Are French Bulldogs Better in Pairs? Hints to Avoid Mistakes

Are you considering adding a second loveable French Bulldog to your household?  If so, you aren’t alone and it’s a common place to be when you see just how much fun one Frenchie is!  Familiarize yourself with what you should know about timing in adding a second French Bulldog to your house as well as how to do so safely and comfortably in the process as well as making sure that you’re doing it for the right reasons!

Are French Bulldogs Better in Pairs? French Bulldogs are, indeed, better in pairs because they are social animals and greatly enjoy having a furry best friend around to play with when humans are away. Frenchies in pairs also make great stress relief buddies. Since Frenchies can be known for being anxious when alone, having a bud that is close by can really help ease that discomfort as well as offer peace of mind to you, too. Below, you can learn about adding a second Frenchie to your household as well as how to do so and what you should know about when it’s a good idea versus when it isn’t!

Adding a second French Bulldog vs getting two Frenchies at the same time

One of the most important details to consider is the timing of getting your second French Bulldog. You can consider getting one after the fact or getting two at the same time. There are pros and cons to both options, so it’s something you’ll want to carefully consider when planning your adoptions!

Adding a second Frenchie later

Since French Bulldogs are expensive in terms of their breeding purchase price, many people get one at a time and then add a second one later if they feel that the expense is worthwhile.

One of the advantages of separating the Frenchie arrivals is that it is cheaper short-term in both the initial fee as well as the care-taking. Having only one puppy underfoot is also going to be a little easier as you get used to feeding, training and even the social interactions with other pets and children in your household. 

There are some disadvantages to consider, though, as well. First, if you go with a new Frenchie puppy, you have to completely redo all of the training and adjusting while you have household responsibilities and a teen or adult Frenchie to deal with, too. This can make it a little more challenging in terms of time. You’ll also need to navigate the introduction process between your French Bulldogs so that they get along properly and enjoy spending time together even on their own. 

Getting two Frenchies at the same time

Another option to consider is the idea of bringing home two Frenchies at the same time!  In most cases, this would be two puppies from the same litter of puppies or two older Frenchies that have spent time together before you brought them home. 

Some advantages of doing it this way include the detail that you get to get all of the training and socialization over with all at once. This is great when you don’t think you are going to want to do it again in the future. This is also helpful if you find the entire process both sleep-depriving and stressful — we’ve all been there!  As well, Frenchies often get stressed out when settling into their new homes. If they have a buddy there with them — especially a buddy that was there with them as they grew up and can help ease that fear or uncertainty.

There are some pretty important disadvantages to consider, of course. This mostly refers to the fact that you’ve got double of everything. Double the training, double the responsibility, double the vet costs and even double the stress as you get used to everything. 

Deciding to bring home two Frenchies at the same time ultimately depends on what you think is best for you and your loved ones!  

Do French Bulldogs get along with each other?

Frenchies recognize other Frenchies and are well-known for getting along with others of their kind. This doesn’t mean that your French Bulldog won’t get along with any other dog breed, of course, but they tend to be happier with breed siblings!  This is because French Bulldogs are pack animals and they recognize other doggos from their pack (read: breed) and instantly take a liking to them. When introducing them to each other (see below), this can take a lot of the stress or potential discomfort between pooches out of it!

Can you have 2 male French Bulldogs?

Just like any other kind of dog breed, you may find that having two male French Bulldogs is a little more work at first. This is because Frenchies (particularly males) are biologically programmed to be territorial doggos. They have to protect their pack (ie: you and your family!) and they don’t much appreciate another male alpha coming in to “take over” their household and responsibilities. 

This territorial instinct, particularly the aggressive part of it, will be much better off if you neuter both pooches before they meet!  

Also, it doesn’t mean that you can’t have two male Frenchies in the same household. You just need to take some extra care and attention when it comes to the introduction process (keep reading for that!)

How to introduce a new Frenchie brother to my French Bulldog

If you’re ready to add in that second Frenchie and you want to make sure that you are going about it the same way, there are some important steps to help you make the most out of it!

Let both settle in

You’ll want to make sure that both your existing Frenchie as well as his new brother have time to settle in. Both doggos will know that the other is there, especially as they’ll most likely be sniffing each other through the door that separates them from room to room, but you should make sure that both are comfortable and calm before the meet and greet itself happens. This helps make sure that no one gets overwhelmed — including you!

Meet in a neutral territory

When you are ready to do the meet, you’ll want to make sure to do it in a neutral part of the home. You may even consider doing it outside at first. Both dogs will have their own dedicated space that the other one can’t get to, but the meeting itself is best done somewhere outside of both of those spaces.

During this meet, you’ll want to make sure that both doggos have easy access to their private spaces in case they want to retreat. 

