Bichon Frise Grooming

Bichon Frise grooming is one of the highest maintenance to be found in dogs. This should perhaps come as little surprise, considering the dog breed is often regarded for its beautiful fur, which can be seen as one of the most appealing aspects of owning a Bichon Frise.

It is important to understand the type of undertaking you are taking on board if you decide to get this breed of dog, as there is a fair amount of responsibility towards the owner to ensure your Bichon grooming is up to standard.


BICHON FRISE GROOMING COST
HIGH MAINTENANCE
AVE. GROOMING COST$400/YR
  • Due to the nature of their coats, these dogs need to be regularly groomed or it could not only leave the dog looking unsightly, but could even lead to negative health effects, which nobody wants for their dog.

Bichon Frise Grooming Cost

The average cost for this is around $40-$50 per grooming but change from place to place. This will tally to around $400 each year, but will increase and decrease depending on how often you decide to get a profession grooming done. Remember, this dog is very high maintenance for grooming, so it may be easier to pay for it, which will cost more than your average dog.

Coat Type

Realising what type of coat your dog has can go leaps and bounds in helping you with grooming your Bichon Frise. This breed of dog is loved for its gorgeous white coats that are fluffy and give it a resemblance to some sort of cuddly toy.

  • Bichon Frise white fur is a double coat, combining a soft yet dense undercoat with a coarser and bristly guard coat that is very curly.

A common misconception is that Bichon’s don’t shed their hair, which untrue. The nature of its double coat means that the shedding process leaves the hair getting caught up amongst the undercoat, which if left unattended, leads to matting and tangles and possibly skin problems. This is why Bichon Frise grooming is so important – the dog will need daily maintenance.

Maintenance

As mentioned, this is a high-maintenance, breed, so anyone thinking about purchasing one should consider this aspect.

Brushing and Combing

Brushing and combing is required every day, to help battle the tangles and natural curls of the dog’s coat. Whilst this characteristic only begins to show after it reaches over a year old,

  • doing the daily groom on a pup will help train the dog getting used to this daily process of being combed and brushed.

You should be using a coarse medium comb along with a pin brush for optimal grooming. This will help tackle the daily maintenance with minimal fuss and in a quicker time period.

A daily tooth cleaning is now the standard recommendation for all types of dogs, and you should be trimming nails at least one a week. A hair cut is needed once a month, with many deciding to get this done professionally, although you can help to maintain the coat with minor trimmings here and there.

Bichon Frise Grooming
Bichon Frise Grooming

Grooming

Start with your pin brush to work on the smaller knots, brushing the hair on the back and sides of the dog towards the spin, for the head, aim to brush towards the nose of the dog. Some areas will require more vigorous brushing due to the thickness of the curls, and expect a fair amount of dead hair on the brush, which should be cleaned off.

Bichon Frise Haircuts

Bichon Frise grooming is very high maintenance, so a haircut will be needed at least once a month. Now whether you want to do this yourself depends on your budget. Doing so should happen once a month during a daily groom, trimming the fur that has gotten too long or unsightly.

For Bichon Frise haircuts, you can attempt them yourself. Certain areas need to be seen to, particularly the face. Residue from the eyes can get caught in the fur around the eyes, and can lead to infections.

Look to cut away build ups on the hair around the eyes. Bichon Firse haircuts are needed around once a month, and should be done following a brush and comb to take away the longer or matted sections.

Professional groomers will be more suited for this type of dog, as they can regularly maintain the quality coat that the Bichon is famed for, which will require a fair amount of skill to achieve.

Bathing

For bathing, you will not need to do so more than once a month, though in some warmer climates there can be exceptions –it all depends on how the dog itself is! Shampoo and condition when bathing the dog, and make sure that you are using appropriate dog products, as other can cause skin irritations.

Ensure a thorough rinsing to get rid of the shampoo from the thick coat that could affect the skin. Give the bichon a towel dry and then brush out any tangles that you missed, followed by a gentle blow dry (on a low setting!) whilst brushing the hair straight.

Professional Help (Recommended)

Whilst regular maintenance can be done by the owner, it is recommended that you go to a professional every 6 weeks or so for a proper Bichon Frise grooming. This is a sure fire way to get that fantastic final look for your Bichon, will a full treatment of brush, cut and bathing a necessity.