Two very different small dogs
The Bichonaranian is a cross between a Bichon Frise and a Pomeranian, and the two sides of it did not come from the same place at all.
The Bichon is a Mediterranean companion breed, one of the old barbichon family that travelled with sailors around the Spanish and Italian ports, became a fixture in the Spanish and French courts, and turned up later as a street and circus performer when court fashion moved on. Centuries of being bred purely for company show in the temperament: the Bichon’s default setting is cheerful, sociable and interested in whoever has just walked through the door.
The Pomeranian arrived from the opposite direction. It is a spitz, descended from the working sled and herding dogs of the Baltic coast and reduced in size over a couple of centuries, largely through Victorian British breeding. Under the coat it is still a spitz: alert, self-important, quick to notice, and convinced it is considerably larger than it is.
Cross the two and you get a small dog with the Bichon’s appetite for company and the Pomeranian’s opinions about the front door. Which side leads depends on the individual puppy, and that is a good part of the appeal — a Bichonaranian is soft enough to spend a whole evening folded into the corner of the sofa and sharp enough to notice the second the evening changes.
It is a modern cross, made for the reason most companion crosses are made: someone wanted the Bichon’s sociability in a smaller, brighter package. Because it is a first cross rather than a settled breed, no two litters look quite the same, which is why people who like this dog tend to pick an individual puppy rather than a description.
Size, build and the way one is put together
Both parents are small, but not equally so. A Bichon Frise stands about nine and a half to eleven and a half inches at the shoulder and weighs roughly twelve to eighteen pounds. A Pomeranian is smaller again — typically six to seven inches and three to seven pounds. A Bichonaranian usually lands somewhere between the two, and exactly where depends on the individual cross rather than on anything you can look up.
That is the practical reason to ask about the parents while you are standing in front of a puppy. What the sire and dam weighed once they were grown tells you far more than the breed name does, and it is one of the first things our staff will pull up for you.
The outline is compact and close to square. Puppies that lean toward the Pomeranian carry a plumed tail up over the back and a small upright ear; the ones that lean toward the Bichon are rounder in silhouette, with the ear dropping and disappearing into the coat. The muzzle is short, the eyes are dark and round, and the expression is bright and unmistakably busy. Most of them move with a quick, light step that makes them look like they are already on their way somewhere.
Color varies more than anything else. Bichons are white, sometimes with a cream or apricot shading around the ears. Pomeranians come in a long list — orange, red, cream, sable, black and parti-color among them. A Bichonaranian can take after either side, so a single litter can hold a cream puppy, a deep orange one and a white one with a wash of apricot across the shoulders.
Temperament and daily life
Most Bichonaranians are outgoing, busy and firmly attached to their people. They want to be in the room, they will follow you from room to room, and they are friendly with visitors once the introductions are out of the way.
They will let you know when someone is at the door. Both parents are alert dogs and the Pomeranian side in particular has an ear for arrivals, so you get a small dog that keeps you informed about the mail carrier and the neighbor’s car. Most owners settle it into a routine — two barks, then come to me for a treat — and it turns into a tidy little ritual the dog is visibly proud of.
A day with one has a shape to it. They are up early and pleased about it, they like a walk before the house gets going, and then they spend the morning wherever you are: on the arm of a chair, across your feet under the desk, or on the windowsill end of the sofa keeping an eye on the street. Afternoons are for a nap in a patch of sun and a second walk. Evenings are for the sofa, a chew, and a keen interest in whatever anyone in the household is eating.
With children they are usually willing and affectionate, and they are at their best with kids who will sit on the floor and let the dog come to them. Give the dog a bed or a crate that stays its own and it will take itself off there when the house gets loud, which is a habit worth encouraging from the first week.
With other dogs they are sociable, and once they know the local dogs they greet them like colleagues. In a household where the puppy grew up alongside a cat, the cat is usually a non-event.
The coat, and the routine that keeps it
The two parent coats are quite different, and a Bichonaranian can inherit either or something in between — littermates often differ. The Bichon has a soft, dense, curly double coat that holds onto its hair rather than dropping it. The Pomeranian has a harsh straight outer coat over a thick undercoat that lifts out on a seasonal cycle.
If the coat leans Bichon, a brush right down to the skin a few times a week keeps it smooth, and most owners settle into a groomer’s appointment every six to eight weeks. If it leans Pomeranian, a weekly going-over with a slicker and an undercoat rake does the job, with a little more attention twice a year when the undercoat lifts. Either way the coat is one of the pleasures of the breed rather than a chore: ten minutes with a brush is ten minutes with the dog, and most of them lean into it and go boneless.
The places to work through first are behind the ears, under the collar and in the armpits, where the hair is finest. A pale coat looks its best with a quick wipe around the eyes and muzzle with a damp cloth as part of the morning routine.
The rest of the list is short. Nails every few weeks — you will hear them on a hard floor when they are ready. Ears wiped out when you groom. Teeth brushed, and started early, because a puppy who thinks a toothbrush is a game becomes an adult who stands still for it.
Training, and how these two think
Both parent breeds are bright and food-motivated, and short reward-based sessions work very well. Neither side takes to being pushed around — the Bichon goes quiet and the Pomeranian digs in — so keep it light and pay generously.
The most useful decision you can make is to train this dog the way you would train one that weighed sixty pounds. Four feet on the floor when greeting people, walking on a loose lead rather than being carried, settling on a mat while you eat. Small dogs are allowed a great deal because it is so easy to allow it, and the ones who learn the same rules as everyone else are noticeably nicer to live with.
Housetraining goes on a schedule rather than a signal — small bladder, short intervals. Go out with the puppy so you can reward the right thing in the right place, and think in months rather than weeks.
Socialization is where to spend real effort through the first six months. New floors, new people, traffic noise, umbrellas, calm adult dogs of a range of sizes. A Bichonaranian that has met the world takes it in stride, and that confidence is the difference between a small dog who is welcome everywhere and one who prefers to stay home.
Then give them something to do. Trick training suits this cross enormously — both parents have a streak of showmanship, and the Bichon side has actual circus history behind it. Five minutes of spin, paw and roll over before dinner is the best value entertainment in the house, and a Bichonaranian will keep offering the routine long after the audience has moved on.
Coming to see the Bichonaranian puppies
Photographs of small fluffy puppies all look much the same, and this is a cross where the differences between littermates are real: coat texture, ear set, color, and how much Pomeranian there is in the attitude. Ten minutes on the floor tells you more than an afternoon of scrolling. Our Bichonaranian puppies come from our network of licensed breeders, and our team can tell you what a particular puppy’s parents were and what they finished at. Every puppy here goes home with its vet records, its vaccination history and a health warranty, and our team will walk you through what those cover.
Our stores are in Orlando and Nashville, and you are welcome to spend time with a puppy before you decide anything. Find directions and hours, and if you would like to spread the cost, ask about financing while you are here.