Bichon Dog Information

Bichon is the name for a type of related non-sporting category dog breeds. They vary in appearance, but all have tails curled over their back, fur that doesn’t readily shed, short snouts, drop ears, and large, dark eyes. They were all bred to be amiable companion dogs and have a friendly, alert temperament. Their life expectancy is 15 years or more. The Bichon Frise, a type of bichon, is sometimes simply called a bichon in North America.

The word bichon comes from Middle French bichon (“small long-haired dog”), a diminutive of Old French biche (“bitch, female dog”), from Old English bicce (“bitch, female dog”), related to Old Norse bikkja (“female dog”) and German Betze (“female dog”). Some speculate that the word bichon originated as the result of the apheresis, or loss of syllable, of the word barbichon (“small poodle”), a derivative of barbiche (“shaggy dog”); however, this theory seems chronologically unlikely (if not impossible) despite the apparent similarity of the two words. The French word bichon is attested from 1588, but barbichon does not appear until 1694.

The bichons descend from the ancient ancestors of the poodle, the barbet. From this, the barbichon, a small curly-coated water spaniel and another name for this family, was bred. The bichons are a Mediterranean breed, generally named for the region from where they originated. The original breeds were the Bichon Tenerife, from the Canary Islands; the Bichon Maltais, or Maltese; and the Bichon Bolognese, or simply Bolognese. There is argument about whether the Tenerife is the original stock for all bichons, or whether the Maltese (which seems to be an old type found on the islands before even the barbet was known) is the progenitor of the bichons, through its breeding with barbets. Ultimately, most of the modern bichon breeds have developed through the introduction of a variety of dogs to the barbichon type, establishing a family with recognizable characteristics in both temperament and type but without a single distinct progenitor.

Bichons were the court dogs of medieval Europe, especially finding favor in France, Italy and Spain. The French word bichonner, which means to pamper or doll up, derives from the beribboned and lavish lifestyles of the bichon of Henry III of France (reigned 1574-1589), which was carried in a little basket wherever the King went.

Bichons buzz around with energy and suffer from separation anxiety. This act is often called the ‘Bichon Buzz’ or the ‘Bichon Blitz’. When the Bichon Frise begins to buzz or blitz in the home, the breed will go from one room to the next, jumping on and off couches, beds, love seats, or chairs. As a result, the event can be quite entertaining. However, after the bichon has spent its energy, it will lie down and collapse from exhaustion.