The Bichon Frise may be small in size, but he is sturdy and also white in color (in most cases) and it is a powder puff of a dog. Its merry temperament is easy to see when you look into its inquisitive eyes and also observe the jaunty manner with which he carries his plumed tail. What’s more, the Bichon Frise standard does not reveal any great exaggerations or faults in the breed and thus you will normally find the Bichon Frise to be free from imbalances or unsound movements.
Though there are many deviations from the Bichon Frise standard, these are no more or no less than what is common among most breeds. Though if a fault is noticed in the Bichon Frise, it must be penalized to no more than the amount of deviation from the standard. In addition, as far as the height mentioned in the standard goes, you should not expect the Bichon Frise to be more than nine and a half inches to eleven and a half inches in either gender.
The Bichon Frise standard also states that the skull of the Bichon Frise must be of a slightly rounded shape and the head must be balanced in the ratio of five parts skull and three parts muzzle when measured from nose to stop and from stop to its occipital parts. In addition, the standard also requires that the jaw be strong while the nose must be prominent and black in color and the lips should be black while not drooping.
A well-bred Bichon Frise should also possess a long neck that must blend well with its shoulders. And the chest must also be well developed and it should be adequately wide to allow the Bichon Frise to move his feet easily. The tail should be well developed and must curve back in a stylish as well as elegant manner and should rest with grace on the back of the dog.
The Bichon Frise standard requires that the Bichon Frise must have shoulder blades and upper arms as well as forearms of equal length, and the bones in its legs must be straight while pasterns must show a bit of a slant. The coat must be dense as well as soft on the underside while on the outside it should be curly. Overall, the Bichon Frise must be of white color though it may also have dipping of cream, buff and even apricot.
In its movement, the Bichon Frise standard states that he should move freely as well as cautiously and without any effort, and when racing it should hold its head as well as neck in a straight manner. The personality of the Bichon Frise is gentle and it also has an even temper while also being very affectionate and thus has all the qualities that make for an ideal family dog.
The Bichon Frise standard has laid down the qualities desired in the breed and for more information you can refer to publications such as The Kennel Club Illustrated Breed Standards. This article is well suited to provide breed standard details with other Bichon Frise information.