What kind of dog am I?

January 19, 2012 4:46 PM

Dog detectives, use your discerning eye to help us identify our mystery mutt's breed.

Our little fella Bertie is a two year-old rescue who variously resembles a Miniature Poodle, an Italian Greyhound, a Wire Fox Terrier, a Maltese, and even a Chihuahua. My partner and I would love your input on just what ingredients might make up this Heinz 57. To be clear, we don't care what he is, he's the most wonderful little guy in the world. But we do have fun speculating.

When his luxurious coat is grown out, he looks like some flavor of Poodle or Bichon. His coat is very curly, prone to matting, and doesn't really shed, and though I'm very allergic to some dogs, his dander doesn't affect me the way other breeds' dander does.

There are some mystery reddish-brown wiry furs interspersed with his curly white poodle fur. Our vet remarked upon this in surprise and delight at this during his last checkup. (It's adorable.)

Photos of Bertie with his coat grown out:

Photo 1
Photo 2
Photo 3

This dog undergoes a complete transformation when he's shaved down. He only weighs 11 pounds, but you'd never know it until he gets a close shave or takes a bath. Then, his long legs and delicate bone structure become quite striking.

Photos with short coat:

Photo 1
Photo 2
Photo 3


Personality-wise, he's energetic, affectionate, playful and goofy. He loves to be picked up and held, becoming very calm and zen-like in your arms. He has a short attention span, likes to chase our cat, barks like a madman when he's left off leash at the dog park, and is a surprisingly speedy little runner. Don't know if it's relevant, but he's an OCD-level licker.


Here's my list of evidence:
Poodle: Curly white non-shedding fur
Bichon/Maltese: Little black nose and deep brown eyes
Italian Greyhound: Extraordinarily long legs for his size, very fast, folds himself up when he sits down
Wire Fox (or other) Terrier: General shape, wiry furs, incessant bark when allowed to run off leash.
Chihuahua: Doe-like face, delicate eyelashes, tiny bone structure, sweet, placid attitude and love of being picked up and held.

Bonus content: Fetch Video

posted by Lieber Frau to Pets & Animals (20 answers total)

Actually, for the curly hypo-allergenic non-shedding fur? I'd have guessed a little Maltese in there!
posted by easily confused at 4:50 PM on January 19, 2012

I'm not seeing Chihuahua, and they're not really known for being sweet or placid, so I'd cross that one off the list. I definitely see Bichon or Maltese.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 5:05 PM on January 19, 2012 [1 favorite]

Bertie looks almost exactly like my dog; the only difference is that Bertie has a little more of a terrier snout. And mine is a rescue as well, and as long as I've had him, I see little carbon copies of him everywhere, some not as cute as him, and some just as cute (but never cuter). He has the same redish hairs, so that he does not look precisely white like a bichon, and he does not look as severe as a poodle. I like to think of him as a mix of bichon and poodle, but most likely he is a super-mutt that happens to have a lot of lookalikes. Sorry I do not have an answer, but I had to chime in about the similarities. Plus my guy is the absolute best dog in the world.

And I've heard that any mix of poodle shares that breed's hypoallergenic qualities. So maybe it does not take much poodle to make the hair not bother you.
posted by gingembre at 5:06 PM on January 19, 2012 [1 favorite]

I'm definitely seeing the bichon there. The personality also sounds rather bichon-like: they can be quite spirited and goofy, and they often adore being held.
posted by palmcorder_yajna at 5:11 PM on January 19, 2012

Poodle-icious! But my WFT doesn't bark madly, so could be Schnauzer, could be Cock-a-poo, maybe Maltese or Bichon.
posted by Ideefixe at 5:15 PM on January 19, 2012

Rat terrier (long legs and greyhoundy shape, also liking to be held and goofy, and his face shape shorn looks very similar, though his ears hang down) and poodle cross. Maybe some sort of Cock a poo mix. Of course Rat Terriers are sort of a Heinz 57 breed anyway so it could just be a bit of whatever is in a Rattie in your cutie pie.

I would cross Chi off of the list and I can see some maltese in there with the dark eyes.

Whatever he is he is super cute.
posted by wwax at 5:22 PM on January 19, 2012 [1 favorite]

Definitely mostly poodle. The head shape in particular is what makes me say that, since poodles have that sort of more pointed nose and face than a lot of the other dog breeds with similar coats. I also once had a poodle mix (poodle schnauzer) that had that exact same tail.

