Hi there,

A friend of mine is thinking about getting a Bichon Frise. She has children and is wondering about what sort of temperament they have and what they are like to live with really. Also how much grooming they need, exercise and diet,etc,etc.

Many thanks to anyone out there that can help.

A

Hi andi,

Yes they are great little dogs and usually quite friendly with everyone, they don't seem to have any aggression in them at all.  I have a child who is nearly 4 and our Bichon is fantastic with her.  I had some problems initially housetraining him but he is 10 months old now and is fully housetrained I am glad to say.

They do need to be groomed every couple of days of so.  Ours likes to be combed and will lie there but doesn't like the slicker brush at all.  They will need to go to the groomers every 8-10 weeks or so because they have thick curly hair.

The only other thing I would add is please go to a proper reputable bichon breeder because our dog was from a local kennels and he has had skin problems although he is not too bad at the moment.  Saying this though my sister got her bichon from the same kennels and she has no problems whatsoever with hers.   I would definitely not go there again though.

They are not good dogs for being left on their own though, ours hates it and I am only out for 20-30 minutes each morning to take my daughter to nursery and he barks, fortunately my neighbour is at work then. 
My sisters dog is okay to leave because she has got 4 other dogs as well so he doesn't mind as much as ours does.

They don't need a lot of exercise, maybe 20-40 mins a day.  As long as your friend as a garden, exercise shouldn't be a problem.  Ours has been managing with a 15 minute walk every night at the moment because my young daughter has been sick all week.   I usually take him for a 30 minute walk in the morning as well though normally.

My bichon is great with kids, dogs and cats.  He  was very boistrous as a pup and only just calmed down now (6 yrs old).  He was initially very hard to housetrain but he got there in the end, i think as long as the right methods are applied it shouldnt be a problem.
He did suffer with exma (sp?) the itchy skin problem from which he would bite his back til it bled.  Dont know if this is common in bichons?
Regular grooming and clipping is a definate must as their curly fur quickly grows and gets tangled if ur not careful.

I never had any problems with him being aggressive whatsoever, he's a lovely lively dog :D and very much a people person wanting constant attention and cuddles :D, he loves playing with his cat mate :D but is protective of the garden and lunges himself at the door for the posty :|

He was a bit of a nightmare as far as running off was concerned, on numerous occasions he escaped the garden or ran out of front door and would be picked up 40 miles away! 

My best friend when I was little was a Bichon, my parents bought him for me when I was nine and he died a couple of years ago aged 17

He went absolutely everywhere with me, even as a teenager he came out to hang down the shops with my mates, went into town shopping on a Saturday.  As soon as I was allowed in the pub he would come in too and sleep under the pool table :)

The only problem we ever had with him was the house training, I dont think he was every properly house trained and could never be trusted.  The only other thing was his dodgy hair cuts, he hated the groomers and would come home with a real attitude for a couple of days - so I started trimming him myself

Hi Jenny, hope you don't mind me asking but has your bichon still got skin problems and if not how did you cure them or did he just go better as he went older.  Ours started scratching at 17 weeks just a week after our other dog was put to sleep (a german shepherd) and we seem to get it under control for a few weeks and then he starts scratching again.  He is on lamb and rice JWB and he has piriton tablets daily and evening primrose oil capsules.  He started to scratch the outside of his right ear a couple of months ago and made a large sore on it and it kept bleeding.  We took him to the vet who scrubbed it with some pink stuff and shaved his ear, gave him an injection and put him on steroids and antibiotics.  All the time he was on steroids he stopped scratching but started again when he came off them.  He hasn't been so bad for a few weeks and last night we noticed he has made a sore on his ear again.  The only thing I can think of is that last time we did it he had just been to the groomers and bathed in malaseb shampoo from the vets and we bathed him in malaseb shampoo on Sunday as well, so I am wondering if the malaseb is to blame.   If you have any ideas I would be really pleased to hear them.
Thanks.

