The Bichon Frise Standard

* GENERAL APPEARANCE:  
   - A sturdy, lively dog of stable temperament, with a stylish gait and an air of dignity and intelligence.


* COLOR: 
  - Solid White, or white with cream, apricot, or grey on the ears and /or body.


* HEAD: 
   - Proportionate to the size of the dog, Skull broad and somewhat round, but not coarse, covered with a topknot of hair.


* MUZZLE: 
  - Of Medium length, not heavy or snipey. Slightly accentuated stop.


* EARS: 
  - Dropped, covered with long flowing hair. The leather should reach approximately halfway the length of the muzzle.


* EYES: 
   - Black or dark brown, with black rims. Large, round, expressive and alert.

* LIPS: 
   - Black, fine, never, drooping


* NOSE: 
   - Black, round, pronounced


* BITE: 
   - Scissors


* NECK: 
   - Rather long, and gracefully and proudly carried behind an erect head.


* SHOULDERS: 
   - Well-laid-back. Elbows held close to the body.


* BODY: 
   - Slightly longer than the tall. Well developed with good spring of rib. The back inclines gradually from the withers to a slight rise over the loin. The loin is large and muscular. The brisket well-let-down.


* TAIL: 
   - Covered with long, flowing hair, carried gaily, and curved to lie on the back.


* SIZE: 
   - The height at the withers should not exceed 12 inches nor be under 8 inches.


* LEGS and FEET: 
   - Strong-boned appearing straight, with well-knit pasterns. Hindquarters well angulated. Feet, resembling cat's paws, are tight and round.


* COAT: 
   - Profuse, silky and loosely curled. There is an undercoat.


* GROOMING: 
   - Scissored to show the eyes and to give a full, rounded appearance to the head and body. Feet should have hair trimmed to give a rounded appearance also. When properly brushed, there is an overall "powder puff" appearance. Puppies may be shown in short coat, but the minimum show coat for an adult is two inches.


* FAULTS: 
  - Cowhocks, snipey muzzle, poor pigmentation, protuding eys, yellow eyes, undershot or overshot bite.


* DISQUALIFICATIONS: 
   - Corkscrew tail, black hair in the coat.


I understand that the size of a Bichon usually ranges between nine to eleven inches at the shoulder, some slightly under, some a bit over, so long as the limits mentioned in the Standard are not exceeded. The ideal weight is determined by balanced and symmetry.