JUDGING THE BICHON FRISE By Lorrie Carlton
T his happy powder pu ff breed is very sturdy and fun loving. When they walk into a ring their tail should be carried over their back and you should notice a well balanced happy dog with an e ff ortless gait, that is neither too tall (over 12") or too small (under 9") or too long or short in body length. Th e mini- mum does not apply to puppies. Th e Bichon Frise’s thick, white, dense coat is trimmed to give them a straight top line, stove pipe legs, moderate angles in the rear, neck arched to the head and the head round. Puppies under one year of age can have a softer, straighter and colored coat. Any shade of cream to tan over any amount of the body is acceptable. When adults, that color can only cover ten per- cent of the entire body. Th eir round eyes and nose should resem- ble black buttons at first glance, framed by coat that circles the head concealing the ears. When the ears are brought forward in an alert position, they are still not visible as
they enhance the framing of the face. Th e slightly rounded skull allows for a forward looking eye. Th e eyes and nose form an equal lateral triangle measuring from the outside corner of the eye to the tip of the nose. Th e ears are set slightly higher than the eyes. Th e muzzle width is one half of the widest part of the top skull, the length of the muzzle is 3 parts to 5 parts of the top skull measuring from the occiput to the stop. Th e muzzle is on the same plane as the top skull. A scissor bite with full dentition sup- ports the muzzle and allows for a strong under jaw. Crooked teeth or an out of line tooth is acceptable. All others should be faulted. Th e pigment is black or as dark brown as possible on the lips, nose, pads of feet and eye rims and the area surrounding the eyes known as halos. Th e measurements of the body are very specific in our standard. Th e body from the withers to buttocks forms a square and the sternum to the withers is one quarter of the square. Th e top of the withers to
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Head Proportions
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