So to sum up Andi buy from a reputable breeder for the best chance of a problem free dog.  Contact oner of the breed clubs.  You can find their deatils on the Kennel Club Website under the breed standard.  click on breeds then the toy Group, then Bishon and the names and contact info is at the bottom.  Be careful even with the KC list of breeders with pups as they are not vetted or recomended, just those who have regitered a litter.

The breed club will know of the bad sources of pups as well as good, so you can ask what a particular breeders stadning in the breed is.

Also sounds like Housetraining needs to a priority with lots of patience :D

When we got ours they were still quite a rare breed everyone thought he was a poodle, now everyone has got one :rolleyes: I forgot to mention about the reputable breeder thing, we got ours from a local well known judge (of yorkies and Irish Wolfhounds) - unregistered and we were only allowed to see the father (he was in desperate need of a hair cut), but because we didnt want him to show my parents didnt have a problem.  Unfortunately Bichons are a breed targetted by puppy farmers.

And as for house training - I think all small dogs are the same, especially males when they start cocking their legs

Many thanx for all your responses I'll pass them on to my friend and I'm sure she'll find your help invaluable in making her decision.
Just a thought, would a change in diet(?) help with skin problems?
A

I am amazed at how some 'breeders' (and vets) aren't aware that Bichons can't tolerate beef (or beef products).   Some skin complaints are definitely down to diet so yes can be avoided if fed appropriately.  As previous posts have said ALWAYS find a reputable breeder as there are too many rogues farming out Bichons.

And it is my experience (not that I have much of that!) that male Bichons for some reason tend to be less clean in the house than females - although this is just my opinion and I'm sure that there will be many male owners who have had no problems.

Andi

I think thats male dogs in general Andi, in fact make that males in general :D :D

Blondebird -

I haven't had any other breed of dog so can't comment but I have three of the human variety and agree completely!

Andi

Well you learn something new every day. I have a Bichon Havanesse who is just one. I thought it was just me having problems with house training, not number two's but wees. He has never cocked his leg, had to be castrated at nine months, (only one "testicale " Little Britain) He still wee's every night though, any advice I am at my wits end. Got to the stage that hubby wont get out of bed till I have sorted the kitchen. Just was not aware that Bichons could have a house training proble,.

Yep, filthy critters (not the furry ones either) :D :D :D

Teri

ah yes our male bichon took til 2 yrs old to be fully house trained.  tho this is partly due to the way he was trained. 

No it's definitley not down to the owner.  I have two bitches and my mum has a dog who is almost five but still likes to mess in the house - even when the door to the garden is open.  He doesn't do it every day, just when he feels like it!  When he stays at my house I have to watch him like a hawk.  My mam can take him for an hour long walk then he still comes in and poos in the middle of the sitting room.   

The grandmother of a friend of my son also had a male who was exactly the same although that was more spraying and, to a certain extent, I blamed not cleaning it correctly on that .

My eldest girl was a lot slower than my youngest but of course the youngest had someone to follow by the time she came along.

They are still gorgeous though.

Andrea

Hi Andi,
My Cairn 'dog' is just over a year old and is still peeing in the house  every now and again and there is the occasional poo to clear up too, but not that often now and only in the kitchen. He will pee anywhere though and when he does it's usually when he comes back from his holidays, like he is putting his mark on the place again.
Andi

I cant agree that all small dogs are hard to house train - my 2 Miniature Schnauzers are fastidious and will hold on forever if its raining and are hate going out in the mornings!

Leo was harder to housetrain than Daisy, but I got him at 5 months from his breeder and he was used to kennel life - but after a month or so he was clean. I got Daisy at 8 weeks old and she slept all night from day one. They have been the easiest dogs I have owned to be house trained - I just wish they were not so stubborn at recall, they come back but at their own pace!

I have never had a house training problem untill grace the chihuahua, whatever I do she goes out and comes straight back in and wee's all the others took a few days from arriving here and learnt from the others, but grace just will not learn