Do All Poodles Have Long Noses?

Poodles are one of the oldest and most well-known dog breeds’, making them a very sought-after pet. There are many features that can help you determine a dogs’ breed, including noses. And just like humans, no two dogs’ noses are exactly alike, including poodles.

Do all poodles have long noses? Not all poodles have long noses. While a purebred, standard poodle has a longer snout, other types of poodles have round noses. The shape of a poodle nose depends on how purebred the poodle is, and whether or not the dog has any DNA outside of the poodle breed.

There are many factors that determine the size, shape, and even color, of a poodles’ nose. The poodle breed has a couple of shapes in the nose appearance, as well as many reasons for the variances. Keep reading to learn more about the differences in poodles’ noses, as well as what exactly that means for the dogs themselves.

Check out the comprehensive guide I wrote here if you would like to learn more about other purebred poodle characteristics.

Poodle Nose Standards

Long noses on poodles are the most common type of snout. A purebred poodle will have a nose that is long and pointed, according to the American Kennel Club breed standards for poodles.

Here are a few other important physical characteristics you will find in a purebred, standard poodle, according to the AKC…

• Dark, oval-shaped eyes
• Alert expression
• Ears close to the head with a minimal fringe
• Rounded skull
• Chiseling under the eyes, around the muzzle
• Well defined chin
• White teeth with a scissors bite
• The neck is proportionate to the body
• Deep chest
• Strong, smooth legs
• Clean, well-groomed fur

Two Types of Poodle Noses

When someone says “poodle”, your brain most likely brings up an image of an extra curly, slightly frizzy, dainty dog with dyed hair. This poodle has large, fluffy ears and may even be wearing bows. Traditionally, poodles have a longer nose.

But with the rise in popularity of small dogs, it’s not uncommon to see smaller poodles with the “teddy bear” style of head.

Long, Pointed Snouts

Poodles have been around for much of history, with the first images of these dogs dating back to the 15th and 16th centuries. During that time, they were once bred to be hunting dogs. Their long noses helped heighten their sniffing sense, making them a favorite of hunters for many years.

However, as poodle owners quickly learned how eager to please these pups can be, they eventually evolved into family dogs. Poodles’ long noses were seen in many royal family portraits, making this breed a favorite amongst wealthier people.

“Teddy Bear” Noses

These noses are common amongst the designer style poodles. Toy and miniature have been around for equally as long as standard poodles, as they’re just a size variant of the breed. It’s common now for the toy and miniature versions to have the furry little face of a teddy bear.

Within the past couple of decades, there’s been a growing demand for smaller, designer dogs. Dog breeders sought to create a dog with the poodles’ popularity, with the forever young look of a teddy bear face, essentially “designing” a dog.

Dog owners wanting a rounder, puppy face might choose a poodle with this type of nose. However, because these noses aren’t natural of purebred poodles.

Health Issues in Short Nosed Poodles

Poodles bodies are naturally built to work with the long noses that they had originally, before any crossbreeding. But once other dogs were bred with poodles, health concerns began to arise.

One factor is the popularity of breeding poodles as designer dogs. Poodles are mixed with other dogs to achieve the ideal face and body. The demand for such designer dogs has led to a giant increase in overbreeding. In some cases, even inbreeding of poodles.

Another cause is that dogs with shorter noses are often more susceptible to breathing troubles, because of their nose and windpipe shapes. Breeding smaller poodles to have these teddy bear faces introduced the health concerns that are common of those dogs.

Here are some other health issues in crossbred poodles:

Osteochondrodysplasic (Dwarfism)

Although this disorder is not caused by the fact that miniature poodles have shorter noses, breeding to achieve the shorter nose can cause this. Dwarfism in poodles is a genetic mutation that causes stunted growth and abnormal movement. Some puppies with dwarfism are unable to live due to the severity of the symptoms.

Symptoms can include a large head, underbite with a shorter jaw, abnormal bones, shorter bones, abnormally large joints, and front legs that are bowed.

Tracheal Collapse

When a dog’s windpipe begins to close in, it can cause a tracheal collapse. The tracheal rings within the windpipe can collapse, restricting the airflow. This is most common for smaller dogs, but especially smaller dogs with shorter noses.

Symptoms of this can come in the form of a cough that sounds like honking, unwillingness to exercise, and heavy breathing. Tracheal collapse can be brought on when a dog is overexcited, eating, drinking, smoke, dust, unhealthy weight, and even extreme heat or humidity.

Epilepsy

Poodles with epilepsy will experience seizures. These can come in the form of smaller seizures with facial twitching, or major seizures with full-body spasms.

Unfortunately, it’s hard to diagnose epilepsy in dogs until they’ve shown the biggest symptom, which of course is having a seizure. But, once the condition is diagnosed, poodles can take medication to control the disorder.

Hip Dysplasia

This condition is common amongst larger dogs, but because poodles are so commonly bred, this has become an issue for toy and miniature poodles. Hip dysplasia in these smaller dogs is due mostly to genetics, as a result of over breeding and inbreeding.

Nutritional deficiencies are another cause of hip dysplasia, along with a lack of exercise. Because poodles are often bred in poor conditions, these conditions are growing to be more common amongst the smaller varieties.

With hip dysplasia, the hip socket doesn’t develop properly, causing the ball and socket joints to not fit together as they should. This is painful for the dog, as the joint rubs together instead of performing smoothly.

However, there are ways to treat hip dysplasia. Weight loss and physical therapy are among the most common treatments. Veterinarians will also prescribe anti-inflammatory medications for dogs with this condition.

How to Tell if Your Poodle Puppy Will Have a Long or Short Nose

Just like humans, a good indicator of facial features can be what the parents look like. If your puppy has a purebred mother and father poodle with traditional long noses, then most likely, your puppy will too. It’s really hard to know what kind of noses are in your puppies’ family, although some breeders are able to provide certification of purebred doggie DNA.

But, if your puppy is a crossbreed of a poodle and another dog, it may have a nose that’s typical of the other breed. Which, in some cases, is what people prefer. Hence, the popularity of the teddy bear poodle.

Here’s a list of other dogs that are commonly bred with poodles:

• Cocker Spaniel
• Maltese
• Labrador
• Golden Retriever
• Schnauzer
• Pekingese
• Yorkshire Terrier
• Pomeranian
• Shih Tzu
• Chihuahua
• Bichon Frise

If your puppy has a mother or father dog that’s one of these breeds, you can look at their nose to see how it may differ from a poodle’s long nose. But, just like human babies, puppy noses can change as they grow.