A Bichon Frise stops pulling when he learns that people — his favourite thing in the world — are reached on a loose lead or not at all. Reward him for checking in with you and for walking at your side, stop the moment he surges toward a stranger, and release him to greet only once the lead goes slack again.
Why the Bichon pulls toward people
The Bichon Frise was bred for centuries as a companion and performer, a dog whose living depended on charming everyone in the room, and the modern Bichon still walks through the world assuming universal friendship. On a lead, that assumption becomes a cheerful, persistent tow toward every pedestrian, cafe table, and pram. It is rarely about prey drive or escaping you; it is social gravity. That distinction shapes the fix: you are not suppressing a dangerous urge, you are putting a polite condition on a delightful one. The Bichon keeps his greetings — he simply earns them by arriving calmly, which also means strangers get a dog who says hello without launching at their shins or tangling his lead around their ankles.
Check-ins, position, and the greeting rule
Fit a harness rather than a collar, because a small dog who lunges repeatedly against a collar is putting that pressure on a small neck. Begin on a quiet street and reward two things generously: any glance up at you, and any stretch of steps taken beside your ankle with the lead slack. Treats should be pea-sized and delivered often; a Bichon's attention is bright but easily outbid by a friendly face, so your pay rate has to win the auction early on. When he surges toward a passer-by, stop and wait without comment. The moment the lead slackens and he looks back at you, mark it, reward, and — if the person is willing — walk him over to greet as the prize. Within a few walks, most Bichons start offering the slack lead themselves, because it is the key that unlocks the social door.
Raising the difficulty at a Bichon's pace
Busy pavements are the final exam, not the classroom. Build up through stages a sociable Bichon can actually pass: the quiet street, then the street with a cafe at a distance, then passing one person at a time with room to spare, and only later the full weekend high street. If he fixates on a particular draw — children, who often crouch and call to him, are a classic — practise at whatever distance lets him notice, look back at you, and take a treat, and close that distance over several outings. Keep early training walks separate from his main exercise walk if you can, so a failed session in town does not cost him his run in the park. A Bichon who gets regular chances to be adored on your terms stays charming; one who is never allowed to greet anyone can become frustrated and barky on the lead.
Keeping the rule alive with family and dog walkers
Bichons are often walked by several people — family members, a lunchtime walker, a neighbour who adores him — and each one who lets him tow toward a stranger un-teaches a little of the rule. The instructions are simple enough to share exactly: stop when he surges, wait for slack, greet if appropriate, and reward the check-ins on the way. Note which environments he has graduated to, so a helpful walker does not take him through the market on the day after he mastered the quiet street. Setting those stages down in KinsLe Care Teams, with his walks assigned and each helper able to see the greeting rule and his current level, keeps a very social little dog's manners consistent whoever is lucky enough to hold his lead.