Bichon Frise

History

As it may be a surprise to many, the Bichon Frise is an excellent water retrieval breed. Dated back to the 13th century, this breed traveled the world and was traded by sailors. Descending from the Barbet Water Spaniel and Poodle bloodlines, the Bichon Frise became popular when it arrived in the United States in the 1950s. Since this breeds arrival, it has been adored by thousands of families. As it may be a surprise to many, the Bichon Frise is an excellent water retrieval breed. Dated back to the 13th century, this breed traveled the world and was traded by sailors. Descending from the Barbet Water Spaniel and Poodle bloodlines, the Bichon Frise became popular when it arrived in the United States in the 1950s. Since this breeds arrival, it has been adored by thousands of families.

Appearance

Similar to a marshmallow, the Bichon Frise is a small, white, fluffy breed that is just too cute for words! Weighing 7-11 pounds, and measuring 9-12 inches for both males and females, this breed is the perfect lap companion. The Bichon Frise is most commonly known for being solid white, however this breed is available in grey, cream and apricot as well. This breed has a body that is short to the ground carrying a round face with a muzzle that forms into a scizzor bite. The Bichon should have perfectly round black or brown eyes and nose to match, while their tail curls over onto their back. Typically, owners prefer a hair cut similar to the "Poodle" cut, leaving the hair longer on the Bichon Frise's head, tail, and legs, while being short on their torso. Their ears are floppy and frame their face, and also most commonly have longer, curly hair covering them.

Temperament

Though the Bichon Frise loves human companionship and needs it to thrive, this breed is fairly independent during the work days. Very obedient and eager to learn are just one of many great qualities to this breed. The Bichon Frise is recommended for all family types, with elderly, children other pets and dogs. They are very suitable for apartment and country living and require minimal exercise with a single walk during the day, if you can promise play time in the house. Don't stero-type this small breed with the rest, because the Bichon Frise is not a known "yapper"! Surprisingly to many, they tend to be fairly quiet. This breed thrives when able to take part in family activities in or out of the home, and generally loves car rides.

Grooming

The Bichon Frise require daily brushing to ensure their semi-curly hair does not mat or knot. Pay special attention to the hair on their face, stomach and paws as these areas tend to mat the easiest. It is recommended that your have your Bichon Frise clipped every 8 weeks or so, to avoid this as well. Some owners prefer having their dog carry a very short hair cut to eliminate the upkeep. Bathe when needed.

Special Notes

This breed is known to live 15+ years, and have allergies to fleas. Please do not add this breed to your family unless you can make the life long commitment to them. Please fully educate yourself about this breed. Do not add one to your family unless you are able to provide physical and financial care life long for your new pet. Please have a proper and safe leash and harness on your pup at all times while outdoors. All dogs originate from wolves (Canis Lupus). Each breed of dog was originally created by mixing different breeds together in an effort to bring forth certain characteristics. Once a breeder has created acceptable “breed characteristics” within their bloodline and these “breed characteristics” have shown to be reliably reproduced in the offspring for three (3) generations, the bloodline may be upgraded from the category of “foundation stock” to “pure-bred”. The same “pure-bred” breed standards vary from different continents, countries, territories, regions, breed clubs, and canine pure-breed registries depending on the goals of their breeders. Dog DNA testing companies can have accurate results for a specific bloodline of a small colony of dogs. However, there are tens of thousands of different bloodlines in the world which have not yet been tested for marker baseline results by Dog DNA testing companies as of 2017. For this reason Dog DNA testing companies do not guarantee the 100% accuracy of their breed lineage results and will also show different marker results for the same pure-bred breed in different continents, countries, territories, regions, breed clubs, and canine pure-breed registries depending on the goals of their breeders.