# Any Bichon Owners?



## Smeslie (Mar 3, 2014)

Hi everyone. I have a Yorkie/Bichon mix that is six months old. He's a dirty little fellow. He gets much dirtier than our larger dog. He comes in from outside with leaves and assorted foliage stuck in his coat. I'm calling for Bichon owners because I feel he is more leaning towards a Bichon than Yorkie. His beard gets so dirty and stiff. and he's just a dirty stinky fellow. He doesn't shed much and hes got a kind of curly coat. My husband likes to keep his coat long cuz he loves his scruffy look. We brush him often. To get to the point, I don't want to bathe him too much. It just seems as if every week he needs a bath. I don't give him one that often. I'm just wondering how often do you bathe this type of dog and would it do him harm to bathe him as often as he seems to need it? Here are some pictures.


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## Amaryllis (Dec 28, 2011)

I grew up with bichons and poodles. Wonderful little dogs!

1. The shorter you keep his coat, the easier it is to keep. He is adorably scruffy, but you are making it harder on yourself, especially with the beard. If you kept him in a short puppy cut, there wouldn't be much beard to get stiff and dirty.

2. As long as you use a gentle, hypoallergenic shampoo, you can wash quite often. You can spot clean with hypoallergenic baby wipes in between. If you do wash weekly, do not blow dry weekly. Blow drying is very drying on the skin.


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## deege39 (Dec 29, 2008)

I agree w/ Amaryllis, but I have to say w/ the right shampoo, the blow drying shouldn't dry the skin even if it's done weekly. I've groomed my dogs once a week, w/ a professional dryer made for dogs, and haven't ever had an issue w/ it drying out their skin; In the winter months their skin dries due to the lack of humidty and things b/c of the heat running all the time, but even then it's minimal.

There's a client for the company I work for that has had her Bichon groomed w/ us once a week for 7 years...... Soooo yeah. lol Groom as often as you like, brushing is more important than anything my opinion, b/c although he doesn't shed, the "dead" hair still needs to be combed from his fur, not just his back, but in-between his legs, his tummy, neck chest, behind the ears, under the collar- Everywhere that you see hair needs to be brushed out, or those dead hairs will start to tangle, then clump, and eventually mat, and if matting gets it too severe it becomes painful and he'll have to shaved whether your husband likes it or not.  

Being that he's a white dog, you're going to notice every spot of dirt, mud, particle of food, etc. lolol!


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## Smeslie (Mar 3, 2014)

Thanks for all the good advice y'all.


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## Boleyn (Aug 25, 2008)

Something else to consider, he will go through a coat change as he gets older. Likely 9-12 months, the adult coat begins to come in. That transitional period can be a nightmare time for managing the coat (mats form much easier). I see it a lot in my grooming shop with Bichons, Poodles, etc. Like others have said, bathing weekly with a gentle shampoo is just fine. He is a cutie!


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## Smeslie (Mar 3, 2014)

Thanks Boleyn


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Good advice all around.

One thing I love is waterless shampoo. I use the one Cherrybrook makes but there are others. It's a liquid and you can spray on the coat and towel off - really nice for getting off pee stains or dirt between baths. I've tried powdered stuff and it didn't work at all, and smelled terrible.


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## Remaru (Mar 16, 2014)

I agree. I don't have a Bichon, I have a poodle mix and I keep her clipped up short. She actually belongs to my son and he loves her looking shaggy (matches his hair LOL) but she is low to the ground being a tiny dog and she has that beard. She is also not at all lady like, not that it is a problem at all that she isn't, so she is always in the dirt, leaves, and mud with my son. Better she is clipped short so she is easy to keep maintained. I let my son convince me to keep her legs longer and leave a top knot (because I can brush the top knot and tie it up). I also shear her feet down so she doesn't drag in dirt/grass/mud.


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## Jenbeery (Mar 5, 2014)

i have been wondering the same thing about my bichon mixed with shih tzu......looks a lot like your dog there. I can brush her and have her hair be free of mats and tangles and then 5 minutes later she feels like a matted mess...not to mention the leaves and grass in her paws


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## Smeslie (Mar 3, 2014)

Well after reading some responses I decided to take matters into my own hands. I took some scissors and cut him horribly. So the next day we went and bought clippers and fixed it up a bit. I think next time we will do much better but now he has no matts and he seems happier. He got into pink marker so thats why his face looks colored. It looks a mess but we are proud.


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