Bichon Frisé

Bichon Frisé
Other names	Bichón Tenerife Bichon à poil frisé
Origin	Canary Islands(Spain) Belgium/France(later development)
Traits Height Males 25–30 cm (10–12 in) Females 23–29 cm (9–11 in) Coat medium length, silky, texture with corkscrew curls Colour white Life span 12.5 years
Kennel club standards Société Royale Saint-Hubert standard Société Centrale Canine standard Fédération Cynologique Internationale standard
Dog(domestic dog)

TheBichon FriséorBichon à Poil Friséis a Franco-Belgianbreedof smalltoy dogofbichontype.It was recognised by theSociété Centrale Caninein 1933 and by theFédération Cynologique Internationalein 1959.

Etymology

TheFrenchwordbichoncomes fromMiddle Frenchbichon('small dog'), a diminutive ofOld Frenchbiche('female dog',cognatewith Englishbitch), fromOld Englishbicce,and related to otherGermanicwords with the same meaning, includingOld Norsebikkja,andGermanBetze.Some speculate the origin ofbichonto be the result of theapheresis,or shortening, of the wordbarbichon('small poodle'), a derivative ofbarbiche('shaggy dog'); however, this is likely impossible, since the wordbichon(attested 1588) is older thanbarbichon(attested 1694).While the English name for the breed,Bichon Frise,is derived from the Frenchbichon à poil frisémeaning 'curly haired small dog'.

History

The White Duchess,painted byFrancisco de Goyain 1795, featuring theDuchess of Albaand her Bichon

The dogs found early success inSpainand it is generally believed that Spanish seamen introduced the early breed toTenerifein theCanary Islands.Their association with European nobility began in the 13th century, entering the royal courts of Spain, Italy and France.In the 14th century, Italian sailors rediscovered the dogs on their voyages and are credited with returning them to continental Europe.

The Bichon à Poil Frisé was recognised by theSociété Centrale Caninein 1933.It was definitively accepted by theFédération Cynologique Internationalein October 1959.

Some of the dogs were brought to the United States in 1955and to the United Kingdom in 1973.

Appearance

The Bichon Frisé is a small dog, standing 23–30 cm (9–12 in) at thewithersand weighing approximately 5 kg (11 lb), the weight varying in proportion to the height. The skull is rather flat, but may appear rounded; the muzzle tapers only slightly, and constitutes two-fifths of the length of the head. The nose is black, the eyes dark and round.

The coat is loosely curled in spirals or corkscrews, with a thick soft undercoat. It is always pure white; only in dogs under a year old may it be slightly tinged with beige, this extending over no more than 10% of the area of the body. The head and legs are proportionate in size to the body.

Health

A 2024 UK study found a life expectancy of 12.5 years for the breed compared to an average of 12.7 for purebreeds and 12 forcrossbreeds.

An American study looking atimmune-mediated hemolytic anemiafound a predisposition to the condition in the Bichon Frise, with 9% of cases belonging to the breed despite being 2% of the control population.

A study in the UK found the Bichon Frise to be predisposed togall bladder disease(excludinggall bladder mucocele). The Bichon Frise was found to be 9.26 times more likely to acquire a non-mucocele gall bladder disease than other dogs.

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  Pet trim
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  Show cut
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  At sixteen years old