When most people see poodles (or poodle mixes), the first thing out of their mouth is, “OH MY GOD, it is so ugly!” And I hear that word” many times” whenever I go out with my cousin’s poodle.
But why is that? Why people think poodles are ugly; here’re the real reasons!
Why Are Poodles So Ugly? The majority of people say! The most common reason for poodles to look so weird is their curly hairdo and the traditional haircut that owners give them. However, improper breeding also makes them ugly, that often done by unprofessional Backyard breeders.
There are also some other reasons why people think poodles are ugly dogs.
Let’s take a look at what else makes the poodle ugly.
The fact is 75% of people automatically dislike poodles because of their clip looks, as clipping them in different styles such as Jacket and Pants rather than their natural look makes them Ugly. But everyone has strange preferences as far as looks.
However, clipping was excellent for poodles (for some reason) back in the days when they were used as hunting dogs, much like the American Retrievers and other hunting/retriever breeds.
On the other hand, now clipping poodles these days is nothing more than a fashion trend!
Poodles are amazing dogs and the second most intelligent dog breed, and I personally like poodles because of their hypoallergenic qualities and working intelligence.
And it’s not only about me; many pet owners (except poodle owners) love poodles but only when they have their natural haircut means no clipped because they look pretty charming and adorable in their simple natural looks.
Why Are Poodles Shaved That Way?
Well, it has a long history where poodles were bred for use as water retrievers. At that time, poodles were unusually shaved out of occupational necessity because without being half-shaved, poodles’ thick coats can easily drown them in the water. With a shaved body, the poodle was lighter and could swim more freely.
Plus, their long mane and hair around the chest were left intact to keep the poodle’s vital organs warm in the cold water.
Moreover, some owners decided to keep the hair around the poodle’s joints to protect joints from cold and injury and to help prevent rheumatism.
And months after months, owners did so many other changes to make the poodle a reliable water retriever dog.
And they also shaved hair around the face leaving the poodle’s mouth and eyes-free; so it could fulfill its retrieving responsibilities. Also, owners tied poodles’ hair on their head into a “top knot” to keep the hair out of its eyes.
Back in the days, hunters had many dogs in their group, so they also started tying these knots with brightly colored ribbons to help them identify their dogs from afar.
But these days, cutting poodles’ coats and hair in a different shape and coloring them, it’s just a vogue fashion today among many poodle-owners!
This vogue is so popular among those owners who usually participate in dog shows to display their poodle’s beauty.
Of course, these grooming trends cost a lot, around 70 to 200$ depending on your area and what style you want.
Hence a lot of people are not capable of keeping up with the grooming requirements.
Can Poodles Live Without Being Groomed?
Generally, Yes, poodles can live without being groomed, but it would be a short (or almost a half) and uncomfortable life for them because they have hair, not fur, and it doesn’t shed, which means it grows extensively, which later cause blindness, infections that end up in death.
Although ungroomed hair eventually becomes heavy and matted, which can make the poodle unable to walk. And this is not something you might want to imagine right if you live somewhere where coyotes attack dogs.
So make sure the poodle should be groomed, as it is one of the essential things in their life!
Ideally, you can run a comb or brush through its coat every twice a week.
But in case you don’t have enough time (which many of us don’t have), and your poodle doesn’t have a clip shape to maintain as well.
Then keep the coat short and tidy, and groom the poodle every 4 to 5 times a year, which is enough to keep them comfortable and free from any allergies throughout the year.
And do make sure you also bathe the poodle in between. More frequently in the summer, less in the cooler months.
Does Breeding Cause Poodle Ugly
Yes, breeding is the foremost cause of making certain breeds look ugly these days, but poodles aren’t one of them.
Because cynologists believe that poodles were known in Germany from the Middle Ages as Germany’s water dog, the dog they refer to is roughly equivalent to the modern Standard Poodle-sized variety.
Since then, the poodle hasn’t changed, even their clipping style, as already mentioned above.
But poodles can look surprisingly weird if they get mixed with other breeds, which may be pleasant to someone and ugly to others!
Of course, because of selective breeding for hundreds of years, there are some breeds out there that look pretty weird/ugly today, which you can see here (Why some dogs look so ugly).
Are Poodle Mixes Bad?
Absolutely NO,’ there are some well-known poodle mixes out there such as Labradoodles, Goldendoodles, Snorkies, Yorktese, which typically breed to improve, so that the ‘Dog Lovers’ could get the best qualities of the two breeds in one. Plus, they are healthy, and most of them have a low-shedding coat as well.
These mixed poodle breeds are commonly known as “Designer Dog Breeds.”
