[Ruthxxx]

Yesterday I got a puppy - Jazz is a 4½ month old black Tsvetnaya Bolonka, sometimes called a Russian Bichon. Does anyone know someone who has one of these? I'd love to compare notes and there are very few of them around here.

[cbmare]

Gator Gal may be able to help you out here. She's a vet.

[GatorgalstuckinGA]

i'm a vet but honestly haven't delt with this breed yet. So i can't offer advice/suggestions. Sorry, i usually have some help..but this time..no go..sorry. I looked up the breed...cute for a small dog but have no advice/suggestions.

[kaplods]

I think they're adorable. I think they look like a cross between a Maltese and bichon, but in colors. Some look more like one breed than another.

It's funny because when we got our Maltese I was thinking how cool it would be if Maltese came in colors (they once did, but the standard was changed to only include the white, so all other colors were bred out of the breed).

I don't know if the temperaments are similar, but I think that some of their issues are going to be very similar to Maltese and Bichon. For example my guess would be that they require frequent (probably daily) grooming. My parents had a Maltese, and he was a great little dog, but grooming was a big issue they weren't prepared for (his first hair cut was rather traumatic, because he'd gotten so matted). We'd never had a dog that required frequent grooming. Even with the poodle we had when I was little, grooming was minimal (we only had her clipped in the poodle cuts a few times a year). Her fur didn't really mat, except occasionally in her "arm pits."

Matts can become painful to the dog, because when they scratch at them, the skin underneath can get irritated and even infected. So a daily brushing is a really good idea. Also, keeping the hair out of the eyes can be important. Some dogs seem to do quite well with the hair hanging in their eyes, but my parents dog would paw at his eyes (in a wiping motion) when his fur grew to a length that obscured his vision). He hated barettes and ties, so we kept him in a "puppy cut," most of the time.

[Ruthxxx]

I think I'll be going for the puppy cut too and I will never do the bow or barrette thing! After having Portuguese Water dogs for so long, I've had it with constant grooming. This breed is not supposed to shed - we'll see!

[GatorgalstuckinGA]

i never believe the no shedding thing. I haven't met an animal that doesn't shed yet, unless you have a mexican hairless (which are so ugly they are cute) Even though one of the websites says they don't shed, but they did mention they "blow a coat" , they still shed some. Any animal with hair will shed...heck even i shed my hair LMAO. Although after a water dog, you would probably have less grooming...that's a lot of grooming. Buy you have gotten a dog that still looks like it needs grooming. Unless it has short hair like a lab...all dog's need to be brushed a few times a week. Heck even my lab mix get the furminator once a week to reduce the hair in the house.

[Ruthxxx]

Nope, they all shed. I'm pretty realistic about that after raising so many "non-shedding" Porties. This little guy loves the attention of grooming so should not be a problem.

[kaplods]

My parent's Maltese didn't really shed much, but that doesn't mean the hair doesn't ever fall out - and the biggest reason it doesn't shed is the hair get's stuck in the fur and mats. I think I'd rather have a dog that sheds than a dog that just becomes a bigger and bigger mat.