French Bulldog in a condo... anybody in the same shoes??

Question

Hello all.

I'm in the process of getting a French Bulldog by mid January, he'll be 8 weeks old at that time. I'm wondering what's the best way to start the potty training as I live on the 3rd level of a condo building. I already bought a crate; it's about 30 inches long by 21 wide by 24 tall and has wheels. My wife is suggesting that we start him on a wee-wee pad right outside the crate and eventually lead him to the door until he can learn to go outside the unit; we still have to go to the elevator and out to the front, etc. I've heard other people that use this big crate and put the blanket on one side and newspaper on the other. A third person said to put a piece of grass on a pan and water it, dog will learn to go there everytime.

Does anybody own an actual Frenchie and lives in a high rise building, if so, what method did you use and does it work? Of course there will be mistakes, but I'm not trying to get him started on a bad habit.

All answers are appreciated. Thanks

Answer 1

All of these methods of potty training will work, but I prefer the potty pads and the crate methods (I have never tried the grass thing, but I know people who have). I have 3 Frenchies and have never had to live in an apartment, but I have had to potty train 2 of them in the winter (Frenchie puppies don't like to potty in snow, it touches their belly), so I trained them to use potty pads instead of me having to take them outside all of the time. They are a breed that is hard to pottytrain, and it may take 6-9 months before the puppy gets to where it is reliable. You can e-mail me if you have anymore questions. Frenchies are a GREAT breed and I love all of mine.

Answer 2

I have a Boston. I started her out on wee pads. They worked fine until she started tearing them up and peeing on the floor. Plus now is I leave a rug on the floor she uses it. So not recommending wee pads. Try crate training. Keep the pup in the crate unless under direct supervision. They can only hold their bladder one hour for every month they are old. Take out immediately after waking up, after feeding and playing. Give them good treats and lots of praise and you will be on your road to success. I love Frenchies. I want one to be the next dog I get. I believe they are quick learners so consistency in whatever you choose will help the process along quicker.

Answer 3

I have an English Bully myself. He's only 7 months old, but we got him when he was only a month..we had the same problem. Honestly you should leave a pad on the inside of the crate.
We have to leave him in the crate because of him having accicdents; besides there was no one home to pick it up (school, and my parents work..) anyway we got him to the point where he'd be ok with holding it. Just the fair tap on the nose when he did it and knew it was bad..but other than that he's ok. If you both work, come home for lunch to let him out. It's better than having him wait even longer.
hope that helps. =D