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 Bichon Frise Standard

Literally, Bichon Frise means Bichon of the Curly Coat. The Bichon Frise is distinctive among the Bichon family, since as you perhaps know by now, it is the only one to be double-coated.

Its coat puffs out all over its body, instead of hanging down like his single-coated kin.

It is unique in appearance and temperament. Let us see how to identify this legendary breed in the maze of breeds we see today.

Pic courtesy of Linda Padar,  Islind Bichons, Canada

The Bichon’s general appearance

The Bichon Frise is small and sturdy, a small powder puff ball with an amiable personality. His happy demeanor can be justified by its heavily plumed tail, which he carries way over his back with style. He has dark inquisitive eyes, eye rims and halos, and a  lovely expression.

Size, style and substance

Bichons of both sexes are about 9.5” to 11.5” at the shoulder, and usually weighs between 4.5 kg and 8 kg (10-18 lb). It has a white curly coat over a sturdy, muscular body.

Synergy and symmetry

If you look closely at the body of the Bichon, you will find that its body as seen from the forward-most point of its chest, is ¼ longer than its height at the withers. From this point at the withers to the end of its chest is about ½ the distance from its withers to the ground.

Amiable and gentle

 If you’re thinking of owning a Bichon, you will be first attracted to its gentleness, sensitivity, playfulness and loving nature. All in all, it is certainly not a moody dog; on the contrary, its hallmark is its geniality.

What do you see in your Bichon’s face?

Your Bichon is bound to greet you with his soft inquisitive eyes and curious expression. Look out for his alert eyes—black or brown—but if you do see a large bulging eye, recognize it as a fault. So are almond-shaped eyes.

The black or dark brown skin surrounding your Bichon’s eyes or its halos further enhances its eyes and expression. The eye rims are usually black.

 Both broken pigment or a total lack of pigment on the rims of the eyes—give rise to a blank expression in your Bichon, which is recognized as a fault.

Its ears are floppy and usually covered with its long, flowing coat. Its ears are set just above eye level so that when the dog senses something unusual, its ears frame its face.  

Its skull acquires a slightly rounded shape. It has a balanced head in the ratio if three parts muzzle to five parts skull, if measured from the nose to the stop and from the stop down to the occipital region. It also has a strong jaw, a prominent black nose and fine, black lips that don’t droop.

The lower jaw is strong. The nose is prominent and—don’t be fooled—it’s always black and never sag. Its teeth are even and full.

Neck and body

 Your Bichon is blessed with a long neck, as you can see, that blends smoothly into its shoulders.

It has a well-developed chest and you will see that it is wide enough to let him use his front legs freely. The lowest point of its chest extends to its elbow, at the least. Its ribcage goes all the way back to its short and muscular loin. It has a pronounced forechest which just out at the point of the shoulder.

It has a well-developed tail that curves back with style and elegance so that the coat of the tail rests gracefully on its back.

Limbs and shoulders

Have you taken a close look at the Bichon’s shoulder blades, upper arms and forearms? If you have, you will find that are almost equal in length.

Its legs have medium bone and are straight. Its pasterns are at a slight slant. You may also notice that in some cases, its dewclaws could be removed. If your gaze now moves to its feet, you’ll notice they are tight, circular and are positioned to point forward.

Its pads are black, and you’ll see that its nails are kept to a bare minimum in length.

Your Bichon’s hind legs

 Now, turn your gaze to the Bichon’s hind legs. What do you see?

That his legs are medium bone in size and thickness and that he has firm muscular thighs. You will see on close inspection that the Bichon’s upper and lower thighs are almost of equal length.

Soft, dense and curly coat

The Bichon Frise has a soft, dense undercoat and a coarse and curly outer coat.

Yes 2 coats! . The undercoat is soft and dense, the outer coat of a coarser and curlier texture

When bathed and brushed, it stands well off the body, creating a beautiful powder puff appearance.

The coat should be  trimmed to reveal the natural outline of the body. It is rounded off from any direction and never cut so short as to create an overly trimmed or squared off appearance.

The coat of the head, beard, moustache, ears and tail are usually left a little longer. The longer head hair is trimmed to create an overall rounded impression.

The topline is trimmed to appear almost level. The coat is long enough to maintain the powder puff look which is characteristic of the breed.

Milky white complexion

 The overall coloring of the Bichon, as you know, is white. But all over its body, it may reveal shades of white, sometimes dipping to become buff, cream or just apricot, as it is usually around its ears but this color usually fades during maturity.

Since the Bichon is entirely white in color, a senior Bichon hardly ever looks his age because his muzzle doesn’t age.

Agile and effortless

The Bichon moves freely, cautiously and effortlessly. It keeps its head and neck erect while racing ahead. As it runs faster, its legs meet towards the centerline.

Temperament

 It is gentle, even-tempered, sensitive, affectionate and a true family dog.

It is ideal to have among children and the elderly alike, being good-tempered.

 Also, it can withstand going on long walks with the man or the lady of the house and further can  easily adapt to living in an apartment or with families with older children.

 Thanks for visiting us and we hope you look around some more at our other pages on this  Bichon website.