Over the Last 30 Years, Darlene and I have raised bichons. During those same years, Darlene did babysitting in our home. We had our Three girls, then we had 4-6 other toddlers that were constantly playing together. Over that Time period, we never had a child get bitten, even with the dogs being loved very roughly by innocent affectionate children.
Bichon Frise are Excellent with Children
We would Highly Recommend them as a Family Dog Good with Children. They are Extremely Playful – we have had Many live to 18 Years of Age
We all love our dogs, and some of the more popular dog breeds that America loves will be the Golden Retriever as well as the Labrador counterparts. For owners who are looking for a breed that is unique as well as perfect around the house, then perhaps they can opt for a smaller dog breed that can bring joy to the house too. One such breed is the Bichon Frise, which is actually a pretty popular but obscure dog breed around.
Let us look into some of the characteristics and why the Bichon Frise is one of the best dog breeds to have, especially if you have kids at home.
Bichon Frise History
Do you realize that the Bichon Frise does share some similar characteristics as the Poodle or the Maltese? This is because they all share the same common ancestor, and they have developed their own individual characteristics to form their own breed. The earliest known Bichon Frise came about during the early 1300s in Italy.
They are commonly bred and kept as a family pet even in the earlier days. Indeed, they got so popular back then that sailors started to bring the pet onboard their ships, and that is how the dog breed became popular in America.
Bichon Frise as a family pet
When choosing a dog to be your pet, here are some of the top few characteristics you will need to know about the Bichon Frise.
- Appearance
The Bichon Frise is a small dog breed that can warm the family up with their cheerful personality. They have a white coat that can get really thick. If you brush your hand through the Bichon’s coat, it does feel a little on the silky side. Interestingly, you can try your best to mess up their coat, but it still falls into place neatly with the occasional tangle, which can be easily solved with the usage of a comb. The soft-touch to their coat makes it a wonderful experience just by hugging the pooch! Just remember not to over do it, lest you suffocate your dog!
In terms of its size, the Bichon Frise can grow up to 30cm in height only while weighing a mere 5kg. Their small, toy-like appearance makes them a wonderful addition to the family. Together with its flat muzzle, black nose, as well as rounded face, it is of little wonder why kids love the Bichon Frise like how much they can love their teddy bears.
- Temperament
The Bichon Frise makes a good family pet because of its mild temperament. Indeed, while they can be playful, the Bichon Frise can be very sociable with dogs. Not only that, the Bichon Frise is very good with kids and it is very common for Bichon Frise to be regarded as the kids’ first pets, simply because of how warm the Bichon Frise is towards the children. In addition to that, Bichon Frise is known not to be loud barkers, so you wouldn’t need to be afraid of the dog barking at your kids.
- Training
This is when it gets tricky. There are actually two sides here. There are some families that claim the Bichon Frise is tough to train, and that it takes up too much of their time even by training them to respond to commands. On the other side, there are owners whose Bichon Frise are so well behaved. It all boils down to the owner’s ability to train the dogs actually.
Indeed, Bichon Frise, as research has shown, is a relatively easy dog to train. Being a fairly intelligent dog, it is actually easy to get the Bichon Frise to respond to commands. However, as they do have a near-infinite amount of energy in their pockets, owners can sometimes get tired just from training them.
The reason why training will be a necessity is because of the Bichon’s natural tendency to mess around with the furniture in your house. Being a playful dog, it can be pretty disastrous if you leave them alone without first conducting proper training with them. It will definitely be a good thing if you can house train the Bichon. Rest assured that all the effort that you put into training the Bichon Frise will be worthwhile as it can be a great bonding session between you and the dog.
- Activeness
Though the dog is small in size, the Bichon Frise does have a bottomless pit as a source of their energy. They can literally play for hours without feeling tired. Since some of our kids can have that same amount of energy, you can leave the children and the dog together while they try to outlast one another in terms of energy levels! It can be pretty amusing to see how the children and the Bichon Frise react to one another. Just ensure that they share toys!
- Health
There are no known health issues for the Bichon. The Bichon have a decent lifespan, ranging from 12 years to 15 years.
- Grooming
As Bichons have a rather thick coat, they do require trimming from time to time. Though they do not shed, it will be good if you can keep the coat clean and tidy. Do comb the dog on a daily basis so that the coat does not tangle up. If you could, bath the Bichon at least twice in a month, or when they start to smell. Typically, if you use the correct dog shampoo, the dog shouldn’t smell that fast.
As for their nails, do bring them along to the groomer for the occasional trimming of the nails. This is to prevent them from destroying your furniture when their playful instinct kicks in.
Wrapping up
If you are looking for a well-rounded dog that requires little maintenance as well as being good around kids, then the Bichon Frise shall be the best choice for a pet for your family. Their gentle, mind and cute personality is sure to bring warmth and love to the family.
