Knowing the history of your dog can be helpful because you will understand their behaviors better. Most dog breeds have been bred with a certain purpose in mind, so knowing that purpose can help you (1) determine if this breed is the right fit for you, and (2) set your dog up for success. For instance, you can’t be surprised if your dog that was bred to hunt keeps wanting to get at your neighbor’s chickens. It’s literally in his DNA!
So, what about Frenchies? What is their purpose? Well, to be honest, their purpose is to be a cute family pet. And they’re pretty good at it. They like to lay around with the family, play with the kids a little bit, or follow you from room to room. As long as they’re involved in what’s going on they’re likely to be content.
With that being said, their history does involve some working dog in them which comes out in their personality to a degree. Their working history isn’t predominant, but you will see it once you know what to look for.
Believe it or not, these plump, bat-eared family pets have a bit of a vicious ancestry. The original bulldog was bred in England for the sport of bull-baiting, which is where they would pit a bull against another animal, in this case, a dog. The Original English Bulldog was bred specifically to boldly bite on to the snout of a bull and hold that bite until the bull was immobilized. (Say what you want about modern entertainment, but at least it's better than bull baiting!)
Thankfully, this was largely outlawed in the 1800s. After this, they were used to pin down the occasional wild bull, but had largely lost their workload. They became more of a companion dog rather than a work dog at this point in history. In 1875, the standard for the “English Bulldog” was published by the Bulldog Club, and this standard was shorter and more compact than the breed’s ancestors from the early 1800s and before. At this point, they are totally incapable of taking down a bull; with their shorter, more compact stature and their underbite, they wouldn't be able to hold the bite. In this form, they are a companion dog.
History is a little fuzzy on how the French Bulldog was developed. Clearly, the English Bulldog was bred to be a smaller and more compact size. Some think that they were just bred smaller and smaller. But that doesn’t explain the origin of the erect ears. It seems to me like the English Bulldog was then crossed with a Corgi (say Hello to bat-ears!). Either way, this smaller, bat-eared version of the English Bulldog became popular in France, and was deemed the French Bulldog.
So, what does this tell us about the French Bulldog’s behavior? First, bulldogs are notoriously stubborn. They can get locked on to something and stick with it. Originally, this would have been a bull’s snout, but it's more likely to be their spot on the couch in your context. Second, these dogs do have a prey drive. I will never forget the time our first French Bulldog went after our friend’s chicken. I had thought our Frenchie was too much of a toy to attack another animal. That poor chicken learned otherwise. Third, these behaviors are in the DNA of your Frenchie, but they're buried deep. She has been a companion dog for about 150 years now, whose job is to entertain your friends and be social, so be sure to provide her the opportunities to do what she was bred to do!