The Bichon Frise is a friendly little white puffball of a dog. The breed has a puffy coat that leaves them open to all sorts of interesting and cute grooming options.
But the Bichon Frise’s hair is also usually curly, right? Or can a Bichon Frise have straight hair? And if so, when does a Bichon’s hair typically change?
Well, in this article, we’ll be answering these questions and more, so read on to find out loads about the Bichon Frise breed’s unique hair!
So can a Bichon Frise Have Straight Hair? Yes, plenty of Bichon Frise puppies are born with straight hair. Many Bichon Frise puppies are also born with wavy or even totally curly hair. too. However, Your Bichon Frise puppy’s coat is likely to change by the time they reach adulthood. Their coat may even continue to change texture throughout their life.
What kind of coat does a Bichon Frise have?
The Bichon Frise is a dog breed with a notoriously curly white double coat. This comprises of a thick, downy undercoat coupled with a more coarse outer coat. In combination, this coat forms a puffy texture. The Bichon Frise coat is capable of being curly, straight, and even wavy.
This beautiful coat requires proper care. This entails regular brushing, at least twice a week. Brushing will help to remove what little undercoat your Bichon Frise needs to shed. For this, you will need a pin brush or a dual-sided pin and bristle brush.
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What’s good about the Bichon Frise’s coat?
The Bichon Frise’s coat is a beautiful white color that is truly unique. Whether straight or curly, this dog’s coat is one-of-a-kind.
You can have a lot of fun grooming a Bichon Frise’s coat. Whether you do it yourself or take your Bichon to the groomer’s, this puffy coat can be clipped into a vast array of unique shapes.
No matter what you want to go for, whether elegant or practical, anything is possible with a Bichon Frise’s fur!
Plus, the Bichon Frise is seen as being a dog with a hypoallergenic coat. This means that the breed sheds so little that it is extremely unlikely to aggravate the allergies of someone who is allergic to dog fur.
Can a Bichon Frise be born with straight hair?
Yes, plenty of Bichon Frise puppies are born with straight hair. Many Bichon Frise puppies are also born with wavy, or even totally curly hair, too.
However, whether curly or straight, don’t get too attached to your Bichon Frise puppy’s current coat. Your Bichon Frise puppy’s coat is likely to change quite a bit by the time they reach adulthood. Their coat may even continue to change texture throughout their life.
When does a Bichon Frise’s hair start to change?
When a Bichon Frise puppy is about six months old, they will start to grow their baby coat. Later on, they will lose this baby coat. Then, this baby coat will go through a patchy, bare stage, before transforming into the dog’s adult coat. This coat is pretty much set in stone at 3 years of age.
A male Bichon Frise’s hair tends to grow significantly faster than the hair of a female Bichon Frise. This means you will see their softer adult coat setting in sooner!
How can I predict what my Bichon Frise’s hair will look like?
The short answer is, you can’t. However, some say that taking a look at your Bichon Frise’s parent’s coat textures is often a good indicator of how curly or straight a Bichon Frise puppy’s hair will be when they are an adult.
However, you may still find that your Bichon Frise’s coat takes on an appearance that you didn’t expect to see. This is because your Bichon Frise can still pick up traits from several generations back. So, no-one can really guess how your Bichon Frise will ultimately turn out.
How can I style my Bichon Frise’s hair?
Whether your Bichon Frise’s hair turns out completely curly, wavy, or straight, you’ll need to make sure that you style it and take care of it properly.
As we touched upon earlier, you’ll need to brush your Bichon Frise’s hair twice a week at the least. Regular brushing will help to prevent your Bichon Frise’s coat from getting matted or tangled.
You will also need to get your Bichon Frise’s hair clipped every month. You can either do this at home or take your Bichon Frise to a groomer’s for a more professional result. But don’t worry, you don’t need to carry out any special care based on the texture of your Bichon’s hair.
Best dog brushes for Bichons
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What about some other Bichons?
Did you know that there are several dog breeds with coats like the Bichon Frise’s? This is because there is actually a Barbichon family of dogs, all originating from the Mediterranean.
One of these breeds is the Maltese. The Maltese is a dog that’s a similar size to the Bichon Frise, but which has a single straight coat instead.
Though the Maltese’s coat is sometimes seen so long that it’s almost trailing on the floor, a Maltese living as a pet often has the same practical cut that many pet Bichon Frises have, as well as a similar adorable easy-to-train and people-oriented personality! It’s no surprise, then, that so many people confuse these two breeds.
Then there’s the puffball that is the Bolognese dog. A little smaller than the average Bichon Frise, at 9 to 12 inches, the Bolognese dog excels at outsmarting and manipulating its owners using its fluffy cuteness and wily charms.
With curly hair that’s just as white and puffy as the Bichon Frise’s, if not more so, it’s easy to see why lots of owners mistake the Bolognese dog for a Bichon Frise. In fact, the Bolognese dog breed is so similar to the Bichon Frise, it is also known as the Bichon Bolognese!
But that’s not all. There’s also the fluffy companionable straight-haired clown called the Coton de Tulear. The Coton stands at 11 inches on average and has the same silky white fur as the Bichon, often with some shading and spots on the ears and other areas. Conversely, however, the friendly Coton de Tulear has a cottony coat that is almost as straight as the Maltese’s.
Our last straight-haired Bichon Frise lookalike is the Havanese dog. As the name suggests, hailing from Havana, the Havanese dog’s silky-soft Bichon Frise-like coat came into existence as a way to protect the dog from Havana’s tropical rays.
The Havanese’s fluffy straight coat can come in gray, sable, black and tan, and plain black. But of course, the Havanese is often seen in the white color it’s Bichon Frise ancestors gave it.
So, can a Bichon Frise have straight hair?
In conclusion, yes, a Bichon Frise dog can have naturally straight hair. What’s more is, even if your Bichon Frise’s hair is not currently straight, Bichon hair can change a lot over time.
So, fur that was curly can become straight and fur that was straight can get more curly. Armed with this information, I hope you have fun noticing how your Bichon Frise’s hair changes over the years!
