Bichon Frise

Low-shedding and cheerful, but the white coat shows tear staining — daily eye cleaning needed.

About the Bichon Frise

The Bichon Frisé or Bichon à Poil Frisé is a Franco-Belgian breed of small toy dog of bichon type. It was recognised by the Société Centrale Canine in 1933 and by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale in 1959.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)

Key facts

Origin: France
Weight: 4–7 kg
Height: 23–30 cm
Lifespan: 14–16 years
Est. monthly cost: $105 (≈ $1260 per year)
Purchase price: $1,500–$2,600 from a breeder

Where the monthly cost comes from

Routine care for a Bichon Frise averages about $105 a month, or roughly $1,260 a year. That figure is summed from the measured US line items below — food is scaled to this breed's body weight and grooming to its coat — not quoted from any single clinic or breeder.

Estimated monthly breakdown for a Bichon Frise
Category	Per month
Food (scaled to 6 kg)	$103.59
Treats	$60.00
Routine veterinary care (adjusted for this breed's known issues)	$347.55
Medications (flea, tick, heartworm)	$101.85
Grooming (5/5 coat requirement)	$600.00
Toys	$37.00
Licence	$15.00
Total	$105

Pet insurance is not in that total. The average US accident-and-illness premium is $676 a year for a dog, but most pets are not insured, so adding it to every breed would overstate what a typical owner pays.

If you insure, board and budget for emergencies

Owners who carry insurance, leave the pet boarded when travelling and set money aside for emergencies land near $208 a month — about $2,491 a year. This is a modelled budget, not a survey result:

Item	Per year
Routine care, as itemised above	$1,260
Pet insurance (NAPHIA average premium)	$676
Boarding (10 days at $25/day)	$250
Emergency fund (one ~$900 event every 3 years)	$300
Fully-loaded total	$2,491

Boarding rate from MarketWatch ($25/day). Emergency allowance modelled on Rover's finding that a typical emergency visit starts near $300 and reaches $4,000 with diagnostics and an overnight stay. The number of boarded days and the once-in-three-years emergency frequency are our own planning assumptions, stated here so you can substitute your own.

Includes routine vet visits, food, grooming and supplies. Excludes emergencies, training, boarding and the purchase price above. Method and sources: data sources.

Temperament and care profile

Grooming needed 5/5how much brushing and trimming

Shedding 1/5how much hair ends up in your home

Energy 3/5how much daily exercise

Trainability 4/5

Apartment fit 5/5

Good with kids 4/5

Vocalisation 3/5

Health issues to watch

Tear staining
Skin allergies
Patellar luxation

The FDA's animal adverse-event database holds 10,216 reported events filed under this breed name (data current to 2026-10-05). Reports are not proof of causation and are not adjusted for how many animals of the breed exist.

How it compares

Pick a second breed to see a side-by-side breakdown of cost, size, shedding and lifestyle fit.