Bichon Frise Puppies: Adopt or Buy in Australia?

Should you adopt or buy a Bichon Frise?

Either route can work. The Dogs Australia breed standard places the Bichon in the Toy group and describes a lively little dog under 30 cm at the shoulder, with a gay and happy temperament, a proud head carriage and a pure white coat that falls in soft corkscrew curls. It is a companion breed, bred to be with people.

A registered breeder who checks the parents' eyes and kneecaps gives you a known start and a puppy you raise yourself. Rescue gives you an adult whose coat, health and habits you can see first, though purebred Bichons are rare there. The route to avoid is an online ad selling a “hypoallergenic” white puppy with no health results for the parents and no breeder you can check.

Reference figures: the RSPCA NSW, RSPCA Victoria and RSPCA ACT fee pages, read November 2026. They are not quotes. Breeders and rescues set their own prices and change them, so check with them.

Is a Bichon Frise hypoallergenic?

No, and no dog is. The Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) says all dog breeds cause allergies, although some do not shed as much dander and so spread less allergen. It also says the main source of dog allergen is saliva, spread by dander, and that up to 50% of people allergic to animals do not get symptoms straight away, so a short visit can give a false all clear.

What a Bichon does offer is a coat that holds its hair. RSPCA South Australia lists the Bichon Frise among dogs that hardly shed or drool and may suit people with milder allergies, while saying no animal is 100% allergen free. You will still see breed material call the coat “non-allergenic”: the Dogs NSW breed page says “The coat is non-allergenic”. That is the state canine body's own breed description, not a medical finding, and ASCIA, the allergy specialists, say all dog breeds cause allergies.

If anyone in your home has allergies, see your GP first, then spend several long visits with the individual dog. Our guides to hypoallergenic dogs and dogs that don't shed cover the evidence and how to test a dog before you commit.

How much grooming does a Bichon need?

More than most first-time owners expect. The standard describes a fine, silky coat of soft corkscrew curls 7 to 10 cm long, and notes that in Australia it is usually trimmed to show the outline of the body. Dogs Australia's grooming advice warns that people often assume no shedding means no grooming, when these breeds need regular or daily brushing to avoid mats. The Royal Kennel Club lists daily grooming for the breed.

• At home: regular brushing through to the skin, so mats do not form close to it. The Dogs NSW breed page says a weekly groom, the Royal Kennel Club says every day; ask your groomer what your dog's clip needs.
• Professional clip: budget for regular grooming appointments for the whole of the dog's life.
• Ears: the Dogs NSW breed page says Bichons can be prone to fungal ear infections if the ears are not properly cleaned and dried after bathing.
• Eyes and face: keep the hair around the eyes tidy and clean.

Our Bichon grooming and care guide covers the routine step by step.

How healthy are Bichons?

Generally regarded as a sound breed, with a few things to ask about. The Dogs NSW breed page calls the Bichon a relatively worry free breed. It says a lack of genetic research in the early rush to import brought a few undesirable bloodlines into Australia, that a liver shunt occasionally appeared in stock from those lines, and that serious breeders have since identified and isolated them. It adds that the common toy-dog problems such as kneecap luxation and low blood sugar are not commonplace in the breed.

Bladder stones are one issue vet research points to. A 2019 US study of 258,898 urinary stone submissions, 124,285 of them calcium oxalate, listed the Bichon Frise among 12 high-risk breeds for calcium oxalate stones, all of them small breeds. Across the study, the mean age at a dog's first calcium oxalate stone was 8.4 years, and the authors recommended yearly imaging for high-risk breeds from 5 to 6 years of age. Ask your vet about it as your Bichon reaches middle age, and see a vet promptly about any change in how your dog urinates.

Our Bichon health guide covers skin, teeth and the other conditions owners plan for.

Which health tests should a Bichon breeder show you?

We could not find an Australian Bichon club that publishes a test list; Dogs Victoria simply recommends asking breeders about the breed's health and what testing they do. Here is what two other national kennel clubs ask of the breed, as a checklist to take to an Australian breeder:

Sources: Dogs New Zealand accredited breeder health tests and the American Kennel Club non-sporting group health testing list, read 11 November 2026. Dogs New Zealand also requires a DNA profile.

Ask to see the certificates for both parents, with names that match the litter. A breeder who offers only a puppy “vet check” has not screened the parents.

How much is a Bichon puppy from a registered breeder?

