If you’re a parent looking for a dog to bring home, it’s essential to pick a dog that’s good with kids.
Some dog breeds are notorious for being a bad fit for families with young kids, even if those dogs are great with adults.
Are French bulldogs good with kids, though? In the following guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about French bulldogs and their relationship with children.
Although the breed is generally good with children, there are important steps you’ll need to take to ensure a harmonious relationship between your children and your dog.
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Are French Bulldogs Good with Kids?
In general, Frenchies are good with kids. They tend to build strong bonds with their family, often becoming very attached to the children they share space with.
However, improper socialization can cause aggression in French bulldogs. Because of this, it’s imperative that your Frenchie is socialized from a very young age.
Socialization and training will increase the likelihood that your French bulldog will get along with your children.
While Frenchies are generally less aggressive than other breeds, unsocialized and untrained Frenchies can develop aggression issues.
It’s also essential to teach your children how to interact with your dogs properly. Frenchies are small dogs, so rough play and improper handling can cause injury.
If your children regularly mishandle your French bulldog, he may develop some fear-based aggression. This may cause nippiness, growling, and biting.
French bulldogs are usually affectionate, loyal, and friendly. Their warm personalities make them excellent for homes with children, other animals, or both.
While this doesn’t guarantee that your Frenchie will get along with children, it is a good indicator that they’re more likely to interact peacefully.
5 Reasons Why Frenchies are Good for Households with Children
The following are five reasons why French bulldogs are great for families with kids. Let’s dive in.
Frenchies are small dogs
While it’s important to socialize and train your dog to decrease the likelihood of aggression, French bulldogs’ small size means they pose less risk to young children.
As you train your dog and teach your child how to interact with him, any incidents between the two are less likely to cause serious injury.
Large dogs sometimes run the risk of knocking over children, which can cause hurt feelings and minor injuries.
Even if the dog doesn’t mean to harm the child, their large size can be intimidating to a young child.
Like other small dog breeds, they bring a lot of energy to their playtime. Children love playing and interacting with their dogs and Frenchies love the attention.
This relationship can be beautiful and mutually beneficial, especially when both children and dogs are taught how to interact well.
Although Frenchies are small, they’re sturdy dogs
Some small dog breeds are a little bit too fragile for young children. Even though French Bulldogs are small, they have a sturdier and more muscular build.
While children still shouldn’t mishandle them, they’re more likely to hold up while playing with children.
Frenchies bred to be companion dogs
The breeding of French bulldogs has made them the perfect companions for families, even those with young children at home.
Instead of being bred for hunting or other outdoor tasks, they were intentionally bred to be companion animals.
That means Frenchies are, by design, small dogs with laid-back and friendly personalities. Since they are friendly and playful, they make ideal companions for children.
Frenchies are relatively quiet dogs
Loud barking and other noises can add stress to the relationship between dogs and children. While Frenchies may occasionally bark, they are a relatively quiet breed of dogs.
They aren’t known to be barky or yappy dogs, which is good. No parent wants to add to the noise in their household!
Even though they don’t bark, French bulldogs are still pretty vocal. They often “talk,” communicating with the humans they share space with.
These low grunts and other vocalizations will amuse the whole family without adding too much noise or chaos.
If you have a young baby in the home, you won’t have to worry about your Frenchie barking and waking the baby.
All their sounds will be quiet enough that your young children will rarely be disturbed by noise from the dog.
French Bulldogs aren’t aggressive
Overall, Frenchies aren’t aggressive dogs. That makes them the ideal fit for families with children.
While all dogs can bite when provoked, French bulldogs are less likely to nip or bite than other, nippier breeds. Their non-aggressive personalities make them a great fit for families with children.
Training Your French Bulldog with Kids
Proper training and socialization are key steps for preparing your Frenchie for interactions with your children.
Although French Bulldogs are almost always non-aggressive, improper training and socialization can cause aggression.
Socializing Frenchies with Kids
Socialization is one of the most significant things you can do to make sure your French bulldog puppy grows into a well-adjusted, friendly dog.
When they get plenty of socialization as puppies, they tend to show fewer bad behaviors, such as growling or biting.
Ideally, French bulldogs should be introduced to children while they’re still puppies. As long as these early experiences are positive, Frenchies will be friendly with children.
Make sure your children know how to handle your puppy, since improper or rough handling can cause your French bulldog to be fearful of children.
When possible, make sure your French bulldog has lots of experiences with children of all ages. They should be able to socialize with both your children and any other children who come into your home.
Make sure your Frenchie is getting lots of early interactions with children. For example, you can take your dog to the park or introduce him to children visiting your home.
Obedience Training for French Bulldogs
Obedience training is another important component for preparing your French bulldog for interactions with children.
Since Frenchies are a people-pleasing breed with above-average intelligence, they are often relatively easy to train.
However, many French bulldogs have a stubborn streak. This sometimes makes it difficult to train. When possible, invest in obedience training with a professional dog trainer.
This training will help your dog learn basic commands that will make interactions with people of all ages easier.
Teaching Your Kids How to Interact with Your French Bulldog
Training and socializing your French bulldog isn’t enough to guarantee a harmonious relationship with your children.
Your children will also need some amount of “training” to help them bond with your dog.
Ultimately, your children will need to learn how to respect your dog. As cute as he may be, he’s still a living creature and not a toy.
Creating Rules
The first thing you’ll need to do is create rules about how your children will interact with your dog. Some basic rules include:
- Do not pull on the dog’s skin or ears. Always be gentle when handling him.
- Do not sit on or attempt to “ride” the dog. This can cause serious injuries to the dog, even if the child is lighter than the dog.
- Do not yell at the dog or make loud noises when he’s nearby.
- Don’t chase the dog or run toward it. Only walk toward him from the front, so he sees you coming.
- Leave the dog alone while he’s eating (since trying to “play” while the dog eats can result in mild aggression).
It will take time for your kids to adapt to these rules, especially when the dog is new and exciting.
However, reinforcing these guidelines is essential for creating a positive relationship between your children and your dog.
Supervise Early Interactions
You should always supervise your infant, toddler, and preschool children when they are around your dog.
Even though Frenchies cannot do a lot of damage, it only takes a minute for either your child or your dog to get injured by an unpleasant interaction.
Until you can trust your older children to interact positively with your French bulldog, supervise their interactions.
Once children have a firm grasp on the rules of play, you may leave them unsupervised for short periods of time.
Teach Warning Signs
Children should be taught how to identify nervous or aggressive behaviors in your dog. Even if your French bulldog is typically gentle and non-aggressive, children should know how to read your dog’s behavior and respond accordingly.
Showing teeth, snarling, growling, snapping, biting, flattened ears, visible whites of the eyes, and avoiding eye contact are all signs that your dog is feeling nervous or frightened.
Teach your children to identify these signs. Make sure they know to give your dog space if he’s showing any signs of being nervous.
Wrap-Up: Are French Bulldogs Good with Kids?
French bulldogs are gentle and fun-loving dogs that do exceptionally well with children.
Although they usually don’t show signs of aggression, untrained and unsocialized Frenchies may become aggressive.
Proactively providing training and socialization for your French bulldog puppy will help them exhibit positive behaviors later in life.
It’s important to take time to teach your children how to interact with your dog. Children should be taught how to play gently with their dog, especially since its small size makes it vulnerable to injury.
Set intentional ground rules to help foster a positive relationship between your children and your dog.
