Curly little lap dog, can be easy to train, loves to be with people (Bichon Frise)

Member Name: sarah101

Product:	Bichon Frise
Date:	30/09/08 (702 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lively, happy, energetic, great with kids

Disadvantages: Grooming is a serious daily commitment

My first and only dog which has been a member of the family now for over three years is Daisy, a Bichon Frise. I bought her from a breeder, was able to see both the parents, aunt and sister and brothers. She is a fifth generation pedigree, which at the time I was told it was important but as I never wanted to breed or show her it did not really matter to me. All I wanted to know was that she came from a good experienced breeder who cared about the animals she had in her home and that the parents of my puppy were healthy.

I had wanted a dog for a long time and looked into dogs suitable for eczema and asthma sufferers and those less likely to cause problems for people allergic to dogs. It was the first time I had saw this strange looking white ball of fluff and straight away decided a Bichon was what I wanted. I do prefer smaller dogs ahead of other breeds and believed that as a novice to the world of dogs a smaller breed would be easier to manage than a large one as well as the fact the dog would be around children, I felt safer choosing a small breed.

I had the choice of two puppies, the first was running around like a mad thing - came over to say hello for a minute then ran off again quite uninterested in me, the other sat and watched me from a distance for ages then came over and did not leave - this is now Daisy! I paid around £500 for her which at the time was average to the other puppies for sale on the Kennel Club register. There were some for around £750 but they were aimed at people who wanted to show or breed from them ahead of wanting one for a family pet.

Once I had Daisy at home (or puppy as she was called for the first week until we could all decide on a name) she settled in quickly, I registered with a vets the following day and took her for her checks and first injection and enrolled on the puppy classes which were aimed at socialising the dogs. Getting her to walk on a lead was fun as she literally screamed any time I put one on her just walking around the garden for the first week. I persevered and by the end of the week she was fairly happy going on a lead.

The day after buying her I went to the pet shop to stock up on food, bed, grooming brushes which are a must for this breed and other things desperately needed - toys!!

At first she was fairly nervous of people and her first experience of a dog was for it to snap at her so she quickly became funny with dogs too. I took her to dog training classes and although she was and can still be in a world of her own at times and never ever do what you ask of her, we somehow managed to pass the puppy Good Citizen Dog Scheme straight away but at this time never got past Bronze.

I let the training slip and we just kind of got into a routine where she will do most things most of the time but it was the getting her over her nervousness of people and other dogs that I found the hardest to work on.

It was only quite recently that I discovered part of her problems with other dogs were my fault, whenever I saw a large dog approaching I would be nervous that it would attack her or jump on her - since that realisation I have tried to be really positive when dogs are coming towards us and most of the time now the only reaction she has is to ignore it or want to play with it and try and get it to chase her or for her to chase after it!

She now does agility training with the children, one has done classes with her and we are joining a club in October to continue classes in agility and she also enjoys using the equipment I have in the garden. She loves to lick people and if you ignore her she has been known to jump up and sit behind you on the sofa and lick your head or sit at your feet and lick your feet! As a puppy she loved nothing more than sitting on the floor with the children and pulling on their hair bands, this moved to socks when she was older until the day she bit my toe by accident and I let out a screech and it sent her running and she hasn't done it since. She also loves soft toys and teddies and has stolen many from the children over the time I have had her and loves the toy Bichon Frises you can get from toys r us!

I try to brush her every day, I first go over her with a rotating comb or a comb with two levels of finger and then a medium sized slicker brush. It is so important with these dogs to brush every day just for 10 minutes. When I have gone on holiday and left her with parents or sister I have come back and had to have her coat shaven down as within 3 days of not getting brushed her coat gets really knotted and I struggle to brush them out. My groomer says the Bichon coat is a very difficult coat but Daisy's is really soft on top and really curly underneath which makes it very difficult to get knots out of. I have her body shorter than people showing their Bichon's would but for a pet coat ease is more important to me than looking perfect!

She also has what is referred to as a Bichon Blitz pretty much every day. Anything can set her off from just walking in the park off lead to playing with a toy in the house. A blitz is when she will just start growling and run around at full speed all over the place for ages - run towards me then bark and run off again - she does this for anything from a few minutes to 10 minutes then collapses at my feet exhausted! Since doing the agility she loves doing this indoor as she is now able to jump from one sofa to the other and over chairs and coffee table whilst doing her little blitz!

I can not imagine life without my crazy little Daisy and she really is part of the family!

A little about the breed....

Are through to have been around since 600-300 BC in the Mediterranean, can be found in French literature and was known as the Bichon Tenerife. They were circus entertainers and street urchins for a while as well as being owned by royalty! They became recognised by the American Kennel Club in the 1970's.

As for owning a Bichon, they are full of energy and do need a lot of work to keep them looking like a Bichon, this does involve £30 visits to a groomer every 6-8 weeks or learning to do it yourself (I have managed to do a few trims myself but the longest I have gone without taking her to the groomers is 6 months) They love human contact and are not suitable for living outdoors or away from people for long periods of time. They will let you know when the doorbell rings but are not a constantly barking dog.

The breed standard size is 9.5 to 11.5 inches. They need a good steady level of exercise to stay healthy and they can have bursts of energy then need a rest but a steady brisk daily walk they will enjoy. They do not like direct sunlight and don't cope very well in the heat but have no problems in the colder weather. They can be easy to train as they love to please their owners. Age expectancy is 12 - 15 years.

If you have the time each day to set aside for grooming and are willing to pay for regular groomers visits and want to offer a home to a happy, lively and energetic dog that will want to follow you from room to room then perhaps a Bichon is for you! There is a Bichon Frise rescue centre which deal exclusively with Bichons and Bichon mixes. If looking for a puppy look at the Kennel Club puppy register and have a look at the parent(s)

Summary: I can not imagine my life without my Bichon