How Smart Are French Bulldogs? Everything We Know About Their Intelligence

French Bulldogs are known for their large ears, humorous personalities, and playful dispositions. But you might wonder: Are these dogs smart? French Bulldogs are very emotionally intelligent, but most of them learn new cues slowly and don’t make great problem-solvers. They’re also stubborn, which can make it harder to assess their true intelligence. In this article, we’ll explore everything we know about French Bulldog intelligence, from the varying types of dog intelligence to how Frenchies compare to other dog breeds. We’ll also talk about how to help your Frenchie reach their full potential.

Exploring the Intelligence of French Bulldogs

There are various forms of intelligence in dogs. Many people look to working intelligence, also known as dog IQ or obedience. This determines how quickly a dog can learn new cues and listen to them successfully.

However, there are also the following to consider:

• Adaptive intelligence or problem-solving: The ability to think adaptively, generalize behaviors, and figure things out for themselves. One way to measure this is how quickly a dog can learn how to use a puzzle toy.
• Instinct: All dogs have instincts, but working breeds tend to have specific instincts that help them succeed at their jobs, such as guarding, herding, or hunting.
• Emotional intelligence: Emotional intelligence is how a dog relates to those around them and understands their feelings. This can be difficult to measure, but when you’re a dog guardian, you can usually feel it! We tend to classify sensitive, empathetic dogs as highly emotionally intelligent.

Working Intelligence and Problem-Solving Abilities

Frenchies typically have low working intelligence. They tend to learn new cues slowly and listen less than half of the time. French Bulldogs don’t tend to be the best problem solvers, though they are food motivated and can get better with practice! They do tend to excel in areas they find important, such as tricking their people into giving them extra snacks.

Working Instincts and Emotional Intelligence

As a lap dog breed, French Bulldogs don’t tend to have strong working instincts either. They don’t have strong guarding or herding instincts, but some have a strong prey drive. Prey drive tends to vary in Frenchies depending on their genetics. Most breeders aren’t going to focus on hunting abilities but instead on companionship. This brings us to the last facet of intelligence: emotional intelligence. Frenchies excel in this area! They’re sensitive, often clingy, and seem to easily read the emotions of both people and other dogs.

Variation Depending on the Individual

Of course, we also have to remember that every individual French Bulldog is unique. Some may excel at puzzle games and problem-solving activities, and act more aloof than others of their breed. Genetics, upbringing, training, and their relationship to their people all play a huge role in who they turn out to be.

For instance, Frenchies who are given puzzle toys every day are much more likely to excel in problem-solving than those who’ve never tried these activities before. Training your French Bulldog daily will also make them more likely to listen to you than a Frenchie who is only worked with occasionally.

The Cognitive Capabilities of French Bulldogs: Understanding Their Problem-Solving Skills and Brain Size

French Bulldogs don’t have strong problem-solving abilities and tend to be more aloof. Though they want to please, their stubbornness can make it difficult to distinguish between what they are capable of doing and what they are willing to do. For instance, let’s say you give your Frenchie a puzzle toy to complete. But they get frustrated with the toy quickly, and you pour out the treats for them. They may see this and stop trying with the toy. But isn’t this a form of problem-solving? They have figured out an easier way to get what they want—by waiting for you to give them the treats!

French Bulldogs, like other small breeds, have brains proportional to their body size. Due to their short snouts, French Bulldogs have some differences in the positioning of certain brain structures, such as the olfactory bulb, compared to non-brachycephalic dogs According to a study done in Hungary, the olfactory bulb, which is responsible for a dog’s sense of smell, is “pushed back” beneath the frontal lobe. Ultimately, more study is needed to determine if and how this impacts Frenchies’ intelligence levels and problem-solving abilities.

The French Bulldog’s Learning Aptitude: How Quick and Adaptive Are They?

French Bulldogs tend to learn much more slowly than many other dog breeds. Part of this may come down to how often they’re worked with, as we tend to focus less on training small breeds like Frenchies than larger breeds such as Labradors. However, much of it likely comes down to genetics as well. Frenchies tend to be funny, affectionate, and friendly, but the breed as a whole just isn’t known for its intelligence. French Bulldogs are quicker to learn than some other bully breeds, such as English Bulldogs. But they’re still quite slow to pick up on new things, and training a Frenchie takes patience.

