Suppose you have young children in the home, and you are considering adopting a Bull Terrier. In that case, you are likely curious if the Bull Terrier is the right dog for your family and if the Bull Terrier will be good with your children.
Seems like a logical question to ask, in my opinion, and it is essential to know in advance before ultimately adopting a Bull Terrier.
As a Terrier owner myself and a big fan of the Bull Terrier dog breed, here is what I can tell you on this topic.
Are Bull Terriers Good with Children?
Yes, Bull Terriers are good with children and excellent dogs with children if they are socialized and trained at a young age. Bull Terriers with proper socialization are incredibly affectionate dogs.
On the flip side, you need to realize that some circumstances exist where it may not be the best idea to adopt a Bull Terrier if you have young children.
That is what the rest of this discussion is going to break down for you, and here is how I intend to lay out the information for you today:
- Bull Terriers with Children, Toddlers, and Young Kids
- What You As The Owner Should Do With Your Bull Terrier If You Have Children
- When Will A Bull Terrier Not Be Good With Children?
- Bull Terriers Can Be Great Family Pets Under the Right Circumstances
Bull Terriers with Children, Toddlers, and Young Kids
Your concern for wondering if Bull Terriers can interact and be good with your children is valid. It makes sense considering the intimidating build, muscle mass, and sometimes dangerous reputation of the Bull Terrier.
The last thing you would want to do is potentially adopt a dog breed like the Bull Terrier that weighs in between 50-85 lbs full grown and deal with aggressive behaviors.
However, this is simply not the case with Bull Terriers. When an aggressive Bull Terrier does show its face, it is typically the product of bad and unethical ownership in some fashion.
In fact, this is the case with most dog breeds.
Sure, some dog breeds tend to have a shorter trigger to act aggressively than others. Still, overall, a vast majority of dog breeds are kindhearted, great companions, and willing to love and interact with children.
Again, this is under ideal circumstances, which is what I will begin diving into next.
What You as The Owner Should Do with Your Bull Terrier If You Have Children
As mentioned, a moment ago, a Bull Terrier raised in a loving and ethical environment and home will be great around children.
Sure, they may be a bit clownish and relatively clumsy, but they will still love and be great companions with children.
For this to be the situation with a Bull Terrier or any dog breed for that matter, you have a few things you need to do on your end as the owner.
Below, I have compiled some of the most important things you can do for your Bull Terrier to ensure they grow and mature into great companions and loving family members towards your children.
Socialization Is Imperative for Bull Terriers to Be Great with Children
The temperament of a Bull Terrier will vary greatly and rely a lot on how your Bull Terrier is raised and socialized.
Socialization is a huge part of every dog’s life.
It is how a Bull Terrier learns the world around them and learns how to interact with humans, including children and adults, and how they know to handle situations with other animals and social activities.
This is when it begins falling into your hands and when the responsibility shifts over to you as the owner.
When you adopt your Bull Terrier, the socialization process needs to begin immediately when you arrive home.
With supervision of course.
Start getting your Bull Terrier acclimated and comfortable with the environment right away.
The more your Bull Terrier can learn to be around rowdy and loud kids right out of the gates, the better they will ultimately grow up to be around children.
It is all about repetition, becoming familiar, and repeating the process.
Again, I highly recommend supervision in the beginning since Bull Terriers can be rowdy and clingy dogs, and since they have a bit of size behind them.
Nonetheless, with supervision, you want your Bull Terrier exposed to your children as much as possible.
Training and Discipline Is Equally Important
In addition to socialization, training and discipline are also extremely important for your Bull Terrier.
Especially during the initial years and the puppy years.
This is when your Bull Terrier needs to recognize that you are in charge, and specific rules apply in the household.
Overall, being consistent, providing discipline and training will help make your Bull Terrier more obedient and better behaved around the children.
Training and discipline need to begin right away. Just like we mentioned, the socialization should take place right away.
These two jobs on your end completed with consistency can turn a Bull Terrier into an extremely loving, well-behaved dog and companion for the entire family, including the children.
When Will A Bull Terrier Not Be Good with Children?
Now, we need to begin discussing the other side of the fence regarding raising a Bull Terrier around your children.
Situations can arise where a Bull Terrier would not be the best dog breed you could choose to adopt if you have young children.
One of those situations is when you have Bull Terrier, where it is tough to get a full background.
Typically, this would be the scenario you run into if you decide to adopt a Bull Terrier from a local rescue from a family that abandoned them.
I am not necessarily saying not to rescue a Bull Terrier for this reason but what I am saying is to be careful leaving your Bull Terrier around your children unsupervised if this is the situation you find yourself in.
Another potentially bad scenario is if you adopt a Bull Terrier and do not follow the tips we discussed a few minutes ago.
Suppose you are not going to take the time to socialize your Bull Terrier and provide any form of training or discipline.
In that case, a Bull Terrier may not know how to behave accordingly around children in the future.
Long story short, if you rescue a Bull Terrier, supervise until you understand your dog’s personality and temperament and get as much information as you can.
If you adopt a Bull Terrier from a local breeder, do your best to socialize your dog right away and provide training. Your Bull Terrier being around children now and in the future should never be a significant concern.
Bull Terriers Can Be Great Family Pets Under the Right Circumstances
Hopefully, thus far into the discussion, you are on the same page and realize that a Bull Terrier can be a great dog breed with your children and a great addition to the family.
With proper socialization, training, and discipline, a Bull Terrier can mature into one of the best dogs you can choose to adopt.
Raise your Bull Terrier in a loving and warm home and provide them with the socialization they need. You will watch your kids and Bull Terrier develop an unbreakable bond.
Bull Terriers are affectionate and loving as long as you provide the same level of affection and love towards them.
Luna and I wish you the best of luck with your Bull Terriers and the journey you have ahead of you!
What Is Your Opinion About A Bull Terrier Interacting and Living With Children?
Do you believe Bull Terriers are an ideal dog breed for families with children?
Why or why not?
Be sure to share those thoughts, stories, and concerns by dropping a comment below.
As always, Luna and I appreciate you stopping by and reading today, and we will see you again next time.