We know the breed simply as the “Bichon,” and some have suggested that its name may have been the result of shortening the word, barbichon (“small poodle”) a form of barbiche (or “shaggy dog”) using a linguistic device called aphaeresis (or dropping a syllable). Others dismiss this as chronologically impossible since the French word bichon dates back to 1588, but barbichon doesn’t appear until 1694.
Be that is it may, by 1933, the breed was known by two names, the Tenerife and the Bichon, and since the breed was becoming more organized through controlled breeding programs and the writing of an official standard, the President of the International Canine Federation, Mme. Nizet de Lemma suggested a name based on the breed’s characteristics: The Bichon a Polio Frise (Bichon with the curly coat). The anglicized of that name is the Bichon Frise (curly lap dog).
Image: Bichon Frise by Judith Stein
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