Make sure you’ve got control of both doggos

To keep everyone comfortable and stress-free, you’ll want to have one person with each dog so that both are contained on a leash. The new addition should have more freedom if he wants to approach the household dog, but both should be controlled to keep everyone calm and safe!

Move at their speed

When it comes to meeting nose to nose or sniffing and playing and hanging out together at the right amount of intervals as their friendship progresses, make sure you don’t force something before they’re ready for it. Allow both of your Frenchies to determine the pace so that they learn how to get along together without your interference. 

Give them lots of love

Both doggos — especially males — want to know that they still get lots of love from Mom and Dad, so make sure that you spend dedicated alone time with both during this initial progress. Once they understand your attention, as well as their physical needs such as food and water, aren’t going to be threatened, they’ll quickly switch from irritation to excitement over having a new best buddy. 

Don’t leave them alone together until you can trust them

Even if everything seems to be going great and you feel as though they are getting along well, don’t leave them alone for a while. Either in the room or in the house in general, they should always have someone there that can intervene and catch bad behavior (particularly, who instigated it) as it happens, and then work to adjust it.

Just like with human siblings, you’ll have to watch over them and make sure that you are ready to step in if you need to. One shouldn’t be allowed to be in charge of the other, and it’s your job to make sure that doesn’t happen!  They should both look to you as the alpha, keeping them both on the same (conflict-free) playing field.

Should you get a second French Bulldog?

If you’re seriously considering the idea, now, of adding in a second Frenchie to the mix, congratulations!  It’s an exciting next step and it’s certainly going to give you lots of great memories and laughs. However, part of being a responsible pet parent is in making sure that you are considering the reasons why should as well as shouldn’t have a second French Bulldog in your household. Understanding both of these perspectives will help you to make the right decision.

Reasons to have a second French Bulldog

As mentioned briefly above, you’ll find that there are some great advantages of having two snuffly Frenchies in your household. Firstly, since Frenchies are pack animals, they’ll be able to be silly and fun together and keep each other occupied when you are busy with something else. They love to be together and this comes through in the way that they often act the part of the clown with each other.

Frenchies living together also offer great companionship for each other both when you are away from the home as well as busy. They can often keep each other out of trouble and they will play together and keep the other one moving, which is great for handling issues such as obesity in your French Bulldogs. They also will curl up together and sleep together for company and warmth. How cute is that?

Lastly, having two Frenchies means that your older and more established Frenchie can be a great role model for your new addition!  While this may extend to issues with begging or barking when you don’t want them to, it’s all great for those pesky issues such as potty training and leash training!  He’ll watch what his big bro is doing and then follow along!

Reasons not to have a second French Bulldog

There are also some points to consider for not adding a second Frenchie to your household, both as two puppies at the same time, or one at a time and spaced out. Some of these are preventable and some of them aren’t, of course.

Firstly, Frenchies don’t always get along. Sometimes personalities just don’t mesh, particularly with two males, and you may not be able to guarantee that both are safe in your household. From bullying to aggressive behavior, it’s your job as a pet parent to make sure that both are safe and comfortable in your home. If you can’t do that, even with time, patience, and professional support if needed, you may need to consider the fact that two Frenchies aren’t a good idea. There is such a thing as antisocial Frenchies, after all!

Secondly, you may also find that Frenchies never get past that thought process of “I need to protect my resources”. This is especially common when it comes to dog-rich situations such as puppy mills or fighting rings, or even situations where a doggo has been abused by another dog. Those dogs feel that it is their responsibility to protect their home and food and water and will not take kindly to a new addition. If your pooch shoes aggressive or resource-guarding tendencies, this is something to take seriously. You have to respect your existing pooch’s needs, after all.

Lastly, there’ the actual size of your home. If you have a small home with lots of people and/or other pets, you may not have the physical space for two Frenchies!  While they tend to be low maintenance and aren’t all that big, they do take up space (not to mention their stuff). So, you’ll need to keep that in mind when looking at whether you can add in the second doggo. 

Do French Bulldogs need to have a companion?

Okay, so whether you’re in favor of the second Frenchie or not, you might be asking yourself this question. Technically, French Bulldogs don’t need to have a companion to be happy. They enjoy their humans and toys and walks and treats just as much on their own as they do in packs. This is also the case if your pooch has never known a companion since puppyhood. In this case, he doesn’t really know what he’s missing because he doesn’t remember his litter mates!

That being said, Frenchies love having someone to play with and don’t like being left alone, like, ever. If you know that you have a busy lifestyle and maybe you can’t be home with your Frenchie as much as you’d like, you could consider another one so that they can keep each other company.

Conclusion

You also don’t necessarily have to have two Frenchies if you don’t want to, or can’t. A companion of any furry variety (even cats) is a great relationship and Frenchies and happy, social instant besties with basically anyone!  

Whatever you decide, when it comes to potentially having French Bulldogs in pairs, this will make sure that you know everything you need to and that you are ready for the adventure!