People often talk about doodles being dumb, which seems strange because these poodle mixes are highly trainable, and they learn things quickly in different ways.
Moreover, poodle mixes can quickly get along with children, dogs, and other animals in the household.
On the other hand, 72% of pet owners out there think that the sole purpose of making these mixed breeds is just a money-making business!
Well, it’s 97% absolutely true; it is a business among countless backyard breeders (unprofessional dog breeders) because the breeders don’t actually care about the health and temperament of the dog; the only thing that they care about is just profit behind that process.
However, some BYB (that are hard to find) make these mixed breeds only to pan out health issues in those breeds.
So rather than buying dogs from these (BY-breeders), adopt them from shelters because there are loads of poodle mixes in dog shelters that can be your favorite non-human species.
I also have 8-dogs, two are pure, and the other is mixed, and each one is adopted from a shelter.
Why Are Poodle Mixes So Ugly?
The primary reason for poodle mixes to look weird (or you can say ugly) is because they are just – mixed, not a pure breed. As the first generation mixes, they are unpredictable. Second-generation, they are even extra unpredictable because no one knows what will come out after mixing any random breed with a poodle.
Professional Dog Breeders said that BY-breeders is the foremost reason for some doodles (Poodle Mixes) to look ugly today.
Because BY-breeders don’t select ideal breeding dogs based on a well-documented history of health, temperament, and looks, which makes doodles look ugly or weird than others.
However, a professional dog breeder carefully selects ideal breeding dogs based on health, looks, and temperament in the family line because they do not mass-produce puppies for profit.
That’s why there are still some most popular poodle mixes available such as Goldendoodles, Yorktese, Labradoodles, that look very adorable!
So who spread the rumor that doodles look ugly!
Well, most people who think that poodle mixes (doodles) are ugly are actually the people who don’t like pure poodles or standard poodles, so that’s another reason for some people to hate poodles mixes.
Of course, after having so many haters (especially those who think poodles are girly dogs), poodles are still the 6th most popular dog breed today among 195 other dog breeds.
Never Cross Poodles With These Breeds
There are some dog breeds which we’re going to talk about that should never be crossed with a poodle no matter what you think you’re going to get in the end.
Bull Terrier
(This is just a costume, imagine what if they actually get mixed!)
The bull terrier already has quite ugly to go around for several dog breeds even though they’ve been made famous because of their unusual-looking head.
But when you take a poodle’s coat and add it to a bull terrier, what you end up getting is some dog that’s so goofy looking we couldn’t even come up with a good poodle mix name for it.
We have Labradoodles and Goldendoodles and all kinds of oodles and doodles and poos. The only thing we could come up with for the bull terrier is a woolly bully.
Bedlington Terrier
Bedlington Terrier and a poodle are dogs that shouldn’t be crossed because the first thing you’ll notice about a Bedlington Terrier is this awful hairdo.
It’s like, bad hair day in a 1980s rock concert, and it’s not by an owner’s choice; this is how their hair actually grows.
It’s awful, and it’s sure to get the attention of everyone in the park for all of the wrong reasons!
People might wonder if it has some disease, they’re going to wonder if it has cancer, or they’re going to wonder if you’re just a really mean owner.
If these breeds get crossed, there’s not enough cuteness in the poodle to fix what’s wrong with the Bedlington terrier. Let’s not be doodling it and stop this mix right away.
Boston terrier
(This is a real cross breed of Boston Terrier and Poodle!)
I know many people love the Boston terrier breed because they have a lot of really immeasurable traits.
But the one thing that it has that looks fine on its body are it’s those ears while they look fine on a Boston terrier. That’s kind of we’re used to that look, and you know it kind of fits.
But when you take Boston terrier ears and slap them on a poodle’s head or also worse, the Boston terrier’s head and spank it on a poodle’s body, the results are not pretty; they’re the opposite of that.
And again, this is another dog that if you go walking around the park, you and your dog get a lot of attention, but it would be all for the wrong reason.
Commodores And Puli
(Look at their hair and imagine the combination with a poodle, it would be worse!)
These are two dog breeds that also shouldn’t be crossed with a poodle, and the most obvious reason is that you have no idea what’s going to happen with this coat.
The puli and the commodore are typically sheepdogs, and sure they’re excellent and probably have incredible spirits.
However, if you cross a poodles’ hair with a pulley’s hair, you’re going to have a nightmare; you’ll spend four and a half days a week trying to comb out debris from his coat.
These are the lists that should either stop happening or should never happen.
Nevertheless, let’s avoid buying these breeds if someone breeds them, or don’t be the first one to make these breeds, only stick with some of the more standard poodle mixes, or better stick with the standard poodle altogether.
