Temperament: The Bichon Frise is outgoing, lively, happy and intelligent. Bichon Frises make excellent household pets, with their abiltity to get on with children, other dogs and strangers. The Bichon Frise responds well under correct training and tends to bond closely with its handler. Bichon Frises are naturally sociable dogs and enjoy being taken everywhere with the family.

Grooming: Demanding. The coat of a Bichon Frise needs to be thoroughly combed everyday and requires occasional clipping to prevent it becoming too long. The coat also needs to be washed regularly to keep it white. Ensure that there are no hairs around the eyes that are causing irritation and trim the excess hair between the pads on the feet. The excess hair in the ears needs to be plucked and any dirt removed. Bichon Frise do not molt and the dead hairs need to be removed with a brush.

Exercise: Bichon Frise adapt themselves to the family activities to fulfill their exercise needs.

History: The Bichon Frise have a long history as they originated from the Mediterranean Barbet – a dog with a thick curly coat who was once used for water retrieving.

Originally known as the ‘Barbichon’, the French shortened the name to Bichon and added ‘Frise’ which means curly or frizzy. The colour of the Bichon Frise became established after cross-breeding with the Maltese Terrier. The Poodle is the best-known breed to have evolved from the early Bichon Frise.

Physical Characteristics: General Appearance — Dazzling white, proud, and alert. Colour: Pure white. Dark skin is preferable. Coat: Fine, silky with soft corkscrew curls 7-10cm (3-4in) long. Tail: Usually raised and curved, it is never curled. Ears: Narrow, delicate, hanging close to the head and well covered with long, finely curled hair. Body: Slightly rounded, well muscled, fore and hindquarters are well angulated and a fairly long neck.

Additional Comments: Tear staining around the eyes is common with the Bichon Frise and there are lotions that can help to reduce or remove these marks. Potential owners of the Bichon Frise need to be committed to ongoing grooming demands.

More on the Bichon Frise

A Bichon Frisé (French, literally Curly lap dog; often spelled Bichon Frise in English) is a small dog that is the size of a large cat. They are popular pets, similar to poodles. The Bichon Frisé is the best-known member of the bichon family of dogs.

They have a lot of energy and enjoy going for long walks, climbing on furniture, and chewing on things. They can also be territorial and definitely have a mind of their own. The Bichon Frise exhibits a trait called the “Bichon Buzz” – suddenly the Bichon will put its ears back, start growling and run feverishly around for a few seconds.

Although many all-white breeds suffer from a variety of ailments including ear infections and skin problems, Bichons have, for the most part, escaped these problems. Bichons live an average of 12 to 14 years. Care must be taken to keep the face of a Bichon Frisé clean and trimmed, as eye discharge and mucus tend to accumulate in the fur that grows in front of their eyes. Bichons do not tolerate the heat well.