Bichon Frise vs Cocker Spaniel

Marketed as 'hypoallergenic' and easy, but that curly coat needs professional grooming roughly every four weeks for the dog's entire life or it mats painfully down to the skin, and the breed carries a real, well-documented risk of luxating kneecaps and lifelong dental crowding that small-dog buyers routinely underestimate.

Those glorious long ears trap moisture and wax against the skull, so recurring ear infections are close to a lifetime feature of owning a Cocker Spaniel, not an occasional bad-luck vet visit.