If poodles had normal hair, what breed would they be most like?

Poodles have a genetic defect that prevents moulting and (I think) causes curliness, hence their need to be regularly clipped. If they had normal hair like other dogs, what breed would they most closely resemble?

Opinions welcome, but book or webpage references especially welcome.

If poodles had normal hair, what breed would they be most like?

Dogs shed, they don't molt.

Many people believe that poodles are a non-shedding breed. Not true. They shed very little, but they do shed. Many dog breeds will have a couple periods of heavy shedding each year, but a poodle will shed just a little bit all year long.

And since their coat is so curly, the hairs don't fall out all over the place like in a dog with a straight coat. The fur that sheds will get tangled in the curly coat, and stays there until brushed and combed out.

http://www.petgroomer.com/Grooming101/Ar...

http://www.gopetsamerica.com/poodle/pood...

http://www.anutta.com/standardpoodles/qu...

You ARE going to find a lot of websites that claim that poodles are "hypoallergenic and non-shedding." As stated before, this is not true, and you can read about it in the links posted. The reason that there are so many people that say this is because,

A: There are many people who breed dogs and don't study the breed and its breed standard, and will try to market their poodles and poodle mixes this way just to get people to buy them.

B. People will repeat what they hear....they make claims without doing some research or just repeat what that breeder said.

I honestly don't know where and how the curly coat originated, but since humans created dog breeds, it probably was a genetic defect that some people liked and bred for.

If a poodle had a "normal" coat like most other dogs, I can't really think of what it would most resemble. There are other breeds that resemble poodles (Portuguese water dogs for example) but they have curly coats. Poodles tend to have less muscle mass than other dogs, so with a straight coat, they would probably just look like mutts.

If poodles had normal hair, what breed would they be most like?

Just guessing here...

1. Portuguese Water Dog

2. Irish Water Spaniel

3. Barbet

4. one of the other water dogs

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poodles

Poodles are retrievers; or gun dogs, and can still be seen in that role.

The name poodle comes from the German word Pudel, which is short for Pudelhund, which means "splashing dog". This reflects the breed's use as a water dog (the word Pudel is related to the English word puddle).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_dog

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Water...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbet_%28d...

If poodles had normal hair, what breed would they be most like?

Poodles are a popular breed to include in intentional crosses with other dog breeds. One purpose of using a poodle in a cross is to try to retain the non-shedding poodle coat in the offspring. Cross-breeding is also used to improved marketing of puppies, in that the "poo" and "oodle" syllables lend themselves to the creation of cute names attractive to puppy buyers. Crosses of poodles with Labrador retrievers ("Labradoodle") or golden retrievers ("goldendoodles") are popular. Smaller poodle mixes such as Maltese Poodle mixes, or Maltipoos, are also becoming quite popular.

A cross between a shedding breed and a poodle does not reliably produce a non-shedding dog - most of the offspring will shed. Because they often do not shed as much as the shedding parent they will usually require regular grooming and haircuts. People with dog allergies who want a poodle mix should spend enough time with the dog before committing to ownership to ensure they will not have a reaction.

Poodle crosses are considered mixed breed dogs by most mainstream dog registries, such as the American Kennel Club (AKC), and are not eligible for registration, even if both parents are registered.