Bichon Frize: breed description, character, choice and care

Bichon Frize is a popular French variety of lapdog - these are the very dogs that the exquisite ladies of past centuries loved so much. Today, the popularity of such a pet is also quite high, because it not only looks very pretty, but also has a pleasant disposition. Despite the fact that representatives of this breed will cost potential owners a tidy amount, this miracle is still worth the money.

Bichon Frize is a fairly old breed, it is known that it has existed for several centuries. The direct ancestors of this little dog are considered the Tenerife lapdog, so beloved by medieval Europeans, and water spaniels. Like many other dog breeds, the Bichon Frize, originally called the French lapdog, was originally bred for practical purposes - it was an alternative to cats and was often used even on marine vessels to catch rodents, as it could climb into the narrowest crevices.

Despite the fact that this breed is associated with France, it is not at all proven that it appeared in this country - for example, aristocratic fashion for such pets came to Spain and Italy already in the 15th century, and in France appeared only 100 years later. Nevertheless, all modern names of this dwarf dog are directly related to France - for example, the Bichon Frize from French is translated simply as a “curly lapdog”. With the decline of aristocracy in Europe, these beauties for some time remained on the verge of extinction, however, in the last century their popularity began to grow again, and they managed to revive.

The characteristics of these cute doggies should start with the size - they belong to the category of “mini”, after all, their height at the withers does not even reach 30 cm, and the adult's weight ranges from 3-6 kilograms. As a rule, males are slightly larger than females, but in general at exhibitions they don’t find fault with this - if only the parameters of the individual fit the standard described above. The life span of a pet depends on the proper care of him, but on average Bichon Frize live 12-15 years.

In the general description of the breed standard, these dogs decently resemble their counterparts of other breeds of lapdogs, however, few dogs have the same strict assessment of wool as the Bichon Frize. The “right” dog has a two-layer coat consisting of a thick and soft undercoat combined with a curly and rather coarse outer layer. Such a cover does not crease - after compression, it immediately regains its former volume.

It should be noted that according to the standard, representatives of this breed are allowed only one color option - pure white. At the same time, kids often have spots of a characteristic beige hue, which disappear as they grow older.

Like any other breed of dog, representatives of this breed have their own advantages and disadvantages. If you just choose a four-legged friend for yourself, it’s worthwhile to study them in advance - the pros will help you make the choice in favor of just such a little dog, and the minuses will allow you to prepare for certain difficulties of the home keeping of such an animal.

Perhaps, one should start with the good. Owners of barbichons (another name for the breed) are able to name a lot of advantages of this variety of doggies, but most often the following positive characteristics appear.

• A cheerful and affectionate disposition. Bichon Frize is a real small charge of positive, it is literally created in order to delight others. From it you will never wait for any negative manifestations in your address.
• Friendliness. One wants to cuddle a cute creature or stroke it, and the French lap-dog is not at all against such obvious manifestations of human favor. As a rule, all members of the family love Bichon, because you simply cannot stay indifferent to this baby, especially since he always reciprocates.
• Hypoallergenic. An allergy to the hair of many people has destroyed the cherished dream of having your own pet. With barbichons, this problem is solved by itself, since their coat does not provoke allergies in humans.
• Versatility. The little dog has characteristics that do not interfere with her living in a family of any type. Most often, a potential problem is the presence of elderly people or children in the family, but the first rather calm dog does not interfere, and the second does not provoke an allergy.

After all of the above, some readers have already rushed to look for offers to sell a puppy of a French lap-dog, but first you need to look at what the disadvantages of the breed are. All of them are surmountable and are not a real barrier to reuniting with the dream dog, but the potential host must be prepared for some specific points.

• Wool requires careful care. The beauty of the pet requires sacrifice, moreover, from the owner. Combing and trimming are needed regularly, as a rule - every day, otherwise a cute animal will turn into a dubious attractiveness of a “house” with fallen hair.
• Representatives of the breed are prone to cataracts. When purchasing a pet that can live 12-15 years, many potential owners rejoice in its longevity, but do not take into account the fact that a pet in old age can easily become an invalid requiring constant care. Unfortunately, for barbichon, cataracts are a very likely outcome, and as a result, they usually go blind.
• The dog is prone to allergies to many products. Paradoxically, the French lap-dog, which does not cause allergies, suffers from allergies to so many types of popular human food.You cannot feed a doggie from your table - for it you will have to make a special menu and specially cook or spend money on expensive food. The situation is aggravated by the fact that the fluffy lump does not understand the characteristics of its health and loves to beg for food from the dining hosts.

