Bichon Frises are renowned for their fluffy, cotton-ball-like coats that exude charm and elegance. However, maintaining their signature fluffiness requires diligent grooming. While it may seem daunting at first, with the right techniques and tools, grooming your Bichon Frise can become a rewarding and enjoyable experience. In this step-by-step guide, we'll delve into the essential steps and tips for keeping your Bichon's coat in pristine condition.
Understanding the Bichon Frise Coat
Before diving into grooming, it's crucial to understand the unique characteristics of the Bichon Frise coat. The Bichon needs a considerable amount of grooming to maintain his glamorous image. He was once presented with only his muzzle and feet tidied up, but now the whole coat is frequently seen scissored.
These dogs have a double-layered coat consisting of a dense, soft undercoat and a curly, silky outer coat. They are considered a low shedding breed that produces lower allergens. However the coat grows frequently that requires regular grooming to prevent mats, tangles, and skin issues.
Necessary tools for mastering the Bichon Frise Coat
To effectively groom your Bichon Frise, you'll need the right tools:
Bathing The Bichon Frise
Bathe your Bichon Frise using lukewarm water and a gentle dog shampoo that can help with the separation of the natural curls. The ideal shampoo for curly coats, such as the Bichon would be the Clipit Curls shampoo.
Always be vigilant about removing tangles before bathing, as, once wet, mats are virtually impossible to remove without cutting. On occasions, it has been necessary to put a filthy, dirty Bichon into the bath and put in a detangle conditioner while the dog is soaking wet, and brush out the mats with the mat breaker. This is avoidable if the dog is well combed before bathing.
Bath regularly, at least once a month, in an appropriate shampoo, being carefully to use a good quality detangle conditioner, like KnotSo More to help prevent the coat from drying out and to make life easier to prevent knots and tangles.
Drying The Bichon Frise
Blow dry the hair after using absorbent towels to lightly swab up excess moisture. Avoid rubbing vigorously, as this can cause tangles and frizz. With a high-velocity dryer (blaster) you can remove excess moisture, but try and avoid drying the coat out.
Then a dryer with a variable heat/strength setting will be used to dry the coat while brushing.
Starting with the tail, dry only small sections at a time, brushing continuously with a slicker brush. Next, brush and dry the legs, followed by the body hair and then the head and ears. Make sure you comb the hair away from the body. If you are aiming for the powder puff effect, it is important to ensure that all the hair has been thoroughly groomed while drying, so the the Bichon's natural curl is brushed out into a soft-textured, straighter puff.
Grooming the Bichon Frise
If you are scissoring for the first time without the aid of an experienced groomer, watch this helpful video, where our Brand Ambassador, Joseph Ywayan from Scissor Hounds uses the Clipit Quattro Cordless Clipper and Kanpeki Slicers to create the perfect rounded appearance.
When considering clipping your Bichon Frise for the first time, always think about and take into consideration a pair of cordless clippers that are considerably quiet with a high speed. That way if the dog has a thick undercoat, a quiet, fast running clipper will go through the coat with ease. Most clippers come with a no. 10 blade which will give you a very short hair cut. If you want a longer haircut, either purchase a blade than can offer a longer length, or the other option is to buy a set of comb attachments. However make sure the coat is throughly brushed out, clean and dried straight.
Start on the body and begin with the sides and move down and underneath the body. In this video Joseph is demonstrating the clipper with an attachment comb, to create an all-over-length.
Grooming scissors are always your best asset when trimming your Bichon. Scissor the rear legs, always keeping the scissors parallel to the body. When viewed from behind, the dog's legs should resemble a straight-sided, upside-down letter U. Next, scissor the front legs to look straight when viewed from the font, but cylindrical from a distance.
The hair on the topline (along the back from the shoulder to the tail) should be level, and closer than the hair on the neck. Scissor the line of the body, to give a round appearance, taking care to blend in well with the neck hair.
Keeping the scissor ends away from the dog's eyes, start by removing the hair on the inside corners of the eyes.
Neaten over the bridge of the nose, combing the remainder downward. Comb the top knot and trim a smooth, rounded appearance, trimming any hair falling over the top of the eyes.
The line across the chin, incorporates the beard, and the beard hair should be blended with the ear furnishings, and the neck blended with the topline.
Give a final comb through and check the dog's nails, ears and teeth.
Conclusion:
Grooming your Bichon Frise's coat is not only essential for their appearance but also for their overall health and well-being. With regular grooming sessions and the right tools and techniques, you can keep your Bichon looking and feeling their best. Remember to be patient and gentle, and soon grooming will become a bonding experience for both you and your furry friend. We would like to thank Joseph Ywayan, our Brand Ambassador for creating this stunning masterpiece on Teddy. Here's just a final video, showing Joseph's handy work.