just wanted to see if anybody who owns a bichon frise also owns a cat? Do  they get along, we are considering one and it is vital that it will get along with our indoor cat.  ALso how often do they actually need trimming?  Also some people say they are quite yappy dogs is this true?  Also if so , are they easily trained?  Any info would be appreciated, Thanks

Hi Guest,

I have a male Bichon Frise and he is a lovely dog :-)   We haven't got a cat but I'm sure if we had one he would get on with it.  We have budgies and hamsters and guinea pigs and a rabbit and he is fantastic with all of them.  He kisses the budgies when I am cleaning them out.  I can trust him totally with the guinea pig.  He gets on with all dogs and they all seem to love him to bits.  I think if you get a puppy most will get on with a cat - although saying that our cat left home to live next door when I got my German Shepherd a few years ago, but he was rather a big puppy and kept trying to flatten the cat to the floor with his massive paws.

My sister used to have two female Bichons and they got on fine with her cat.  The only problem with my Bichon is that he hates being left alone although he's not really a clingy dog when we are in.  He isn't a lap dog or anything he's happy to be in his own space on the floor or in his dog bed.  He is no problem when off-lead out on a walk and always comes back when called.  He is a happy little dog, although I would recommend if you get one to go to an excellent breeder who does health checks on her dogs because ours sadly suffers with skin problems but its quite a commom complaint which can occur in all breeds :-(

YES!! they get on great is the answer.We have a cat,who is a beggar for taunting the dogs,but the Bichon (bitch)seems to get closer than any of the others.Our cat is not very friendly as she is half feral,but Lottie and her are fine.
This is the 1st Bichon we have had as we normally stick to larger dogs,but this little one has ben a joy to own.If you find that your pup is a bit picky with food you can buy Whelpi powder milk from your Vet, and then with a largish syringe give the mixed formula (milk and powder) warm x 2 daily or even 3, so then you will know that yours is having some vitamins etc.I think they do suffer from seperation anxiety in the beginning,missing the others,but will soon transfer their love to the new owners.They are a delight to own,one of the nicest breeds of dogs you could ever want.Don't forget to make sure that the pigment around the eyes,nose and mouth is black.Also the pads of the feet and toenails should be dark,breed standard.

I think the only downside (apart from the coat care) seems to be that they can be hard to housetrain for some reason. 

I thought I had best mention it as being a Cat owner this issue with any pup can come as a shock (it takeing up to 6 months for pups to have full voluntary bldder control).

One of my pups has a Bichon for a best buddy and they seem to be very sociable litel dogs.

Yes,Brainless is right on this,they are very slow in the house training dept! Lottie goes on paper and she also goes out on walks but even if the back door is open she still comes onto the paper to piddle!We don't mind as we are used to having pups around,so there is always paper on the floor at strategic intervals.I think she is getting there though but she is over 5 months now! We had one English Setter bitch that took 10months to house train.Boys we find are quicker than girls in house training.I expect others will differ.Also we are never hard on the babies, as they all learn in time and we don't want them overly worried about all of this as it could make them neurotic.Another good point is that Bichons are in the main of sound constitution,so you will save on Vets bills - they are quite tough and long lived.We worm ours with Panacur paste every month until 6 months,and this keeps them clear.Also Frontline of course.Lottie has to go to the groomers for a hair cut,make sure that your groomers do not take too much off initially as Bichon coats do not need harsh trimming while they are young.
Bichon Frise are the most lovely and gentle dogs you could ever want and they are very intelligent!

Oh yes I forgot about the house training bit, they do seem hard to housetrain, not because they are thick but because they are too clever :-)  Our Bichon was 8 months before he was house trained fully and if we are in he always asks to go outside by either going to the back door and looking up at it and then looking at us or if we don't see him he whimpers a bit and then we know what he wants.