Compare dog breeds

Side-by-side breed comparison: Bichon Frise

Breed	Bichon Frise Non-sporting/Utility · Small
Size & physical
Size category	Small
Height	23–30 cm
Weight	5–8 kg
Lifespan	14–15 years
Brachycephalichigh	No
Coat
Coat type	Double, soft, curly · Medium
Sheddinghigh	1
Droolinghigh	1
Behaviour tendencies — low predictive confidence (Morrill 2022)
Breed describes tendencies, not your individual dog — research finds breed explains only about 9% of behavioural variation (Morrill et al., Science 2022). Always meet the dog.
Energymedium	3
Trainabilitylow	4
Barkinglow	3
With childrenlow	4
With other petslow	4
With strangerslow	4
Independencelow	2
Prey drivelow	2
Care
Exercise (min/day)medium	40 min
Groominghigh	5
Heat tolerancehigh	3
Space need	2
Health
Known conditions	4 · Allergic skin disease (atopy) (common) · Patellar luxation (common) · Bladder/urinary stones (occasional) + 1 more
Rec. health tests	· Patellar evaluation · Eye examination · Dental check
Biddabilitylow	4
Excitabilitylow	3
Separation-related behaviourlow	4
Stranger-directed aggressionlow	1
Suitability
First-time owner	✓ Good (4/5)
Apartment living	✓ Good (5/5)
Children	✓ Good (4/5)
Other pets	✓ Good (4/5)

Trait bars are 1–5 scales. Confidence pills (high/medium/low) indicate how reliably breed predicts each trait. Physical traits (size, coat, heat tolerance) are highly predictable. Behavioural tendencies are weak breed-level priors — breed explains only about 9% of variation in individual dog behaviour (Morrill et al., Science 2022). Always meet the dog.