Intelligence Ranking: Where Does a French Bulldog Stand Among Other Breeds?

Business Insider describes Frenchies as “fair working dogs who tend to learn a new trick in 40 to 80 repetitions and respond about 40 percent of the time.” For comparison, top-tier dogs like the border collie or poodle can learn a new cue within five repetitions and obey 95 percent or more of the time. On the other hand, breeds in the sixth tier are judged as poor working dogs who only listen around 30 percent of the time. Of course, there are arguments to be made about intelligence vs. compliance. Frenchies are known for being stubborn, so not listening doesn’t always mean they don’t understand the cues they’re given.

Unlocking Your French Bulldog’s Intelligence Potential: Training Techniques and Mental Stimulation

It’s important to provide plenty of enrichment and mental stimulation for any pet, even a small, seemingly unintelligent dog like a Frenchie. They certainly don’t have the drive of a poodle, for instance, nor do they require the same amount of mental stimulation, but you should be aiming to engage your Frenchie’s mind every day. The more you work with your French Bulldog, the more intelligent they’re likely to become as well. Some ways to get the most out of life with your Frenchie include:

Short Daily Training Sessions

Just like us, Frenchies can’t improve at anything without practice. And they’ll likely require more practice than your average canine if you want them to master a cue. Training daily can help you to solidify old cues and teach new ones. Keeping sessions short and engaging will make your Frenchie want to come back for more every day. Long, frustrating training sessions aren’t good for any dog or dog guardian! They make everyone involved want to give up, and your Frenchie may become more stubborn and avoidant. Make sure to use only force-free training methods, never aversive or punishment-based methods. Frenchies tend to be very food motivated, so grab a high-value treat and get started!

Puzzle Toys

Puzzle toys actually work very well for dogs like Frenchies! You may get more value from puzzle toys with Frenchies, as they won’t solve them too quickly, unlike very intelligent dogs, who may lose interest once they master the puzzle. Start with easy puzzles, such as those where your dog just has to lift an object off a surface or slide a cover to the side to obtain a treat. Start by placing the treat in the open, then partially cover it so your Frenchie can still see and smell it easily.

Once they get the hang of this, you can start using the puzzle toy as intended and making them work a little harder. If your Frenchie gets the hang of these simple toys, you can advance to more complex ones. Remember to go slowly, be patient, and have fun with it! If your Frenchie doesn’t find toys (or any other activity on this list) engaging, feel free to skip them. Enrichment is only effective if it genuinely improves your pet’s quality of life.

Nose Work

Nose work games involve hiding an object, such as a treat, and having your Frenchie find it! Like with puzzle toys, you’ll want to start off with something very easy and increase the difficulty as your Frenchie learns. Introduce a cue like “find it” so your Frenchie knows to search for something. You can even try teaching your Frenchie the names of toys or people and have them find these items or individuals around the house. Remember that Frenchies don’t have noses quite as strong as other breeds, so you may need to use stinky, high-value treats in order to engage them.

Daily Walks

Though most Frenchies can get their energy out indoors or in a small backyard, walks are still incredibly important. They’re not just for exercise–they also give your dog the ability to sniff, engage with their environment, and decompress. Sniffing relieves stress in dogs and helps them to learn things about their environment, such as which other dogs have been in the area and when.

The best way to walk your Frenchie is to go at their pace and let them sniff as much as they want. When possible, let them lead the way and choose where to explore. Sniff walks provide significant mental stimulation and can tire your Frenchie out with minimal effort. Of course, never push your Frenchie during walks. As brachycephalic (short-snouted) dogs, they are prone to breathing difficulties, exercise intolerance, and heat stroke. Strenuous exercise, especially in hot weather, can be dangerous for them.

Barn Hunts

Barn hunts are a rat-safe way to engage a hunting or ratting dog’s instincts. Since Frenchies are descended from terriers, they may enjoy this activity too! The rats are safely hidden away in tubes, and the dogs must navigate mazes of hay or straw to find them. To see if your Frenchie might enjoy this activity, try some nose work at home first, as described above. If they enjoy it, they might love a barn hunt as well.