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INTRO: It is part of the Toy dog group and is considered a companion dog.

DESCRIPTION: Appearance: The Bolognese is a small, white, compact dog with a distinctive white single coat. It is of small size, stocky and compact. It is of square build and well-muscled. The head is of medium length. The skull is slightly ovoid. The muzzle is large, black and almost square. It has a developed jaw and the upper lips don’t cover the bottom lips. Its lips are black. It has white, strong and evenly aligned teeth. Its eyes are well developed, open and round. The rims of the eyelids are black and the iris is a dark ochre color. The ears are set high and are long and hanging but rigid at the base. The tail is carried curved over the back.

The Bolognese's height varies 10.5 to 12 inches for a male and 10-11 inches for a female. The weight varies between 6 to 14 lbs.

Coat: (Keep all until last paragraph) The coat requires daily brushings with monthly grooming recommended. Grooming must also include regular bathing, eye and ear hygiene and teeth cleaning.

Temperament: Trademark traits of the Bolognese include: playful, easygoing, earnest, willing, intelligent and loyal. They are very serious and generally not very high energy. They are normally more reserved and shy than the Bichon Frise.

The Bolognese is very responsive to obedience training. They are highly intelligent, quick to learn and are easy to train but can be very stubborn when they don’t get their way.

The Bolognese genuinely enjoy companionship of people and forms a close relationship with his owner. They are true companions and thrive on their owner’s attention. They have been known to follow their owners wherever they go. They are friendly with strangers but need to get accustomed to people at a young age. They can re reserved with strangers at first but the reponse of the owenrs to the new person greatly influences their behavior towards the individual. Because of this, they are generally friendly towards strangers after the initial meeting. Bolognese are true watchdogs. They are not incessant barkers but are true watchdogs. They take notice of anything unusual and faithfully notify their owners. Bolognese get along well with other dogs but are happy to be the only dog in the family. They are non-aggressive by nature.

Bolognese can be prone to small dog syndrome, human induced behaviors where the dog believes he is pack leader to humans. This can cause behavior programs including separation anxiety and timidity. They do not do well when left alone for long period of time. They may howl mournfully when the owner is busy and cannot pay attention to him.

HEALTH Life Span: The average life span of the Bolognese is 14 years but they have been known to live up to 18 years. They can live up to 10 years with relatively few genetic health issues. They are known to still act puppy-like at 10 years of age and are able to maintain aspects of youthfulness throughout their lives. They are typically active well into their senior years. Common Health Problems: Bolognese are typically a healthy breed and are not prone to any major problems.

HISTORY Origin: The precise ancestry of the Bolognese is a mystery. Its closest relative within the Bichon group is the Maltese but it is unclear as to whether the Maltese is its direct ancestor or descendent. The Bolognese are named after Bologna, a city in northern Italy, thought to be the place of their conception. The existence of the Bolognese has been recorded since the year 1200.

The Bolognese were known during the Roman era and appear as very appreciated gifts by the powerful of the Roman world. Cosimo de' Medici brought at least eight to Brussels as gifts to many Belgian noblemen. [[Philip II of Spain|Philip II], King of Spain from 1556 to 1598, received two as a gift from the Duke of d’Este and later said “that these two little dogs are the most royal gifts one can make to an emperor.”

They can be seen in tapestry work produced by Flemish craftsmen dating as far back as the 17th century. The Venetian painter Titian painted the Duke Frederico Gonzaga with his Bolognese. The breed is also seen in paintings by Goya, Gosse and Watteau. Other famous owners of the breed include Catherine the Great of Russia (1729-1796), Madame De Pompadour (1721-1764) and Empress Maria Theresa of Austria.

Recent History: The breed was brought into England in 1990 by Liz Stannard and is first shown during that year in the breed registry. In 2001 the breed was able to be shown at all shows with their own classes. They were at Crufts, an annual international dog show, for the first time in 2002.

ACTIVITIES Exercise: While Bolognese are perfectly happy to lounge around the house, they should also have a daily walk. While play will take care of a lot of their exercise needs, it will not fulfill their primal instinct to walk.

Training: Bolognese are easy to train but are quick to bore with numerous repetitive drills. They thrive on variety so it is best to change or expand activities to keep them happily engaged and thinking. They respond well to positive reinforcement, gentle training methods and consistency. They do not respond well to shouting or harshness.

MISCELLANEOUS Ideal Owners Ideal owners of Bolognese include families with children, retirees and city dwellers. They are good with children as long as the children are old, mature and responsible enough to handle these dogs gently, carefully and safely. They are not a good choice for younger children who can easily injure small dogs. Bolognese are ideal for apartment life as they will do OK without a yard.

Litter Size The average Bologese litter size is three but up to seven puppies have occurred.