Bichon Frise are beautiful dogs, but as their powder puff image suggests, they require a lot of high-end grooming. Here are our top tips on how to care for these adorable dogs with high-maintenance grooming needs.
With a double-layered coat of a smooth, dense inner layer and a curly, thick outer layer to help regulate their temperature, they require consistent and careful grooming to prevent uncomfortable matting.
Although they have double coats, Bichon’s are typically a low-shedding breed. Most of the hair they shed gets tangled in their coats, so it’s important to keep on top of their at-home grooming routine to prevent any loose or dead hair from getting caught up in their coats.
If your Bichon Frise begins to shed excessively, this could be down to their diet or an allergy, so consult your vet for further advice and next steps.
Bichon Frise grooming can be very high-maintenance. Due to the nature of their coats, it’s recommended that your dog should see a professional groomer every four weeks for a full groom to remove any matting and to keep everything in check.
A groomer may also recommend the benefits of brushing your Bichon at least two to three times a week (or preferably daily) to prevent any mats from forming. Establishing a good at-home grooming routine will also mean that your Bichon will be calmer and more used to being handled when it visits professional groomers.
Grooming a Bichon Frise can be both difficult and time-consuming, so it's worth bearing in mind that whilst achievable, it may take you a while to successfully master your Bichon Frise's grooming routine. A professional groomer may be the best choice for more restless or rowdy dogs that struggle to sit still, but if your dog is happy to be pampered and you have the time, the introductory steps to grooming your Bichon are as follows:
You should already be brushing your Bichon daily, but doing it before a bath is essential. Water can tighten mats and make them difficult to brush out, so a simple once-over with your slicker brush before bathing can be a great solution.
For a full Bichon grooming session, start at the head and wet down towards the toes with warm water before following with a dog whitening shampoo. Allow the shampoo to sit for a while to brighten the coat, and apply extra to the paws and face, avoiding the eye area, to remove any staining. Bichons have sensitive skin, so it's important to choose a natural or breed-specific shampoo and avoid bathing your dog too often, as this can remove the necessary oils that keep their coats and skin healthy.
Start by gently towel drying your Bichon until they're damp. Then, brush in downward strokes with a slicker brush, working from the shoulder to the paws, under the eyes to the bottom of the muzzle and from the top of the head backwards. Blow-dry your dog, then brush their fur in every direction to pull it straight. After one last brush, your dog is ready to be clipped.
When considering grooming a Bichon Frise, the clippers you choose are essential to the process. Bichons have thick fur, so you must choose high-quality clippers that glide through their coat without tangling or pulling at them.
If your dog is nervous, choose quiet clippers to keep them calm. A high speed, quiet clipper built for thick fur, will remove mats with ease, without upsetting your anxious dog.
Grooming scissors will be your best asset when trimming your Bichon, but clippers will be most useful for trimming its body. For best results, clip in downward strokes, then use blending scissors at the top of your dog's legs to blend cut and clip lengths. Moving onto the legs, use straight-edge scissors pointing down the leg length to cut a straight line from the body to the ends of the paws.
Grooming a Bichon Frise head and face is one of the trickiest parts of its grooming routine.
Start by brushing the fur on your Bichon’s head with a slicker brush to lift away any undercoat hairs, then use a pin brush to brush the hair up away from the face, rather than flat against the skin. This will keep the fur fluffy, enhancing your dog’s powder puff image. Be mindful of your dog’s eyes when grooming its face.
Trimming around your Bichon's eyes is important to prevent poor visibility and possible infection. Use the middle part of your grooming scissors to cut, with the points of the scissors facing upwards to prevent accidents.
A Bischon's face is quite tricky to keep clean, particularly as they get a lot of red staining around their eyes from their tear ducts. Water down your Bichon's shampoo and clean its face with a clean, damp cloth, being mindful of the eye area.
To remove the staining from your Bichon's eyes, one of the kindest remedies is to use a homemade baking soda paste. Mix baking soda with a few drops of water to make the paste, and apply to the surrounding eye area with a cotton bud. Leave for an hour or so before washing away with a damp cloth. Or, invest in some tear stain remover for a gentle and convenient way to remove any stubborn stains.
The red stains from Bichon's eyes result from a pH imbalance, creating yeast, which causes staining. Adding a teaspoon of white vinegar to your dog's water can alter its pH level, limiting production and reducing the severity of the stains. It's a naturally safe way to clean your dog's eye area.
Although Bichon Frise grooming can be difficult, their double-layer coat helps to provide them with insulation in the winter and regulates their temperature in the summer, when their undercoat naturally moults. By shaving the coat, you are removing the mechanism that triggers your dog's undercoat to do this, and for this reason, you should avoid shaving your Bichon Frise.
Regular bathing with all-natural puppy shampoo that doesn't strip moisture and oils should be enough to keep your Bichon puppy clean.
A Bichon Frise puppy doesn't develop its adult coat until six to eight months old, so it shouldn't need a trim until then. How you groom your Bichon Frise puppy will be a different experience during the first six months of its life, as its fur will be much finer, less dense and easier to manage. Regular brushing will help establish a grooming routine that will prepare your puppy for longer adult grooming sessions later in life.
