How can I care for my Bichon Frise fur?

Your puppy is starting to get his adult hair. If you notice it changes towards the back by the tail first and will Mat easily especially under it's legs. Just use a pin brush to keep him brushed out. I would stay away from the slicker brush at it tends to scrape the dogs skin and make it more irritated. brush him a couple times a week, to help keep out the matting. You may want to take him to a groomer every 4-5 months to keep him trimmed. I don;t suggest you have him shaved real short as they do get sunburned fast. A nice trim is usually good enough. His nails will grow very fast too, so they will also need to be trimmed. Bichons tend to get skin irritations so be carefull of the shampoos used on your pup.

We have one little female Bichon that looks like she is wearing a tutu, her adult hair is starting to come in too. She is 4 months old.

Bichon Frise Care And Grooming

You must begin caring for a Bichon Frise's coat from early puppyhood. Get a good whitening shampoo and a conditioner. Bathe the pup every 3 weeks to a month. That is enough as a good brushing will help keep the coat clean. Use A SLICKER BRUSH from the beginning and make sure you work out all matts. Follow up with a metal comb to get the tiny ones and find matts you missed. Spray with a detangler before each brushing. Brush several times a week, short sessions are best. At about 6 to 9 mos the coat will begin to change and it will matt more easily for a while. Once full grown, usually about two years , it will be a little easier to care for. You must blow the hair dry with a warm drier as you brush with a slicker after each bath. That helps to get the coat to stand up. Regular brushing with a SLICKER also helps. ALWAYS use a SLICKER and brush against the coat's natural growth as well as in several directions. The coat should be scissored at least once a month and can be kept short if you wish. If you can, get the dog professionally groomed. If not you can get books on line and teach yourself. You picked a breed with a coat that requires time and effort to keep looking good. Your breeder should be willing to help you learn how to use the slicker correctly and to give you some help on proper coat maintenance.

I have a Bichon that is about a year old. You may be bathing him to much, you also need to be careful because they tend to have skin issues and too much bathing can cause problems. There are so many things that can contribute to matting if he is matted really badly you want to take him to a professional groomer. If a Bichon's hair gets to long it gets very difficult to manage, it's very important to take him to a groomer regularly. As the puppy grows the hair will change... when you brush him follow up with a comb because they have an undercoat that matts too. During the summer months I have my bichon cut down short. It keeps him much cooler and less matted.

Most of all enjoy your little guy!!! They are such fabulous little dogs.

Stop bathing him so much right now!

This is very bad for him. he needs to be bathed more than other dogs but not constantly. His fur needs the oils in it to be healthy. They only need to be bathed evry 3 weeks or so. Also they tend to get skin conditions so they need these oils and it's also wise to use a tea tree shampoo. I use this on my 4 month old Bichon Frise.Use a shampoo meant for white dogs as others can stain. About this time your puppy willbe losing his baby coat and getting his adult coat, mine is a little further along than yours so i know how weird he's prob looking right now. But it's normal, honestly. My pup looked so weird but it's evening out alot now and most of her fluff is gone and has been replaced with the trademark curls. Make sure you reduce bathing, but ensure you comb his coat everyday without fail. When combing get the comb down near his skin and comb upwards so you get to the coarser hair right at the bottom, cos Bichon's have coarse hair near the skin and fine on top.he may also have trademark tear stains which you can get eye baths for from the vet. if he gets dirty from digging (mine does) don't be tempted to bathe him. Just use a baby wipe and wipe him over, he'll be starting to clean himself around about now. When mine has been out digging I tend to leave her unless she's really bad, then use a wipe, but if she's not overly dirty I leave her and within a few hrs she's clean as a whistle. You can get him cut but it would be a waste of money at the moment as he's losing his baby fur. Try hold out and keep him combed. The wildness will tame pretty soon. If you need anyone to talk to feel free to contact me by answers as I have my first Bichon too, with no-one else to talk to when weird things happen.

If you don't want to commit to daily grooming, cut it very short--unless you want to show him. His coat will be healthy if you feed him a good food like Nature's Variety, Natural Balance, Animal Food Services--something like that.

If you don't mind spending some money on his coat, take him to a groomer a few times a week. This will help manage the coat if you don't want to cut it or take care of it.