Bichon Frise

This breed is understood to be a very popular breed and it’s clear to see why. With lively, affectionate and adorable personalities, they make gorgeous pets. Another bonus is that the Bichon is extremely good around children, which is sometimes unusual in smaller dog breeds.

The happy and fun-loving Bichon Frise is also a very outgoing and confident character. They are real performers and love clowning around, rarely showing any aggressive tendencies. This little dog loves to be the centre of attention and will happily perform a new trick for his master.

As a playful, gentle dog, he is actually quite calm too. He loves to show off but won’t respond well at all to harsh reprimands. On the whole, he prefers a peaceful environment and can sometimes be quite timid.

Despite his high intelligent traits, he’s not a dominant dog. He much prefers learning new tricks to obedience commands, although he is a quick learner.

The Bichon Frise certainly isn’t a hunting dog, but this doesn’t mean he won’t challenge the neighbour’s cat, often just for fun. Early socialisation prevents any naughty or unwanted behaviours.

Although this breed will alert you to a stranger in his presence, his bark is much worse than his bite. He is actually more likely to welcome a stranger than to chase them away.

This intelligent, lively pup thrives on human company. Despite this, they are independent dogs in most circumstances. However, this dominant behaviour often leads him to think he is the pack leader, and will jump up onto the furniture and onto people.

The Bichon Frise much prefers to spend time in the company of his owners, usually hating to be left alone. This small dog can become stressed and anxious if he has to spend too much time by himself.

This intelligent pup is also quick witted and his main aim is to please his master. Providing you show him who rules the roost, he is easy to train as long as you use consistent methods. Check that the dog doesn’t develop “small dog syndrome” when he will take on the alpha dog role. This can of course, lead to unwanted behaviour problems. Toilet training may take a deal of patience and understanding as he can be more difficult to housetrain than other small breeds.

Very often, some Bichon dogs are very yappy at times. They do like to bark just for the sake of it, which can be annoying. Early training, can of course, avoid this behaviour.

The Bichon Frise, although a small dog, is a fast runner. His speed and agility will astound you. It’s very important to teach your dog to respond to your recall command.