I have a shihtzhu Bichon Frise mix who inherited the super tight curly coat from her bichon mom. It’s such a pain to brush and groom. People with smooth coated dogs (or those with fur vs hair) have no idea the grooming struggles with a curly haired dog. We had a lot of problems with groomers not used to super curly dogs who would literally just shave her to the skin no matter how well she was brushed before, or keeping her locked in a tiny kennel for hours before even starting to work on her - poor baby was always super traumatized after we took her so Ive been doing it myself for the last few months while we try to find a new groomer. The clippers I have aren’t great so I need to get a new set now that this is looking long term. She’s only 10lbs but brushing is a major task thanks to the curls. If it’s a more straight coat is less difficult, just use clipper guides to the length you want.