Representatives of this popular breed in childhood are an example of how active and playful a puppy can be. As they grow older, the individual acquires aristocratic composure, and although the grown friend is still sometimes prone to games, desperate children's enthusiasm in dogs is no longer observed. Despite its tiny size and reckoning with decorative breeds, the Bichon Frize is considered a pretty smart dog. Such animals are different good learning abilities, in addition, they quickly get used to new conditions and easily adapt to them.

The pet loves the owner very much, going out with him for a walk is real happiness for him, but at the same time, large distances are not exactly created for this dog. The advantage of the breed is that the small size of the pets allows them to frolic freely even within the apartment, so if there is no time or energy for a walk, it's okay. Like many other varieties of lapdogs, the "Frenchman" always wants to chat, because the prolonged absence of the owners or at least some people leads him to a state of longing.

And when the running situation cannot be solved in any way, the darling is able to take out evil on the household things - tearing slippers, pulling the bed to the floor or even tearing pillows. We need to prepare for the fact that in this respect the lapdog does not recover - even if you catch a doggie on a hot one, he will still pretend he doesn’t understand why he is scolded.

The companionable character of the French lap-dog touches everyone - whenever possible the dog tries to be friends with everyone and not conflict with anyone. The pet treats children and their mischief with a certain degree of understanding, but you must first explain to the child that it is impossible to mock a living creature, because it hurts. Given the modest size of the Bichon Frize and its fragility, you need to understand that children can seriously injure the baby - not necessarily from evil, simply out of misunderstanding or through negligence.

For those who, in principle, love animals and are ready to let many of them into their home, there is good news - barbichon avoids conflicts not only with humans, but also with other animals. It should be understood that the initiator of the "quarrel" may be the other side. Therefore, peace should be not only a doggie, but also the creature with which he will have to get along.

When choosing a puppy of this breed, you first need to decide what you need it for - its price will largely depend on it. A nice companion is cheaper than any other options - he is beautiful, but because of the non-standard color or other minor flaws, he will definitely not be allowed to exhibit and cannot be considered a good partner for knitting.

Dogs for potential breeding must have an excellent pedigree, only good information can be found about their ancestors without mentioning any diseases. A show dog can be made from any good puppy for breeding, provided that with its health and external pedigree features everything is in perfect order. At the same time, the individual for the exhibition is only half the initial data, while the owner provides the second half of the characteristics with his diligent care of the pet.

Please note that the Bichon Frize grows up and becomes independent a little later than its sister maltese. Puppies of this breed have a peak price at the age of 3-4 months, when they just became independent from their mother and are ready to perceive the surrounded world with a completely uncomplicated look. Older youth usually sell already a little cheaper, even though more efforts and resources were spent on feeding and care.

When purchasing an expensive thoroughbred dog, pay special attention to the choice of the seller. Careful selection of a good nursery with a proven track record will minimize the risk of fraud or error, because a good breeder will do everything not to spoil his name and sell you exactly the puppy that is suitable. A professional will not only be happy to tell you which baby to choose, but will also give advice on its contents.

To make an opinion about the nursery, it makes sense to study the conditions in which the kids live - It should be clean and spacious. The correct content eliminates the presence of an unpleasant odor, therefore, at this point, also pay attention. Also be interested in a variety of documents for a potential pet - it can be the pedigrees of his parents, the act of their mating, a puppy card and a veterinary passport.

The last stage is the choice of a puppy based on the results of personal observation of his behavior. The kid should be normal in terms of behavior, because excessive shyness or a tendency to aggression can indicate an incorrectly formed psyche and further deviations that are unlikely to please the new owner. A bad sign is lethargy. - Among active and cheerful brothers, such a puppy may be sick, and then the buyer will have to treat him.

Bichon Frize is a representative of an aristocratic dog breed that looks extremely cute and behaves exactly the same. It would be logical to choose a nickname so that it complements the image of an animal, because it would be extremely strange to name a small fluffy lump Polkan. On the Internet you can find many options for nicknames, but we will consider only the most interesting ones.

