A cute Bichon Frise lying in a blanket

Bichon Frise Insurance, Care and Health Advice

The Bichon Frise is very distinctive looking small dog with a curly white coat! They’re an ancient breed that originates from the Mediterranean region. They were introduced into the UK in the 19th century and are one of Britain’s most popular toy breeds. This breed guide will give you all the information you need to know about this little curly haired cutie!

Bichon Frise Facts

Dog breed type icon
Type
Toy
Dog breed lifespan icon
Lifespan
12 - 15 years
Dog breed size icon
Size
Small
Dog breed weight icon
Weight
4 - 7 kg
Dog breed height icon
Height
23 - 28 cm
Dog breed temperament icon
Temperament
Happy, lively, affectionate
Dog breed exercise icon
Exercise
30 - 60 mins per day
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Grooming
High maintenance

Is a Bichon Frise Right for Me?

If you’re after a cute, gentle lap dog, then this fluffy dog breed would be a great choice. They’re a really friendly breed that love nothing more than to play but given half a chance they’ll be on the sofa waiting for cuddles. If you’ve never owned a dog before, a Bichon Frise can be a great breed for first time fur parents. They adapt to most family units including those with children and other pets and make great companions.

One important thing you must take into account is their coat… it needs a lot of grooming and will need trimming regularly, so make sure you have the time to do this before considering having one join your family.

A cute Bichon Frise puppy playing with a rug

What Are Bichon Frise Puppies Like?

If you're looking to buy a puppy, a Bichon Frise puppy with their corkscrew curls will certainly catch your eye. They make a great family pet or companion dog. But like most puppies, don't be surprised if there's a little mischief. They’re are very active and lively and will quickly get up to all kinds of mischief if you don’t keep an eye on them.

A fluffy white Bichon Frise smiling

Life with a Bichon Frise

There’s never a dull moment with a Frise running around the house. They’re willing to learn and eager to please but can become a handful if they’re not trained properly from an early age. Even though they have a bold and outgoing nature, they can be prone to separation anxiety.

Be prepared to give them lots of attention and nip any unwanted behaviour like barking and chewing in the bud before it’s too late! They have boundless energy, so make sure you have plenty of time to spend playing games and interacting with them to keep the entertained.

Caring for Your Bichon Frise

As with all breeds, the Bichon needs a high-quality diet to keep them looking and feeling great. The Bichon is only small and doesn’t need a huge amount of exercise, so be careful not to overfeed them. Two small meals a day will be enough. Check out the instructions on the back of the feed packaging for advice or speak with your vet if you’re unsure.

Bichons can be prone to health problems such as diabetes or allergies that may require a special diet. If your dog is diagnosed with one of these health conditions, your vet will advise you on what changes you may need to make to their diet.

The Bichon has a fine, silky, soft, curly coat that can grow to around 10 cm in length. This means they need daily brushing to keep it clean and healthy. Start grooming your Bichon from a young age, as they grow, adult Bichons will then be used to the routine and enjoy their grooming time.

You’ll probably need to take your Bichon to a professional groomer for a trim every now and then to make daily grooming a bit easier. On the plus side, they don’t shed much hair so are better suited to anyone that suffers from pet allergies.

The Bichon might not be the most intelligent breed in the world, but they’re eager to please. This makes them very trainable, so teaching your Bichon the basics should be a breeze and they respond really well to reward-based training. If you start training them from a young age, you’ll avoid any potential problems like excessive barking and failed housetraining. Start young and they’ll be learning new tricks in no time!

This breed is very energetic and playful and love interacting with their humans. They don’t like being left along for long periods of time and can be prone to separation anxiety. Avoid any issues by keeping them entertained with toys and games and going on regular walks.

They only need half an hour to an hour of exercise every day, but this will make all the difference. It’ll keep that energy in check and keep them in shape. Split their walks up into short walks two or three times a day to keep them out of mischief.

Bichon Frise Insurance

These small size energetic bundles of fur may be cute balls of fluff, but they are known to suffer from health conditions. So it can be a good idea to think about Bichon Frise insurance for your dog, anything to try and keep them happy and healthy.

Everypaw's Lifetime Dog Insurance has a full range of cover levels to choose from and all our policies come with a range of additional benefits as standard. Our Petcall vet helpline gives you unlimited access to RCVS qualified vets and vet nurses whenever you have a concern about your dog's health and care.

