The Bolognese () is a small

dog breed A dog breed is a particular strain of dog that was purposefully bred by humans to perform specific tasks, such as herding, hunting, and guarding. Dogs are the most variable mammal on Earth, with artificial selection producing around 450 globally ...

of the

bichon A bichon is a distinct type of toy dog; it is typically kept as a companion dog. Believed to be descended from the Barbet, it is believed the bichon-type dates to at least the 11th century; it was relatively common in 14th-century France, whe ...

type, originating in Italy. The name refers to the northern Italian city of

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...

. It is part of the

toy dog Toy dog traditionally refers to a very small dog or a grouping of small and very small breeds of dog. A toy dog may be of any of various dog types. Types of dogs referred to as toy dogs may include spaniels, pinschers and terriers that have been ...

group and is considered a

companion dog A companion dog is a dog that does not work, providing only companionship as a pet, rather than usefulness by doing specific tasks. Many of the toy dog breeds are used only for the pleasure of their company, not as workers. Any dog can be a compa ...

History

They belong to the Bichon family group, which includes the Bichon Frise, Bolognese, Maltese, Lowchen, Havanese and Coton de Tulear. The precise ancestry of the Bolognese is unknown. Bolognese dogs may be seen in tapestry work produced by Flemish craftsmen dating as far back as the 17th century. The Venetian painter

Titian Tiziano Vecelli or Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italians, Italian (Republic of Venice, Venetian) painter of the Renaissance, considered the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school (art), ...

painted the Duke Federico Gonzaga with his Bolognese. The breed is also seen in paintings by

Goya Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 174616 April 1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His paintings, drawings, and ...

, Gosse and

Watteau Jean-Antoine Watteau (, , ; baptised October 10, 1684died July 18, 1721) Alsavailablevia Oxford Art Online (subscription needed). was a French painter and draughtsman whose brief career spurred the revival of interest in colour and movement, as ...

. Other notable owners of the breed include

Catherine the Great of Russia , en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes , house = , father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst , mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp , birth_date = , birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anha ...

(1729–1796),

Madame de Pompadour Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour (, ; 29 December 1721 – 15 April 1764), commonly known as Madame de Pompadour, was a member of the French court. She was the official chief mistress of King Louis XV from 1745 to 1751, and rema ...

(1721–1764) and Empress Maria Theresa of Austria. The breed was brought into England in 1990 by Liz Stannard and is first shown during that year in the

breed registry A breed registry, also known as a herdbook, studbook or register, in animal husbandry and the hobby of animal fancy, is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breede ...

. In 2001 the breed was able to be shown at all shows with their own classes. They were at

Crufts Crufts is an international dog show held annually in the United Kingdom, first held in 1891. Organised and hosted by The Kennel Club, it is the largest show of its kind in the world. Crufts is centred on a championship conformation show for do ...

, an annual international dog show, for the first time in 2002.

Description

The distinctive single coat (i.e., no undercoat) falls in loose open ringlets/flocks all over the body, with shorter hair on the face. The hair's texture is woolly, as opposed to silky, and is never trimmed or clipped unless kept as pets. The hair sheds very little, but requires regular combing to prevent matting. The Bolognese are often described as non-

moulting In biology, moulting (British English), or molting (American English), also known as sloughing, shedding, or in many invertebrates, ecdysis, is the manner in which an animal routinely casts off a part of its body (often, but not always, an outer ...

dogs, and while this is not entirely true, their shedding is minimal and generally unnoticeable. For this reason, the Bolognese are considered a hypoallergenic breed. File:Bologneser.jpg File:Bolognese Image 2.jpg File:Bologneser2.jpg File:Bolończyk 5e3.jpg, Bolognese puppy The average life span of the Bolognese is 14 years.

References

{{Authority control FCI breeds Companion dogs Dog breeds originating in Italy Rare dog breeds Toy dogs Bichon