Given that the French lap-dog is certainly associated with nobility, the boy can be called the Duke - this name does not intersect with the hackneyed Baron and sounds proudly. Suitable for the name of the doggie and many French male names, for example, Henri or Justin. English names are also very popular, among which are Dustin, Chester, Oscar and the good old Jack, among the Russian names Plato sounds very sonorous and capacious.

Often, representatives of this breed are called the sonorous name of Zidane - in honor of an outstanding French football player, and now a coach, Dante, a medieval Italian poet, was awarded the same honor. Due to the minimal similarity (objectively, except in size) with the dog of the hero Jim Carrey, the dogs are often called Milo in the movie Mask. There is always the option of orientation to the exterior - the little dog can be called Fluff or Ice, alluding to the color of the coat.

Oddly enough, in the case of the host girls, fantasy usually fails - no less than 90% of the dogs of the French lap-dog breed are simply named by foreign female names. If you focus on the same aristocracy, the names Venus, Elsa, Gloria, Tessa, Sophie sound interesting. Those who are not too chasing the sound of the name, but want to give their pet the resemblance to the heroic dogs of the past, call the female Strelka.

Fans of Russian classics can easily call their favorite bug.Not the most harmonious, but widespread Russian nicknames like Busi or Julia are also available.

The little dog is designed specifically for indoor breeding - it’s definitely not a street dog that can get used to the absence of any conditions. By acquiring such a dog, stock up on time with everything you need in order to care for your pet correctly.

• Bowl. The activity of the barbichon can lead to the overturning of the dishes and spills of liquid on the floor, because experienced people recommend choosing the option on a stand or a bowl that is attached to the floor.

• Lounger. A sleeping place for a Bichon Frize should have a certain degree of comfort. Some owners buy their pets real works of art in the form of houses, but in fact, there will be enough baskets, like for a cat, or a small mattress.

• Leash and collar. Any companion is needed in order to go out with him for a walk at least occasionally. These accessories should be very gentle so as not to harm the beautiful doggie fur.

• Tray. The animal living in the room needs such a convenience of civilization as a toilet. Organizationally, the barbichon toilet resembles a feline, but its size should be larger, despite the comparability of the size of the dog and the average cat.

• Aviary for the apartment. The innate activity of the puppy often leads to the fact that he puts his curious nose where he shouldn't and gets injured. While nobody is at home, it makes sense to lock the four-legged friend in a cage so that he does not fall into unnecessary adventures.

• Carrying basket. Given that the representatives of this breed do not like to travel considerable distances on their own small legs, it is worth buying a container in which the animal can be conveniently moved. Buying is useful already at the first visit to the veterinarian.

• Toys The character of a doggie requires toys with which you can have fun.

Clothing is not usually considered a must-have accessory for the Bichon Frize, because he, unlike the related Maltese lapdog, is not without a warm undercoat. However, this may come in handy to once again protect the pet's curly coat from contact with burdocks and debris, which otherwise would have to be combed out for a long time and thoroughly.

You can feed the baby with either dry food or natural food. In the first case, the recommendations are relatively short and intuitive - when choosing feeds, you should focus on products of the super-premium class.

If you get the correct idea of ​​how you can and what you can’t feed the French lap-dog, it makes sense in independently compiling a pet's diet. All food is strictly hypoallergenic, you should not experiment with the dog’s diet, since the treatment of the problems will come out sideways to both the owner and the dog. In this case, the menu should be balanced so that the animal receives all the necessary vitamins and minerals. Consider the main recommendations on how to independently organize a thoughtful daily diet of a pet:

• raw meat It is a cornerstone of the nutrition of barbichons, however, such a product should not be given in a completely unprocessed form - it must be scalded with boiling water before serving;
• vegetables should be present on the menu as the main source of vitamins, while they can be given both boiled and fresh;
• boiled fish with previously removed bones, they are usually introduced into the diet of an animal 2-3 times a week, but only marine species are suitable - freshwater should not be given;
• garnish in the form of buckwheat or oatmeal, thoroughly steamed in boiling water, will help to bring the portion size to that which is enough for the baby to eat;
• bone flour helps to partially solve the problem of lack of vitamins and minerals, but in any case, the named products will not provide all that is needed, so consult your veterinarian about vitamin and mineral complexes.

