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How to Stop a French Bulldog Snoring (10 Quick Tips!)

Is your French Bulldog’s snoring getting out of hand? Wondering why your French Bulldog is snoring so loud? If you’re looking for solutions to stop your Frenchie from snoring, you’ve come to the right place.

While it may seem like a decent solution to move your little one around during the night in order to make them stop snoring, it’s not really fair on them.

The good news is that there are plenty of options you can consider in order to stop the problem without having to require surgery or wake your pup up multiple times.

In this guide, we explain how you can stop your French Bulldog snoring so you can sleep in peace at night.

How to Stop French Bulldog Snoring

It is important to note a few things before I discuss all of the different ways you can stop your Frenchie from snoring.

Frenchie sleeping

As brachycephalic dogs, French Bulldogs are prone to snoring more than other dogs due to their genetics and breeding.

As your Frenchie gets older, their throats weaken, they gain weight, and they suffer from health issues, all of which contribute to loud snoring.

To deal with your Frenchie’s snoring issue at the moment, I would consider less invasive and less painful solutions like the tips below.

Give Your Dog a Pillow

When your French bulldog sleep on a flat surface, his head and neck sit in a way that constricts his airways.

French Bulldog lying on pillow

This can greatly increase the volume of their snoring. Offering your dog a pillow can help him move into a better position for sleeping at night.

If you can get your Frenchie to sleep with his head on a pillow, the change in position will help reduce his snoring.

While it won’t eliminate the problem altogether, it is a low-cost and low-effort trick to try when you’re desperate for some peace and quiet.

Buy a Dog Bed with Raised Sides

A dog bed with raised sides works the same way a pillow does. If your Frenchie isn’t too fond of a stand-alone pillow, she might make use of a dog bed with raised sides or a built-in pillow.

Since the raised portion cannot be pushed from the bed, your dog is less likely to shift and dislodge the pillow during the night.

Use a Round Dog Bed

A round or circular dog bed, especially one designed for small dogs, is a great way to encourage your Frenchie to sleep in a position less likely to cause loud snoring.

French Bulldog sleeping in round dog bed

When sleeping on a round bed, your French bulldog is more likely to sleep curled up, removing pressure from the esophagus during sleep.

This opens up your dog’s airways, allowing them to breathe in their sleep and thereby reduce the intensity of snoring.

Placing their bed in another room can help you both reduce the sound and reduce how much of it reaches your ears, making it a great solution for light sleepers with noisy dogs.

Make Sure the Air Isn’t Too Dry

Dry air can irritate your French bulldog’s sinuses and throat. Whether you live in an excessively dry climate or it’s just a dry time of year, air that’s too dry can significantly contribute to your dog’s loud snores.

Even if it’s not dry outside, running your heater can cause the air inside to get too dry for your dog’s comfort.

Use a humidifier to add more moisture to the air. If you don’t want to have a humidifier in every room of the house, adding one to your dog’s room will greatly benefit him and his quality of sleep.

This will reduce the irritation in your dog’s sinuses and throat and may work to reduce the volume of his snores.

Help Your Dog Maintain a Healthy Weight

French bulldogs are especially prone to obesity because they can’t handle strenuous activity and love to eat.

As the human responsible for your dog’s care, it’s important that you provide her with a healthy diet and exercise routine.

French Bulldog running outdoor

Don’t feed your dog scraps from the dinner table, and resist the urge to overfeed at mealtimes. Too many treats can also lead to obesity.

Although your dog cannot handle strenuous physical activity, taking time to play with your dog every night can help her get the exercise she needs to stay healthy.

Staying on top of your dog’s weight is a great way to prevent her from developing a snoring problem.

If your Frenchie is currently overweight, talk to her veterinarian to discuss a healthy diet and weight loss. As her weight goes down, you may find that the volume of her snores goes down as well.

Keep Your Dog’s Sleeping Area Clean

Dust can wreak havoc on your French bulldog’s airways, especially if he has an allergy to dust mites.

You should always keep the area where your Frenchie sleeps clean to prevent a buildup of dust, bacteria, and allergens. Improving the hygiene of your dog’s sleeping area may also reduce snoring volume.

Your Frenchie’s bed should be washed at least once a week. Sweep, vacuum, and mop the area around their bed regularly to keep it as clean as possible.

Make Sure the Air in Your Home Is Clean

Cleaning your dog’s bedding and sleep area isn’t enough if your home has otherwise poor air quality.

Allergens and other airborne irritants can make it harder for your dog to breathe at night, causing excessively loud snores.

Remember, your French bulldog’s airways are significantly smaller than your own. That means that changes in air quality that don’t impact you can still cause significant problems for your furry friend.

You may want to invest in an air purifier, especially if the air quality cannot be improved by airing out your space and keeping it clean.

Keeping the air in your home clean also means being cautious about introducing things that may worsen the air quality.

For example, harsh cleaning chemicals may cause a change in air quality, especially if you’re cleaning with the windows closed.

You should never smoke in your home if you share that home with a dog. Frenchies are exceptionally sensitive dogs, and secondhand smoke can significantly impact the quality of the air they breathe. When air quality worsens, so does your dog’s snoring.

Ask Your Dog’s Veterinarian If their Medication Can Cause Snoring

If your French bulldog has recently started medication (i.e., muscle relaxers or painkillers) and you’ve noticed an increase in snoring, call your dog’s veterinarian to ensure the medication isn’t causing the snoring.

Side effects like dry nose and drowsiness can make your Frenchie’s snoring worse. While there will be times when you cannot switch your dog’s medication, sometimes there are alternative medications available.

If the volume of your dog’s snoring is unbearable, it may be worth it to talk through all your options with the vet.

Take Your Frenchie for a Checkup

Sometimes you need a veterinarian’s insight and assistance to address your dog’s snoring problem.

French Bulldog vet checkup

If your Frenchie’s snoring is disruptive, especially if it’s a newly developed problem, schedule a visit with the vet.

Your dog’s veterinarian can help you address underlying medical conditions such as infections or obstructions.

Even if there’s nothing wrong with your Frenchie that’s causing him to snore louder, the vet can help you troubleshoot until you find a solution.

Schedule Brachycephalic Surgery

Since French bulldogs are brachycephalic dogs, their snoring may not be something you can treat outside of scheduling brachycephalic surgery.

Often, this surgery is to address all the issues caused by your dog’s skull shape. For example, brachycephalic surgery can help reduce incidences of choking or gagging.

Your dog’s veterinarian likely won’t move forward with this surgery if snoring is the only symptom.

However, getting this surgery when it’s needed to improve your dog’s quality of life has the side benefit of reducing the noise caused by his snoring.

In most cases, this surgery can greatly reduce the sound of your dog’s snoring. It’s important to note, though, that your dog will likely still snore (even if it’s a lot quieter).

Wrap-Up: Tips to Stop French Bulldog Snoring

As you can see, there are a few things you can do to keep your French Bulldog snoring under control. But despite your best efforts, you will probably never be able to stop your French Bulldog from snoring completely.

French bulldogs can also snore because of allergies. Hence, before rushing into nose surgery, you should check for other symptoms as well.

If your Frenchie sneezes excessively when outside, he probably has an environmental allergy. Therefore you should consult your vet.

In general, you’d want to keep your Frenchie healthy and fit. Ensure that the place where he sleeps is comfortable, and reduce exposure to allergens.

Photo of author
Lisemaine is a dog lover. She currently owns two Frenchies and enjoys working with and training them. She'll share her best tips with you to keep your Frenchie happy, healthy, and active.


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