There is no published figure to give you. In November 2026 we checked Bichon breeders who are members of Dogs Australia state bodies, using only their own websites and leaving out listing and classified sites and crossbreed sellers. None published a current puppy price on its own website, and no Australian Bichon club publishes a guide price, so we quote no breeder price and have no range or median to report.

Ask each breeder for the price in writing and compare what it includes: the parents' eye and kneecap results, the vet check, vaccination and microchip, whether the puppy is sold on the Limited Register with a desexing agreement, and whether the breeder will take the dog back. Be cautious of a seller who prices a puppy higher because it is “hypoallergenic”.

Few Bichons are registered each year. Dogs Australia's registration figures show 245 Bichon Frises registered in 2025, down from 376 in 2018. Budget for the grooming, too: the dog cost calculator gives a first-year figure.

Survey of member breeders' own websites, November 2026. Prices change; check with the breeder.

What do Bichons in rescue look like?

Purebred Bichons are rare across the rescues we aggregate. What comes through more often are Bichon crosses and other small, low-shedding crosses, such as Maltese and Poodle crosses. A good rescue will tell you about the dog's coat, skin, teeth and how it copes alone.

An adult has a real advantage for an allergic household: you can spend time with that exact dog, and its adult coat, before you commit. Browse low-shedding dogs listed by rescues: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide.

What does a rescue Bichon cost?

Reference only, not a quote. These are the fees each rescue published on the date shown; fees change and some dogs are priced individually, so check with the rescue. Each of these RSPCA pages says its adopted dogs are desexed, microchipped and vet checked; check what else the fee includes. Read our guides to adopting a dog in Australia and adopting a senior dog.

How do Bichon puppy scams work?

Scamwatch warns that scammers set up fake websites, social media profiles and marketplace listings for pets that do not exist, and that a very cheap pet is likely a scam. Dogs Victoria's puppy scam fact sheet adds that fake ads may display microchip, source or membership numbers lifted from legitimate breeders. Bichon versions of the pattern to watch for:

• Allergy promises. No seller can promise a puppy will not trigger allergies; ASCIA says all dog breeds can.
• A cross sold as a purebred. Ask for both parents' registration papers and see the parents.
• Borrowed numbers. A real breeder's membership or source number in an ad proves nothing on its own. Dogs Victoria advises contacting the organisation the seller claims to belong to and checking that the number, name, location and breed match its records.
• Stock photos. The Dogs Victoria fact sheet passes on the ACCC's advice to use a reverse image search to check whether the puppy photos appear elsewhere.

Our guide to puppies for sale in Australia has the state-by-state table of breeder numbers, how to check each one, and what to do if you have already paid.

When is a registered breeder the better choice?

Rescue is not right for everyone. A registered breeder is a reasonable choice if you want a purebred Bichon puppy and will wait for one from checked parents, or if you want to know a dog's history from birth. Check these before you pay:

1. Registration. Ask for the breeder's prefix and membership number and check them through Dogs Australia's breeder search or your state body.
2. The test results in the table above, for both parents.
3. The mother's coat, skin and ears. Meet her and ask about skin, ear and bladder problems in the line.
4. Grooming handover. A good breeder will show you how to brush the coat and when the first clip is due.
5. A written contract covering health problems, register type, desexing and whether the breeder will take the dog back.

Is a Bichon the right dog for you?

The appeal is real: a small, happy, sociable dog that fits a flat and loves company. The Dogs NSW breed page says the Bichon's love for its human family is exceptional and that it loves contact with other dogs of any breed. The Royal Kennel Club lists up to 30 minutes of exercise a day.

Be honest about three things before you apply anywhere. Grooming: it never stops, and a neglected coat mats to the skin. Company: a companion breed suits a home where it is not alone all day. Allergies: test the individual dog, not the breed label. Comparing small breeds? See toy dog breeds and apartment dogs, or try the what dog breed is right for me quiz and the adoption readiness check.

Find a Bichon near you

Bichon Frises and Bichon crosses listed by rescues, by city:

• Bichons for adoption in Sydney
• Bichons for adoption in Melbourne
• Bichons for adoption in Brisbane
• Bichons for adoption in Perth
• Bichons for adoption in Adelaide

Local guides to adopting a Bichon, with the rescues that serve each city: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Gold Coast.

More adopt-or-buy guides: Maltese, Poodle, Shih Tzu, Border Terrier, Fox Terrier, Airedale Terrier, Moodle.