cuddle opportunities ¹
Seeing a pup with a curly hair makes you want to run your hand on it and feel how fluffy it is! How much more if it’s paired with long ears?
If you are a dog lover, you wouldn’t be able to resist them! So, if you’re searching for a furry companion or just interested in these kinds of characteristics, continue to read on!
In this post, I list seven breeds of dogs that have long ears and curly hair but before I talk about those breeds…
All of the dog breeds in my selection have long ears but some of the breeds have longer ears than others.
For instance, the Spinone Italiano and the Otterhound have ears that finish just below their mouths whereas Cocker Spaniels and Irish Water Spaniels have ears that extend down to the tops of their shoulders.
So, just how long is long?!
Also, all of the breeds have a slightly different level of curl in their coat.
From the slight wave and curl which you can see in a Cocker Spaniel or a Spinone Italiano to the tight curl in a Bedlington Terrier or a Poodle.
As the saying goes, “the choice is yours”.
Whatever your personal preferences are, I hope that you find your perfect combination in my selection.
And now, it is time to start exploring the individual breeds.
[1] Poodle
and curl hair ²
Let me start this list with the pin up breed of dogs with long ears and curly hair.
For most people, the first kind of dog that they would think of would be a Poodle.
With wide ears that are long enough to reach below their jaws and with a coat that is a mass of tight curls, the Poodle is one of the most distinct breeds in the world.
But did you know that they are three sizes of Poodle?
Standard, Miniature and Toy.
Which is great if you are undecided about the size of the long ear and curly hair dog that you want.
In terms of height, Standard Poodles can range from 38cm (15 inches) up, Miniature Poodles are 38cm (15 inches) or under and Toy Poodles mustn’t exceed 25 cm (10 inches) tall.
In terms of coat colours, the main ones to look out for, are: black, white and apricot.
And don’t be deceived- Poodles are not delicate or wishy washy dogs.
They are perhaps the most intelligent dog breed of all and they are great athletes.
And so, get out your Canine scrabble board, put your running shoes on and get yourself a Poodle.
[2] Cocker Spaniel
Next is the Cocker Spaniel.
Did you know that this dog was the most popular breed of dog in America for eighteen years from 1935 to 1953?
That’s news to me as well.
Immortalised in the film Lady and the Tramp, Lady was a Cocker Spaniel. Other famous names to have had their hearts stolen by a Cocker include George Clooney and Oprah Winfrey.
Known to be playful, faithful and highly affectionate, it must be the pairing of those large round eyes and those long ears that melt our hearts.
And that beautiful coat which is sometimes wavy and sometimes straight needs almost daily attention to keep it at is silky best.
And they are a small dog, with an adult male weighing up to 30 lbs and standing tall at around 15 inches.
But what they lack in physical size, they make up for in their physical needs.
A cocker isn’t a couch potato- although they love nothing more than being with their owner, they need lots of exercise.
[3] Spinone Italiano
Spinone Italiano a very distinctive look ⁴
There are no prizes for guessing that this dog has an Italian heritage.
They have an incredibly deep mouth which has been bred to be soft and gentle in order to not damage the game birds that it was bred to retrieve.
And that soft look is helped by those ears, which hang lower than their bottom jaw.
And their coat is amazing. A thick single layer that protects them as they work their way through undergrowth, the coat is more fizzy than curly.
But curls of hair add great looking eyebrows and a moustache to this loyal and obedient servant.
These dogs were built for endurance instead of speed and although they like gentle exercise, human companionship is as important to their happiness.
An adult male can stand as tall as 27 inches and weigh around 85 lbs
[4] King Charles Cavalier
take off! ⁵
These dogs are real charmers.
And they have some heavy weapons.
Fantastically long ears which are just huge in comparison to the rest of their head and a lovely curl to their coat go perfectly with those cute dark eyes.
Added to that how often their tail is wagging and the way that they can tilt their head to make it seem as if they really are hanging on your every word, it is easy to see why this breed is frequently in the top twenty most popular breeds of dogs.
So sensitive are they and so eager to please their owners that they even need to be disciplined gently.
If these Spaniels feel as if they have been a disappointment and a let down, they might sulk for days.
And you would expect nothing less from a dog with royal blood.
Since they are in the toy group classification, they stand around 12 to 13 inches and weigh about 13 to 18 lbs. Their life expectancy is 12 to 15 years.
[5] Otterhounds
“rough”?! ⁶
With long ears, frizzy hair and an amazing fringe to add to the look, let me now talk about Otterhounds.
9 dogs with pointy ears and short hair
Did you know that in the original 1982 film “Annie”, Sandy ( a dog that Annie rescued) was played by an Otterhound called Bingo?
These are large dogs. Males can weigh up to 52 kgs or 115 lbs and stand 69 cm or 27 inches tall.
Otterhounds were bred to hunt otters in England in the nineteenth century as a means of protecting fish stocks.
They have two characteristics which are worth noting. Firstly, they have a loud and a deep bark which they use regularly.
Secondly, they are a breed of water dog that has webbed feet, which of course comes in very handy as you chase an otter across a lake.
Whilst they are capable of running for miles, they are also comfortable slouching around at home.
As a scent hound you do need to be wary of letting them off the lead just in case they get a “wiff” of something.
Oh and another thing, Otterhounds are great jumpers and so you need to make sure that your garden fence is high enough and robust enough!
[6] Bedlington Terrier
My Dad rescued two Bedlingtons years ago and he raved about them.
In terms of looks, well they are similar to Poodles in a lot of ways because of the long ears and the curly coat.
But, the shape of a Bedlington’s head is different to a Poodle’s and when you see them moving, their shape and grace shouts “Whippet”!
Like the Poodle, many of these dogs have their coats styled.
Common styles include shaving the ears so that there is a pom-pom shape left on the end and shaving their cheeks and necks to leave a mohawk style on their heads.
In terms of size, an adult Bedlington Terrier can stand up to 43 cm or 17 inches high and they can weigh up to 10.5 kgs or 23 lbs.
Like many terriers, Bedlingtons have large and fun personalities and are most at home when they are with their family- at home.
However, they do like to be very active and are best suited to a family with some “get up and go”.
[7] Irish Water Spaniel
So these Spaniels have really long ears, hanging all the way down to the tops of their shoulders.
The only part of these dogs that don’t have any curls seems to be around their face and their tails.
The rest of their body is full of curl, including a “bob” of curls at the top of their head.
Irish Water Spaniels are the largest of all breeds of Spaniels, with an adult male standing up to 61 cm tall (24 inches) and weighing around 30 kgs (or 66 lbs.)
Quite unusually, these spaniels only come with one coat colour, which is liver, which is a beautiful dark red.
And this particular shade is unique in the dog world.
Bred in Ireland in the early nineteenth century, their job was to retrieve birds (that had been shot) from the water.
As you would expect from a water dog, Irish Water Spaniels are terrific swimmers.
Generally, they are great family pets and are great with children.
But only consider getting one if you are willing to devote the necessary time to exercising them.
Irish Spaniels are one of the most demanding breeds when it comes to exercise!
Photo Credits
¹ Photo by Fredrik Öhlander on Unsplash
² Photo by andrew welch on Unsplash
³ Photo by PapaPiper on Flickr
⁵ Photo by Liesbet Delvoye on Unsplash
⁶ Photo by kerryrMD2014 on Flickr
⁷ Photo by Jeffrey Beall on Flickr
⁸ Photo by Steve Voght on Flickr
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