Start a quote

Common Bichon Frise Health Problems by Vetstream

Like all dogs, this dog breed can suffer from a variety of health problems. We've got together with veterinary experts Vetstream to give you an idea of what to keep an eye out for in your Bichon.

The Bichon can suffer from allergies that cause skin problems. Causes can include pollen, dust mites, certain foods and flea bites. These can trigger an allergic reaction which is an abnormally strong immune response causing skin inflammation. If your dog has an allergy, you may notice them chewing, scratching, and biting themselves which can cause secondary skin infections, wounds, scabs, hair loss, and other problems.

Allergies can’t really be cured, but they can be avoided and treated if necessary. Avoidance of the initial triggers are the best way to prevent an allergic reaction. If your dog has a food allergy, your vet may prescribe a special diet to help with this. If your dog is allergic to allergens like grass or house dust, limiting their exposure to these can be helpful, but this is often difficult, so your vet may need to prescribe some medication to keep these allergies under control.

Managing allergies is likely to be a lifelong requirement to make sure your dog can enjoy a normal life.

Cushing’s Disease or Hyperadrenocorticism is caused when the body produces too much cortisol (a steroid hormone). This is usually caused by a tumour in the pituitary gland but can sometimes be caused by a tumour in the adrenal gland.

If you notice your dog is drinking more or needing to go for a wee more often, you should take them to your vet for a health check. Other signs are weight gain due to an increased appetite, changes to the skin and coat, hair loss or bruising to the skin.

Cushing’s is difficult to diagnose. Your vet will do some blood tests to measure the levels of cortisol in the blood. Once it has been diagnosed your vet will discuss the treatment options with you. Luckily there are various medications that can be prescribed to help control this disease.

Diabetes is a disease caused by a lack of the hormone insulin. Insulin keeps the levels of the sugar in the blood under control. If the body doesn’t produce enough insulin, sugar from your dog’s food builds up in their body which is then excreted in their urine.

Dogs affected with Diabetes will drink and wee more than normal, lose weight despite having a good appetite, and may be lethargic. Obese dogs are slightly more likely to develop this condition, but any dog can be affected.

If your dog suffers from Diabetes, they will need regular insulin injections to keep their blood sugar levels under control. Your dog will have to have these injections for the rest of its life and their diet will need to be carefully controlled. Feeding times, exercise and injections will all need to be carefully coordinated to successfully manage diabetes in your dog.

If Diabetes goes undiagnosed or isn’t kept under control properly, it can lead to Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA) which is a life-threatening disease. In DKA tissues are starved of fuel so the body starts using fats instead of sugar. This produces lots of ketones (a chemical produced by the liver) which can be toxic to the body.

Legg-Calve Perthes Disease is an uncommon disease but is seen in puppies and young adult toy breeds. The cause is unknown, but in affected dogs, the blood to the ball and socket joint of the hip is disrupted and the bone dies. This leads to pain, hind limb lameness (limping) and ultimately arthritis of the joint. It’s thought to be an inherited condition in some breeds like the Bichon.

Treatment with pain killers and other methods of managing Osteoarthritis are possible, but unfortunately most dogs with this condition end up needing surgery for a hip replacement.

Quick Bichon Frise Q&A

Most are white, but sometimes you might see some cream, buff or apricot tones in their coat. 

Small breeds tend to have a longer lifespan than the bigger breeds and the Bichon is no exception. They generally have a life expectancy of around 12 to 15 years or more.

The Bichon sheds very little, so if you suffer from pet allergies, the Bichon is a good breed choice for you. It also means you won’t be needing to get the vacuum out very often!

When they’re puppies use a small pin brush and gently brush them every couple of days to get them used to it. When they’re adults, use a slicker brush and comb every day to keep on top of any knots and tangles.

That’s All You Need to Know About Bichon Frises

It’s easy to see why the Bichon Frise is one of the most popular breeds. Their happy-go-lucky personality is infectious. They’re friendly, affectionate and adapt well to most family households, including those with children and other pets. They’re eager to please so training is relatively easy, and they love going for a walk. Like all dog breeds, there are common health conditions that you should be aware of, but most are treatable.

Content provided from Vetstream's Vetlexicon Canis

Vetlexicon is the world’s largest peer-reviewed online clinical reference source. All our content is written and peer-reviewed by over 1,000 of the world’s leading veterinarians, ensuring relevance, accuracy and quality.
 

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