The animal is not given too hot or cold food - in a hurry, it can get burned or catch a cold. As for fresh milk, it is only allowed for puppies, while adults are given only a small amount of sour-milk products only once a week.

Many popular human snacks or just food are strictly forbidden to French lapdogs - nothing but an upset digestive system, their inclusion in the diet will not work. The list of such food is typical for dogs of any breed - it includes smoked meats and salty foods, pickled and spicy dishes, barley and beans of any kind, as well as sweets and pastries.

Caring for the hair of a furry pet is so complicated that it should be highlighted in a separate paragraph - especially since the rest of the pet care is an easier task. Curls complicate the task even more - they are easily entangled, dust and dirt accumulate in them, because of which the dog turns from a cutie into a creature of dubious beauty. In order for the animal to always look worthy, the following mandatory recommendations must be observed:

• daily combing is a necessary procedure, it is undesirable to skip it, and one should not treat it with insufficient diligence;
• bathing can be done once every 4 months, but if the pet is clearly dirty, it is possible to carry out an additional procedure to clean its integument;
• you need to wash Bichon Frize wool with special products designed specifically for dog curls - these are sold in veterinary pharmacies and some of the largest supermarkets;
• Dog grooming is usually perceived as a purely aesthetic procedure to give the pet a stylish appearance, but in fact a practical approach suggests that they cut out the places most prone to pollution;
• around the mouth and in the inguinal region, the coat of the French lap-dog may turn yellow over time, which will not give the pet attractiveness, therefore periodic treatment with a weak solution of boric acid is required in these places.

Among other things, the barbichon also needs clipping (once every half a month), brushing your teeth (twice a week) and washing your eyes with boiled water with an antiseptic. For the last procedure, tea or any other herbal decoctions are categorically not suitable - they will spoil the handsome snow-white curls. You are very mistaken if you think that the dog likes all these procedures - if this did not happen to her before, she will resist with all her might. For this reason To teach a four-legged friend to mandatory procedures is necessary from early childhood.

The French lapdog, although smart, is very hateful, because the main training is aimed at making the pet more disciplined and obedient.Despite their good learning abilities, dogs are still rarely trained to the level of real service or circus individuals. Unlike the related "Maltese", the Bichon Frize is considered a fairly loud breed, which barks for many reasons.

This baby gives a voice to protect the owner or inform him of suspicious activity around him, but he also expresses in the same way a wide range of emotions from anxiety to delight.

You need to train a dog diligently and consistently. Remember the unwritten truth: representatives of this breed are infected from their master by his mood, so you should not start the lesson if you are not ready to demonstrate pleasure from the process itself and radiate joy with every success of your ward.

Even if the dog doesn’t succeed, it is unacceptable to scold or even beat her - besides the teacher is often to blame for poor performance, your student may also be offended, and then there will be no sense in training. Discipline is often laid through mastering the commands “no”, “to me” and “place”.

Specialists came to the conclusion that the intelligence of the baby is enough to in most cases understand the normal trainer right away. At the same time, the French lapdog is distinguished by a certain independence, because the fact of understanding the order does not mean that the dog immediately rushes to fulfill it. With this in mind, be especially patient, because any manifestations of aggression are unacceptable.

In addition, the representative of this breed is especially important to accustom to the tray. Its size is relatively small, which means that there is enough tray for its needs, especially since this baby is able to satisfy motor activity to the fullest even in four walls.

Most “dog lovers” on thematic forums scatter praises to the barbichons - they do not hide the fact that they have certain disadvantages, but they believe that the pros almost always overlap the cons. There are only 2 global exceptions: the first is that if you are not ready for daily combing and regular cutting of thick curly hair, then your dog will not be beautiful and will not bring joy.

The second significant minus lies in the nature of the representatives of this breed: doggie needs constant communication, and if you disappear all day at work, then do not complain that the raised animal suddenly began to dirty for no apparent reason.

But in all other respects the dog - nbeautiful companion and great pet. This woolen ball does not shed at all, and therefore is well suited for allergy sufferers, and even any unpleasant odor is completely unusual for it. A playful pet is happy to communicate with all household members; he does not choose for himself one “main” owner, whom he would love and obey more than others.

If a dog in childhood was accustomed to the tray in time, you can no longer worry that you do not have time to walk it - the pet will do without walking, but if you have a desire to walk, he will be happy to keep you company.

All about the Bichon Frize dog breed see in the next video.