Bichon Poodle Mix – Complete Guide For Poochon Owners

• Origin: Spain, French
• Size: Small
• Dog Breed Group: Hybrid
• Purebred: No
• Lifespan: 13-15 Years
• Height: Male:8 – 15 Inches (20 Cm – 38 Cm)
• Weight: 8-25 Pounds (4-11 Kgs)
• Coat Appearance: Curly, Soft Coats Or Slightly Coarser, Longer Coarser Coats
• Coat Colors: Cream, Black, Blue, And Apricot
• Temperament: Affectionate, Adorable,  Energetic, Easygoing, Friendly, Laidback,  Intelligent, Lively,  Loyal, Keen, Outgoing, Pleasant, Responsive, Social, Spirited
• Good With Children: Yes
• Intelligence Level: High
• Good With Pets: Yes
• Hypoallergenic: Yes
• Grooming: High
• Barking: Barks When Necessary
• Suitable For Apartments: Yes
• Need For Exercise: High
• Easy To Train: Yes
• Good For First Time Owners: Yes
• Health Issues: Hip Dysplasia, Patellar Luxation, Von Willebrand Disease, Sebaceous Adenitis, Progressive Retinal Atrophy
• Litter Size: 4-6 Puppies
• Average Price: $400 To $1,000 USD

Bichon Poodle Size

• Height – Male:8 – 15 inches (20 cm – 38 cm)
• Weight – 8-25 pounds (4-11 Kgs)

Bichon Poodle Lifespan

The average lifespan of this Poodle mix breed is 12- 15 years making it the perfect crossbreed for those who want a dog for a very long time.

• The cheerful, cuddly, loving, playful, intelligent and charismatic characteristics of the Bichon Frise and the Poodle have been inherited by this Poodle-Bichon mix. Bichon poodles have a lot of personalities and even more, love to give, as well as they are a great dog for individuals and families.
• Bichon poodle will inherit a higher than average intelligence from both her parents, particularly the Poodle, is placed in the top quartile of clever dog breeds.
• 3. This perky little people pleaser usually is a good-natured and high-spirited personality that will allow it to fit into most households. A family with young kids will suit it perfectly; existing cats or other pets will not be an impediment.
• The even-tempered, laidback nature of the Pooches makes her delightfully adaptable to all kinds of living, whether it is larger homes, farms, smaller apartments, or even RVs that are traveling cross-country!
• The Bichon Poodle Mix is prone to sudden bursts of energy, so you will frequently see them go hell for leather for short periods of time. When it’s not bustling around, it needs a chew toy to stay entertained. A jaded Bichon poodle will yap and whine(otherwise, they will turn your shoes into a chew toy without your consent).

Properties below belong to Bichons- poodles’ mix

Adaptability

• Apartment Living – Yes
• Good For First-Time Owners – Yes
• Sensitivity Level – High
• Loneliness – Averagely Suited To Be Alone
• Cold Weather – Good
• Hot Weather – Good

Friendliness

• With Family – High
• Kids – High
• Other Dogs – High
• With Cats – Good, If Raised Together
• Other Pets – Good, If Raised Together
• Strangers – Suspicious

General Behavior

• Independence – Poorly Independent
• Dominance – Low
• Combativeness – Low
• Indoors – Active
• Outdoor – Highly Active
• Territorial – Average
• Easy Of Transportation – High

• Exercise Needs – Medium
• Intensity – High
• Activity Level – High
• Exercise Requirements – 30-60 Minutes/Day
• Walk Mileage/ Week – 7 Miles
• Playfulness – High
• Grooming Needs – High
• Tendency To Drool – Low
• Snore – Low
• Bark – High
• Tendency To Dig – Low
• Social/Attention Needs – High

Bichon Poodle Names Female

1. Angel
2. Gigi
3. Princess
4. Twiggy
5. Zoey
6. Brandy
7. Laika
8. Coco
9. Buffy
10. Rose

Bichon Poodle Names Male

1. Monty
2. Oscar
3. Sammy
4. Adair
5. Dustin
6. Harry
7. Teddy
8. Finn
9. Charlie
10. Corbin

Your puppy needs around ½- 1 cups of dry dog food each day. Divide this in half and feed her in the morning and in the evening.

As she gets bigger, you’ll need to increase the amount of feeding but watch your dog’s weight as they have a big appetite and tends to overeat.

A grown-up bichpoo needs between 1-2 cups of the dry food each day split between two servings.

Calorie considerations

A typical, healthy bichpoo should be fed about 40 calories worth of food per pound of body weight. She will require 2g of fat per kg of body weight and 3g of protein per kg of body weight.

So,

-Bichpoo puppy (four to 12 months) who doesn’t exercise a lot, weighing an average of 10lbs, needs around 500 calories per day, split between two or three meals.

-An active, adult bichpoo in the 20lbs range should get around 800 calories per day.

-Older, lazier bichpoos need 400 calories per day

Rough Feeding guide for Bichon Frise-poodle mix dog:

• Daily cost – $1.00 (average)
• Monthly cost – $30.00
• Bichpoo pups between eight and 12 weeks old – 3 meals every 24 hours (50g- 150g).
• 3 to 6 months old – 3 meals every 24 hour period (150g)
• Feed puppies 6 months to 1 year – 2 bowls of food daily (150g)
• When your bichpoo hits her first birthday, one bowl or two smaller bowls every 24 hours is typically all that’s necessary.

Remember, the feedings depend on puppy’s build. Once a Bichon-poodle is 12 months old they can be fed adult dog food depending on their activity level and eating tendencies.

