Bichon Frise

Bichon Frise is a well know breed of small dogs that belongs to the Bichon family and is derived from its French name “bichon a poil Frise” which means curly hair lap dog. They have a white spread of fur all over their body in a uniform manner like a spread of white carpet without any patches or blotches but some of their parts like around the nose or ear they possess some shades of buff, cream or apricot and are well known for their fluffy coat and cheerfulness. Since bichon frise are the modification of the french name, thus they are also alternatively known as french bichon. As they are the descendants of the water spaniel, they attain a maximum height of 9 to 12 inches which is 23 to 30 cm tall with silky, puffy, curled coats as well as undercoats with silky ears that drop down to their forehead and a short and blunt muzzle. The most attractive feature is their well-plumed tail that is curved with their body. They also have a beautiful arched neck that gives them a confident and proud look.  The bichon frise originated in the areas surrounding the Mediterranean sea to which other species of dog of the same family is originated like Bolognese, Maltese and Havanese. These breeds are all related to the bichon family. The temperament of the dog is very cheerful and is thus considered to be the happiest dog in the world. They are generally very playful and friendly and get along well with the new environment. They are very intelligent and often like to be in a constant company especially with the bichon breeders. They are recommended for those who have allergies to the fur of any pet animal as they shred very rarely but they suffer a lot with separation anxiety and therefore they cannot be left all alone for a longer period.

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Description of Bichon

They are really small dogs with a maximum weight ranging from 6 to 11 kilograms, that is, 10 to 20 pounds and thus they have been classified by the American Kennel Club as the toy dog and is not considered in the sporting group of breeds. They stand at a height ranging from 9 to 12 inches which are 23 to 30 cms at their shoulder which is also referred to as withers in their case. They have a round face with non-pointing, in fact, quite a flat nose and mouth projection. Their tails are curly and fluffy and groomed in such a way that they look long and flowy. They have dark round eyes and a black nose with a white curly, fluffy coat running all over their body with very little amount shedding, unlike the other breeds who possess much less curly and fluffy hair. Although they have a consistent white coat all over their body and head they possess some kind of creamy, buff or apricot colour around their ears, eyes, snout or paws but that doesn’t exist in more than 10% of the entire body and therefore it is almost non-recognizable. They have an almost proportional legs to body ratio with shiny ears falling down on the sides of the face and their white cotes are trimmed at a regular interval to make the furs looks more aligned and of the same length throughout the body. These dods possess medium-high intelligence.

Temperament

They are very gentle, well mannered, playful and sensitive in nature. They need to be around their family and cannot be left alone for a long period of time as they suffer from separation anxiety and it’s a very common symptom for dogs of this breed. Thus the American Kennel Club have referred to them as toy dogs and are often called “merry and curious” in nature. The bichon frise dogs are very social and non-aggressive in nature. As they have quick adaptability to new surroundings, therefore the dod owners do not face handling problem while they are taken for an outing. They are considered one of the best domestic companion breeds because of their gentle and friendly nature towards children and other pets in the house. As they are very obedient with above-average intelligence, thus they can be socially groomed and well-trained if the training of the breed starts at a very early age ideally as bichon puppies. In modern days they are not considered as water dog nor classified as retrievers but due to their ancestral trail of being a sailor dog that was not used on a boat for domestication purpose, they have a strong affinity for water and enjoys retrieving themselves. The picture of the two bichon puppies with a show cut is illustrated below.

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Grooming

They have an absolute white coat that needs very consistent and diligent grooming in order to prevent the dead fur and the danger to fall out and gets along the environment that can cause allergies to humans. As they are snow-white in their complexion and enjoy being in the water, they need to bathe often to maintain their white coat. Their extensively curly white hairs need to be trimmed every seven to eight weeks in order to remove mats, tangles and loose hair for a good dog show. They often experience heavy growth of fur in their ear canals and if they are not plucked regularly, they will absorb moisture constantly which will lead to the growth of bacteria and yeast that will result in unbalancing microbial growth inside their ear. It causes a serious problem to the species like ear hematoma due to excessive shaking of the head continuously. 

Lifespan

According to the general survey performed in the UK, Canada and America by the pet owners, it became relevant that the normal life span of the bichon frise is around 2 to 13 years. However, the recent study shows that the lifespan of the breed in the UK is a little longer than in North America through the age record for the UK is lesser than that of the United States. As compared to the longevity of the other breed of the same size as that of bacon frise it is almost similar except it lives a little longer than purebred dogs in general. One of the UK studies in 2004 published that the longest living 34 bichon frises lived up to an age of 16.5 years. Though many reliable records in America published that the longest living bichon has recently died at the age of 21 years. The UK kennel club survey found out that 21% of the breed dies due to cancer and 23.5% dies due to old age. Another similar survey made by the US and Canadian bichon breeders shows that 22% of the breed dies due to cancer and the rest 14% have an unknown cause while 11% because of hematologic causes that have been divided into two segments as autoimmune hemolytic anaemia (AIHA) and another as immune-mediated thrombocytopenia (IPT) and the last 10% is due to old age.

