BBird TALK

Evolution of the Bichon Head

Let's talk for a minute about who sets a "proper breed profile" style, or a show style. This applies to Bichons and all the breeds, really. No one person says, "it is this" Styles shift and evolve. The show style is a manifestation or reflection of how the breeder or show handler is interpreting the breed standard. Key individuals, usually outstanding handler/groomers or breeder/handlers often set trends. 

One person instrumental in the development of the Bichon Frise grooming style was Frank Sabella a renowned handler, who gave a grooming seminar to the Bichon Frise Club of America in 1969, which set the stage for the sculpted style of today. Mr. Sabella went on to judge the breed internationally at some of the most significant dog show events. Another breeder/handler who has been recognized as a leading stylist of the breed is Paul Flores, co-owner of Paray Kennels and one of the most winning handlers in the breed ring over the last 15 years. 

The rounded head style that we see today has not always been the case. In the 70's, the ears were still distinct and the beard was left long.

The 1980's featured the very full bell-shaped head. 

The pictures above are from the website of Fountainbleau Bichons.  Sometimes the bell head featured a more exaggerated beard.  From The World of the Bichon Frise, by Anna Katherine Nicholas, I found this photo of Ch.Craigdale's  Olé Rhondi, the top-winning Bichon of 1983.

In this picture, we also see the cut out eyes and the Bichon "ledge" (my term) over the eyes.  Today, the ledge looks like this:

This is "Lucy", in 2008, handled by Lisa Bettis.

The round head of today started appearing in the 1990's, first with the shortening of the beard, and then rounding the ears into the headpiece.  Nowadays, it is not uncommon to see show heads that are actually a bit higher on the top of the head than long underneath. Bichon heads in the show ring can differ from week to week on the same dog, depending on the choices of the particular handler presenting the dog.

In pet grooming, the round head requires a lot to be taken off the ears. The owner has to be willing to give up the flowing ears. Way more than the bottom of the ears are trimmed; creating the "circle" necessitates cutting through the sides of the ears as well. Most importantly, there is no definition in front of the ears. The sides of the head are combed out to the ears, and only that hair that sticks out beyond the sides of the ears is trimmed. To avoid a heavy look to the face, it can be dished out a bit, and trimmed from outside corner of the eyes to the outside line of the circle. Cutting out under the ears does help to create a smaller, tighter circle, but can backfire if you cut too much.

Here is an even smaller Bichon pet head.  Round, cut out around the eyes. Not a show dog, but still a Bichon Frise!  

Do Clippers Ruin Bichon Coats?

A GROOMER ASKS:

    I have an every 2 week Bichon who's mom swears I make him look better than any other groomer they have had and, in reality I have YET to see a groomer around here who can actually make a spherical head—they either look like a bell, which is flat across the bottom or some kind of cabbage patch doll. Apparently nobody but, me has read your blog.  Anyway, "Forbes" is a super sweet boy, not yet 2 years old who's mommy & daddy have read EVERYTHING they can get their hands on when it comes to the breed. Usually it is a huge blessing, but, last Thursday it was a problem. Things got pretty heated when "Forbes" Mommy showed me several books she had read that said "NEVER, EVER use clippers on a Bichon! Scissors ONLY!" She thinks it will "ruin the guard hairs" and make his coat course. What say you? 

 

BBIRD RESPONDS:

     I don't think that hair responds any differently to clipper cutting than to scissor cutting.  Cutting is cutting.  The Bichon books are usually referring to close clipping.  Repeated close clipping on many breeds has the potential of altering the coat. What can make a difference is the sharpness or dullness of the cutting implements.  Poorly maintained blades and scissors can cause fractured hair ends.  Use of snap-on guide combs with clippers does not damage the Bichon coat.

     This conversation is very interesting. Most Bichon breeders encourage their pet owners to maintain a "fluffy" coat.  After all, that is one of the key features of the breed.  On the other side of the coin, I have had Bichon owners tell me their breeder recommends shaving the puppy coat at 6 months in order to encourage a more firm adult coat.  With all due respect to breeders, they often become very attached to opinions gained through myth and happenstance.

     Surely show coats on the Bichon Frise are always maintained through scissoring.  Those dogs are scissored as often as daily during a show series, and weekly when not on a circuit.  Pet grooming almost always necessitates some compromise from the protocols of show grooming.  We don't have the time that handlers or breeders have to devote per dog.  The cost would be astronomical.  Also, pet owners are not always willing to have the dog groomed often enough for the groomer to maintain a "scissored only" coat.  At my salon, that would be every 2-3 weeks, religiously. It would cost $65-85 a visit. Certainly, any coat that has more than 4 weeks of growth has to be completely reshaped.  Getting an even length all over the body with scissors only can be quite difficult. The use of guide combs over clippers helps us to restore the lines and sculpting that constitutes the Bichon "look".

     I've seen scissored-only Bichon grooming that totally missed the mark.  When a groomer simply trims the long coat all over, they can end up with what I call the "Marshmallow Trim"...a big fluffy blob.  OTOH, use of snap-on combs allows lines to be established, even length to be achieved, and can assist in obtaining a breath-taking result in a decent amount of time.  A stunning result still requires a good amount of scissoring.  IMHO, what makes the difference between an awesome and awful in Bichon grooming is the groomer's commitment to obtaining the correct profile, not what cutting tools are used.

     In case you missed it, I have attached a PDF of the recent article I wrote for Pet Age magazine on Bichon grooming.  Bloggers can click HERE.

 

 

 

ESSENTIALS OF BICHON GROOMING

This article was originally published in Pet Age magazine, August, 2011.  

Download Bichon Article Pet Age Version

 

Among the pictures that Pet Age did NOT use for the article were my before & after shots of my own Bichon, Belle.  I share the transformation, here.

TEARSTAIN RESULTS: AN OPTHALMOLOGIST SPEAKS

In a recent presentation to Tucson pet groomers, Dr. Reuben Merideth, a renowned animal opthamologist stated that the only products he has witnessed as being consistently effective at clearing up severe tear staining were the tylosin based products, such as Angels' Eyes [and Pets' Spark]. To the question of whether or not there were risks associated with the use of tylosin or the possibility of creating a resistence to therapeutic antibiotics, he said, "The minute amount of antibiotic in these products is so far less than the therapeutic dose that there should be no development of resistence." He views this as a safe and effective approach to the problem.

Dr. Merideth is no ordinary veterinarian. He is at the top of his field, having published dozens of articles and contributed chapters to five veterinary textbooks. A Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Opthalmologists (DACVO), as well as a DVM, Dr. Merideth practices at the Southern Arizona Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Center in Tucson, Arizona, as well as in Phoenix, Arizona and in Kansas City, Kansas.

The presentation was part of a series of lectures being offered by practicing veterinary specialists to the Tucson grooming community. This outreach from the veterinary community is in recognition that pet groomers are the pet care professionals that have the most hands on contact with many pets, and are often the first to become aware of many medical problems. The lectures help groomers have a knowledgeable basis for referring clients for medical consultation.

Here are before and after pictures of one of our recent success stories. This is "Brie", a Bichon Frise belonging to Vivian Yorke in Canada.

 
 

Quite Remarkable! This was after about two months on the Pets' Spark product.

Pets' Spark can be purchased from BBird.biz by clicking HERE. Professional groomers can get wholesale pricing from ShowSeason Grooming Products, HERE.