(1) Feeding and Daily Management
A three- to four-month-old Bichon Frise puppy has generally adapted fully to its new environment, feeding routine, and daily life. At the same time, its food intake increases noticeably and it begins changing from puppy coat into a more mature coat. At this stage, owners should pay special attention to balanced nutrition. Feeding three to four meals a day is usually appropriate, and the puppy should never be allowed to become overfull.
(2) Training
1. Environmental conditioning. Once the puppy is used to playing in a quiet environment, it should gradually be taken into somewhat more complex environments for planned adaptation. This may include moving through groups of people, exposure to firecracker sounds, climbing over slightly more complicated obstacles, and playing freely beside stationary vehicles, all so the puppy can adapt to a wide range of surroundings.
2. Getting the puppy used to a leash. When a young puppy first wears a leash, it may feel restricted and may show fear, resistance, or refusal to move. At the beginning of training, several puppies can be let out together to run and play, while one is guided with a long leash. As they chase each other or tug at training objects, the leash can be gently tightened and the selected puppy brought back. After this is repeated several times, the puppy gradually gets used to being led. For individual puppies, another method is to walk them step by step and reward every few steps with food so they gradually accept leash guidance.
3. Developing retrieving drive. The three- to four-month stage is a key period for developing the Bichon's retrieving desire. The quality of this training directly affects later ability in fetch and delivery work. It can be carried out in three stages.
First, building on earlier training, use training objects such as burlap sleeves, burlap rolls, branches, or similar items. Tie cloth, cotton, or burlap onto a stick and drag it along the ground or wave it in the air to excite the puppy and encourage it to grab and tug the object.
Second, when the trainer and puppy are pulling on the object together, the trainer should continue giving fetch-related command words and praise. After a certain amount of tugging, the trainer can release the object and let the puppies compete for it and tear at it. The trainer should then promptly pat and reward the dog.
Third, once the Bichon puppy has developed the abilities above, the trainer can deliberately throw the object one to two meters forward while giving the command ?Fetch,? encouraging the puppy to run after it, seize it, and bite it. The trainer should follow the puppy immediately, pat it, and reward it. As training progresses, the throwing distance can gradually be increased.