• Dogs weighing 5 kg = 80g to 100g
• 7 kg = 120g
• 9 kg = 130g 
• Protein content should be anything from 14 – 25%
• Carb content should be 30 to 70%
• Fiber content should be less than 4%
• Fat content should be less than 10%
• Calcium content should be 0.5 – 0.8%
• Phosphorous content should be 0.4 – 0.7%
• Sodium content should be 0.2 – 0.4%

• Trainability – Easy
• Intelligence – High
• Memory – High
• Mouthiness – Low
• Prey drive – Low
• Wanderlust potential – Low

 Is she hard to train?

Welcome to Bichon poodle world. They are a great choice for First-time dog owners because they are so loving and ready to please with an added bonus being that they are extremely sociable.

With that said, these little guys are rather independent and they need the rules and regulations that should be given in a gentler fashion. Otherwise, they do not respond well to assertion and authority due to their effervescent personality.

Below are a few tips that you should consider when you begin your Bichon-poodle mix training:

• Bich-poos are light-hearted and exceptionally affectionate dogs which makes them easier to train than many other toy breeds and dogs in general.  Start socializing and training your dog from puppyhood. If you are a first-time dog owner, consider signing up dog obedience classes. Bichon poodle training isn’t too hard, but don’t get too complacent either. You still need to inculcate a strong training regimen from an early age to get the best out of them.
• she can be a real test to housetrain so get started on this vital piece of business early, using positive rewards, such as praise and treats. It’s imperative to be consistent with your training as the poodle part of her may represent a bit (such as the intrinsic stubborn streak). Make sure your pup is well-socialized to reduce her interface with other people and pets. The payoff is you will be rewarded with a loving and loyal pup.
• The fact that Bichon poodles were bred to cuddle doesn’t mean they don’t need training and exercise; they do. Daily walks are a must, but so are plenty of playtimes to vent off her energy because of the intelligence and inquisitiveness of this hybrid. Regular exercise can also limit the episodes of sudden spikes of Bichon poodle buzz.
• The Bichpoo is intelligent (thanks to the poodle gene pool), but can it be taught to roll over? Or give a high-5 or play dead?
•  Yes, Yes and yes. This crossbreed is competent enough of learning a solid amount of tricks. Just make sure to have ample treats close by for positive reinforcement.
• By nature, they are not aggressive; nevertheless, start the obedience training right from puppyhood to fend off possibilities of your pooch showing sporadic aggression in the future.

• Coat Density – Average Or Thick
• Length – Medium Or Long
• Texture – Curly, Soft Coats Or Slightly Coarser, Longer Coarser Coats
• Brushing Frequency – Daily
• Trimming/Stripping – Yes
• Hypoallergenic – Yes
• Shedding – Minimal

Bichon poodles can have soft, mid-length, curly coats which they have inherited from the Poodle or they can have slightly longer and coarser coats too.

They inherit the Poodle tendency for low shedding(hypoallergenic) which makes them a good choice for people who suffer from pet allergies.

They are relatively high maintenance dogs when it comes to grooming their coats for looking fine and uncluttered. For the grooming part, you have to first settle on whether you want your pooch to have the Bichon cut or the Poodle cut.

They also need to be professionally trimmed or clipped few times a year to be even and uniform(yet it’s better to remain a little fluffy and loosely curled) as it makes your job simple for keeping their coats looking good in between visits to a grooming parlor.

They have quite profuse beards and whiskers so their muzzles should be cleaned after they had their food to remove any food that may have got stuck in the long hair around their muzzles.

It’s a good idea to wipe your dog’s eyes by a damp rag to get rid of any tearing streaks which tend to show up a lot more on lighter colored dogs. It’s also important to check a dog’s ears on a regular basis for wax buildup and to clean them when necessary.

Major health problems are:

Hip dysplasia – You’ve probably heard of hip dysplasia, which is a progressive, degenerative disease of the hip joint that affects one or both of the hips and the main cause of lameness in the back legs of dogs.

 Progressive Retinal Atrophy – An inherited disease of the retina that includes several different genetic diseases that lead to the degeneration of the retina and results in loss of vision.

Allergies – Food Allergies, Airborne pollens, household cleaning products, Perfumes and synthetic dyes/chemicals, cigarette smoke, Dander,  Grass, weed and tree pollens, mold spores, dust, feathers, ticks, and fleas.

Patellar luxation – Sometimes your Bichon poodles kneecap (patella) may slip out of its normal anatomical position from the trochlear groove which is called patellar luxation.

Minor concerns:

Cataracts – The most common cause of cataracts in dogs is congenital can occur in one or both of a dog’s eyes.

Hypothyroidism – This is the most commonly diagnosed hormone disorders in the dog and it is an inherited disorder of thyroid gland, and usually in middle-aged dogs.

Von Willebrand disease – a Most common inherited disorder of hemostasis in dogs caused by a lack of anti-clotting agents (such as von Willebrand Factor, a gluey glycoprotein in the blood necessary for normal platelet binding) at the sites of blood vessel injuries.

Sebaceous adenitis – a Rare type of immune-mediated skin disease that affects the sebaceous glands in a dog’s skin which leads to loss of hair

Bichon Poodle Price

You should expect to pay between $400 to $1,000 USD for your Bichon Frise & Poodle Mix puppy depending on the breeder, and other details like vaccination, pedigree, etc.

Bichon Poodle Breeders

Breeders, animal shelters and rescue groups

You can look for a good breeder on national kennel or breed clubs. You can also try with breed rescue groups.

Check with Bichon Frise and poodle rescue groups in your state and let them know what you are looking for in the event that they know of an eligible cross available for adoption.

Popular adoption and rescue websites are the Poo Mix Rescue and “Pets” section on Overstock. The top three breeders’ websites are Rolling Meadow Puppies, Koedam Kennels in Iowa and Spruce Ridge Kennels in Ontario.