History and Origin of Bichon Frise

Though the bichon fries are considered as french ancestors the exact origin of their development is uncertain as for many other breeds of dogs. It is believed that the word bichon is derived from the primitive word barbet that a name for the breed that is a medium-sized, woolly water dog that is often carried around in the boats to serve other purposes to the sailors than just domestication. The barbican family of dogs include this breed with many other breeds that are believed to be originated from the areas around the Mediterranean sea. At the beginning of the 14th century, a french sailor bought the bichon back to his land from Tenerife which is one of the islands of the Canary Island. It is also an assumption that the bichons are originated in Italy and the traders used to trade them out via the Phoenician route that led to France. Another group of historians believed that when the French invaded Italy in the 1500s, they bought back many of the bichon frise as a war souvenir. But within a short span of time, they became very popular with the royals of Europe. They started breeding quickly and became the favourite domestic pet with the English nobilities. But their popularity started to reduce in the 1800s, just after the end of the napoleon (lll) rule. They were just owned by the organ grinders, circus people or were trained to guide the blind people around the city. Slowly they were on the verge of extinction when the French breeders become interested in breeding this species after the end of world war 1 and concentrated on preserving them. Much later on 18th October 1934, the bichon was first recognised and was admitted in the books of the French Kennel Club. in 1956, the first bichon was bought to United states and it was registered and recognized in the book of Americal Kennel Club in October 1972. In the following year, it was admitted in the category of non-sporting breed at the AKC dog show.

Types of Mini Bichon Frise

An adorable fluff ball like structured Teacup Bichon is the miniature version of the normal bichon and is therefore termed as mini bichon or bichon mini. The teacups are not considered as the pure breed but they were developed as designer dogs or show dogs by carefully crossbreeding of the pure breed if bichon frise with other smaller dog and thus it has many hybrids versions of it. Some of them that are very popular among pet enthusiasts are listed below:-

1. The Schichon: They are the mixed breed of Sish Tuz and Bichon Frise. They grow to a maximum size of 9 to 12 inches and their weight varies between 10 to 12 pounds. They are of several colours starting from white, black, brown, grey, buff or the mixture of all the colours and are usually very fluffy and furry in appearance. They are usually very sensitive as well as stubborn in characteristics. 

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2. The Multichon: They are known for their devotion and delightfulness toward the pet owners and the family members. It is one of the most intelligent and happy pet among all other types. They have round eyes and silky fluffy white coat all over their body. They are a crossbreed of Maltese and Bichon Frise. They have a height ranging from 8 to 11 inches and their maximum weight ranges from 9 to 13 pounds. They are generally extrovert and curious in nature.

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3. The Bichon Frise Poodle: They are a crossbreed of poodle and bichon frise and are often referred to as bichon poo, bichpoo or poochon as their local names. They are considered less allergenic than the other breed of dogs of the bichon family as they shred their hair the lowest. They are a little bigger in shape than the other mixes of the mini bichon frise as their height ranges from 9 to 15 inch and they weigh 6 to 17 pounds. They are mostly in a solid colour of tan, apricot or cream and very rarely found in a combination of black, white and grey.

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The Health of Frise Dog

Bichon frise is generally a healthy breed but then they are prone to some of the health issues that may take a severe toll on their body and sometimes lead to death. Therefore the breeders need to be aware of the common diseases they deal with like other breeds of dogs. Some of them are listed below.

1. Bladder Stone: This is one of the very common problems that this breed faces a lot many times. The two main cause of bladder stones among them is either there is a long gap between the period of their urination or there is a high concentration of protein, magnesium and phosphorous in their diet. The bladder stone is one of the prime reason for the bacterial and viral load in their body.

2. Allergies: As they are one of the most sensitive breeds and are also are intolerant to fleabites. Thus they are very prone to allergies that can be transferred through contact or can be derived from food allergies. The most common way to know that the breed has contracted any kind of allergy is when they rub their face against any surface, lick their paws or scratch themselves continuously.

3. Patellar Luxation: It is an anatomical flaw that is common in small breed of dogs where the bone at the joint of the hind legs are not aligned or has been slide out of place. This may cause severe pain in some resulting in crippling, although many of the dogs survive normally with the condition.

4. Juvenile Cataract: It is hereditary in nature and often arises during the time of birth. It usually impairs the sight of the dog that later may need laser treatment or operation to fix the problem.

Conclusion

They are a family of small dogs and have a height that ranges from 9 to 13 inches with a weight that ranges from 11 to 13 pounds. They are very furry in nature with a white coat running throughout the body with a hint of cream, apricot or buff colour found on the paws and around the ears and the eyes. They have a well-groomed long fluffy, curly tail with jet black eyes. They are usually known as French dogs but they originated in the areas around the Mediterranian sea. As their ancestors were sailor dog, thus they have a strong affinity towards the water and like striving. They have above-average intelligence and are very sensitive. They are a friendly, social and extrovert breed that is very good with children and readily adopts with other pets in the house and with the surrounding. They usually require 3 means in a day. They are carefully crossbred with another small breed of dogs to develop a hybrid series of dogs known as mini bichons.