gotten a lot of attention and gotten away with more.

I guess maybe it's time to pull out bacon and extra exorbitant treats. She's worth it!

Thanks for the advice, fellow Frenchie owner! ❤️

I've never owned a French bulldog, but when you said she notices if you don't give her the treat first--I have 2 brothers who were left at the side of the road and found by a deputy. They are part chihuahua and part terrier. The bigger one likes A LOT of attention, too much attention, and he can tell when I give his brother the treat first. He'll tolerate it if I do it every other one first, but definitely NEVER his brother gets the treat first all the time (I give them little pieces of beef jerky one at a time back and forth after we walk). He throws fits.

He demands that my son only give attention to him, while the smaller one wants all the attention from my daughter, but they still compete.

Can you stop more and walk them?

I agree with talking to them. I believe they'll get it. My dogs do for the most part. I left for 5 days in December and the smaller was frantic. He isn't a big kisser and he couldn't quit kissing me. I should have explained to them that I was leaving and I'd be back. My boyfriend's dog (German shepherd) understands when I tell her that daddy is coming home that day. She is waiting for him all day. He tells her when he is leaving, etc. She does really well now, where she didn't when he first got her.