So yeah, I would say poodle + something lean and leggy. If not an italian greyhound, a similarly built dog would be a good guess, including rat terriers or those general lean mutts you see all over.
posted by internet!Hannah at 5:31 PM on January 19, 2012 [1 favorite]

I think I see some Havanese (scroll down, they can be a lot of different colors). The wiry furs were my clue. They are a Bichon type. And mine is the best therapy dog ever!
posted by kamikazegopher at 5:34 PM on January 19, 2012

He looks a lot like our Phoebe! She's a bicha-poo (poodle/bichon cross). She has those little wiry reddish brown hairs too, interpersed between the soft curlyfurs. I think it's an artifact of a copper poodle somewhere in her background. In this pic of yours, it looks like he has a little bit of shih-tzu in him as well.
posted by cuddles.mcsnuggy at 5:36 PM on January 19, 2012 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: I should have mentioned that he has some apricot markings on his ears and along his back, as well.
posted by Lieber Frau at 5:37 PM on January 19, 2012

I'm seeing a whole lot of Bichon there. He definitely has a Bichon profile (their noses are similar to poodles, though a little more rounded), and the curled tail with straight hair is textbook. There may be a little poodle mixed in, giving it the longer legs.
posted by jenny76 at 5:39 PM on January 19, 2012 [2 favorites]

Oh, and our Bichon can be a speed demon, loves being held/sitting beside someone, and has OCD licking tendencies, too.
posted by jenny76 at 5:42 PM on January 19, 2012

I see Bichon as well.

I have a heinz 57 as well. One day I plan on getting a DNA test for her (about $60), having a party with all the guests guessing her combination, then opening the manilla envelope ala Maury Povich, and, well, have yet to decide on the prize, but I think it is a great reason for a party...
posted by Vaike at 6:03 PM on January 19, 2012 [2 favorites]

I wouldn't guess any sight hound (greyhound or otherwise) in him.. Poodles can be leggy enough on their own, if there was sight hound in there I'd expect to see some spine and rib. Other sight hound personality traits are extreme laziness around the house and finickiness about food, as well as tracking things by sight.
posted by anaelith at 6:53 PM on January 19, 2012

I vote poodle/maltese cross, too. But mostly I wanted to say that eventually someone will mention you can order dog DNA test kits.

However, these cannot possibly work, and have been tested and found VERY wanting.
posted by ErikaB at 7:01 PM on January 19, 2012 [1 favorite]

I see a lot of poodle; he looks quite like our miniature poodle did when he was younger, and the facial structure is similar. Especially in the last two pictures, the fur looks just like that of our poodles, and theirs doesn't shed either.

Here's a poodle that I think looks somewhat like your dog.
posted by cp311 at 9:09 PM on January 19, 2012

He is adorable. I see a lot of Bichon Frise. Given his size and apricot touches, possibly a tiny touch of Airedale.
posted by bearwife at 11:03 PM on January 19, 2012 [1 favorite]

Google around for soft-coated wheaten terrier, especially for the curly hair. Typical of wheatens--the clumping, non-shedding hair and the coloring.
posted by bluedaisy at 1:44 AM on January 20, 2012

He's a Bichon/Poodle.

Caramel or Apricot is a total miniature Poodle color and he really has the shape. Miniature, not toy. Add the Bichon blood and you get a dog just like Bertie. I've seen it before, I think there is a Back Yard Breeder around here that breeds them because I see them all over. Some are more apricot than others and the markings usually show up around the ears, paws, and tail. Some have their tails docked and the rest have tails just like your doggy. (I'm one of those crazy dog ladies who stop strangers so I can pet their dogs, and I ask all kinds of questions while I'm handing out teh luvs.) Apparently the mom is an apricot Miniature Poodle and dad is a Bichon Frise.

Adorable little dogs. I would totally want one but I just can't support back yard operations.
posted by TooFewShoes at 7:49 AM on January 20, 2012 [1 favorite]

Ex-professional groomer here, as well as dog trainer. If I were handed this dog, and asked to groom him, I'd immediately start deciding between my Bichon trims. Bichon are white, but shadings of cream, apricot, or buff, especially around the ears and on the body are acceptable, as long as it's not on more than 10% of the total surface area. I can't say much about his coat without getting my hands into it, but what you're describing sounds pretty close to type, although Poodle coats can be quite similar.

Conformation wise, Bichon should be square and sturdy, and your boy has a leggier, more rectangular profile, more like a Poodle. Tail carriage is also more Poodle, as Bichon carry their tails draped over their backs and undocked Poodle tails have a similar 'fluffly poof along the base, turning into feathering'. I wouldn't groom him as Poodle unless specifically asked because his face is too Bichon to be attractive shaved clean -- Bichons have shorter, squarer, coarser muzzles than Poodles, and Bertie definitely has it.

I don't see any Italian Greyhound , Maltese (Maltese are much smaller with silky straight coats and a long, low rectangular profile), Wirehaired Fox Terrier (head is completely wrong, coat is completely wrong, and WHFTs are OMG TERRIERS in temperament), or Chihuahua there. As for Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier? SCWTs are three times the size of Bertie, with a completely different coat texture.


So yeah, Bichon/Poodle cross.
posted by Concolora at 8:51 AM on January 20, 2012 [1 favorite]