Breed # Bolognese The Bolognese is a foundation stock service breed from Italy, standing males 11–12 in · females 10–11 in at the withers, weighing 6–9 lb. Recorded lifespan is 12–15 yrs. ![A photograph of the Bolognese](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/lg/bolognese.webp) Breed group Foundation Stock Service Origin Italy Height males 11–12 in · females 10–11 in Weight 6–9 lb Lifespan 12–15 yrs Among the 500 breeds here with recorded measurements, the Bolognese is taller than 9% of the measured breeds, heavier than 2%, one of 64 in the Foundation Stock Service group, one of 14 from Italy. Compare the Bolognese with another breed ## Living with the Bolognese Two breed references score every breed they cover from 1 to 5 on the things an owner lives with day to day. These are the Bolognese’s, with what a 1 and a 5 mean on each row. Around people and other dogs Affection with family 4 of 5 1 independent · 5 devoted Good with young children 4 of 5 1 not suited · 5 very good Good with other dogs 4 of 5 1 not suited · 5 very good Openness to strangers 4 of 5 1 reserved · 5 everyone is a friend Watchdog / protective nature 2 of 5 1 unbothered · 5 vigilant What they will ask of you Energy 4 of 5 1 couch potato · 5 busy all day Exercise needs 4 of 5 1 a short walk · 5 a job to do Playfulness 4 of 5 1 only when invited · 5 non-stop Barking 4 of 5 1 only to alert · 5 very vocal Around the house Shedding 1 of 5 1 barely · 5 constantly Drooling 1 of 5 1 a dry mouth · 5 keep a towel What they tolerate Tolerates being alone 2 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Tolerates hot weather 3 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Tolerates cold weather 2 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Rated 1 to 5 by the American Kennel Club and DogTime, averaged where both rate the same thing, and read from their breed pages in 2022. Nobody at Woof & Beyond has met this breed — these are the publishers’ judgments, not ours.[Bolognese on AKC](https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/bolognese/)[Bolognese on DogTime](https://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/bolognese) ## Breeds that look like the Bolognese A neural network trained to tell breeds apart by sight read all 510 photographs in this reference, and these are the 6 it placed closest to the Bolognese. - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/bichon-frise.webp)Bichon Frise](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/bichon-frise/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/coton-de-tulear.webp)Coton de Tulear](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/coton-de-tulear/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/maltese.webp)Maltese](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/maltese/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/romanian-mioritic-shepherd.webp)Romanian Mioritic Shepherd](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/romanian-mioritic-shepherd/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/old-english-sheepdog.webp)Old English Sheepdog](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/old-english-sheepdog/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/bearded-collie.webp)Bearded Collie](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/bearded-collie/) Side by side Height 0–38 in 1. Bolognese11–12 in 2. Bichon Frise9–11 in 3. Coton de Tulear10–12 in 4. Maltese8–10 in 5. Romanian Mioritic Shepherd27–29 in 6. Old English Sheepdog22–24 in 7. Bearded Collie21–22 in Weight 0–220 lb 1. Bolognese6–9 lb 2. Bichon Frise7–11 lb 3. Coton de Tulear9–13 lb 4. Maltese3–8 lb 5. Romanian Mioritic Shepherd100–130 lb 6. Old English Sheepdog65 lb 7. Bearded Collie40–60 lb Lifespan 0–20 yrs 1. Bolognese12–15 yrs 2. Bichon Frise12–15 yrs 3. Coton de Tulear15–19 yrs 4. Maltese12–15 yrs 5. Romanian Mioritic Shepherd12–14 yrs 6. Old English Sheepdog10–12 yrs 7. Bearded Collie12–14 yrs Nothing here was grouped by hand. The ranking is an opinion about appearance, not about ancestry, which is why it sometimes puts together breeds no kennel club would — and why it is worth looking at the photographs rather than taking the order on trust. See the Bolognese on the breed map Read about the Bolognese on Wikipedia