9 Dogs With Pointy Ears And Short Hair

[rank_math_breadcrumb]
Are these the kind of ears that you are after? ¹

Dogs come in all shapes and sizes.

When I’m writing about dogs with pointy ears, I often think of the character “Scooby Doo” whose ears had a life of their own.

The illustrators used his pointy ears to help express a wide range of emotions- that his voice alone couldn’t do.

And if your current interest is looking for dogs with triangular ears and short hair, my list contains eight breeds.

And before we start with Scooby Doo himself, let’s just quickly go over some advantages of pointy ears and short hair. 

Why pointy ears?

Ears that stand up straight or point upwards, capture sound much better than ears that droop or fold over on themselves. 

This is because the ear is open and shaped like a hand or a cup ready to catch sounds. 

Way back in time when dogs were truly wild, phenomenal hearing was a necessary part of life.

Pointy ears were better for detecting where their prey was and for listening out for danger.

Of course, now that most dogs are totally domesticated, they have much less need for excellent hearing.

But dogs with pointy ears tend to be great watch dogs, who are always on full alert.

In many situations this is great because it can help provide a family with peace of mind but having a dog that struggles to “switch off” comes with its own challenges.

After all, do you really need a dog that barks every time a letter hits the doormat?

Why short hair?

I can’t find any explanation for short hair in dogs.

I would presume short hair was common in dogs that lived in hot climates.

It would make sense for dogs that were bred to hunt for prey in undergrowth and burrows to have short because it would not get caught or snagged. 

In today’s world, dogs with short hair require less grooming and they shed less.

This helps people who are short on the time needed to groom.

Less shedding means a house that is less filled with dog hair and the smell of dog hair and the need to use a vacuum cleaner everyday!

Anyway, enough of the jealous thoughts of a “hairy” and vacuum hating Golden Retriever owner.

Back to Scooby Doo. 

[1] Great Danes

A Great Dane with cropped, pointed ears ²

The biggest dog with short hair and pointy ears that you can lay your hands on is a Great Dane.

A full grown male can stand as tall as 86 cm and weigh as much 90 kg. 

But their cropped or pointy ears don’t happen naturally- they are “created” by a visit to the vets at around the age of two months.

In terms of character, they are as gentle as they are large. 

They are very affectionate and are great with children. 

But they are large dogs and so they are best kept in large houses.

Their size can cause a few issues in small spaces. Their tails are likely to knock objects off surfaces and they can easily reach a kitchen worktop if any food has been left on it. 

Great Danes need about an hour of gentle exercise a day and they do enjoy a good run so that they can really stretch those long legs.

Any dog comes with health concerns but the biggest for a Great Dane is their short life expectancy which is only about 8- 10 years. 

[2] Dobermann

A Doberman with cropped ears ³

The Dobermann is still a large dog but in comparison to a Great Dane, they seem quite reasonable!

This is another breed where their ears are cropped in order to get that “pointed” look.

A fully grown male stands at about 70 cm tall and weighs a mere 40 kg. 

While their personalities aren’t as placid as a Great Danes, the reputation that Dobermanns have for being aggressive is a bit unfair.

Dobermans are working dogs and so they need a lot of mental stimulation and physical exercise in order to be happy.

Training is very important to them because they are highly responsive and they love to spend time with people.

Aggression comes from dogs that have been mistreated and neglected.

If you are looking for a big canine soulmate, with lots of time and dedication then a Dobermann could be the dog with pointy ears and short hair that you need. 

[3] Belgian Malinois

What big ears you have?…⁴

A small step down in height, sees us with another dog of European origin.

The Belgian Malinois is a German Shepherd look alike.

Those ears stand so tall- they look enormous. 

A full grown male can stand as high as 66cm and weigh as much 34 kg.

Like Dobermans and German Shepherds, Malinois are high maintenance dogs. 

They need lots of vigorous exercise and they respond well to training.

Problems set it when these physical and mental needs aren’t met or they are left alone for long periods. 

[4] Basenji

Those ears won’t miss a thing…⁵

Having already appeared in my list of dogs with long necks, the Basenji is a breed that is growing on me (so to speak.) 

Their origins can be traced back thousands of years- as early as ancient Babylonia.

More recently (18th century) they were bred in Africa to flush out small game or kill rodents and they still have a very high prey drive today and don’t tend to get on well with other pets, such as cats. 

A fully grown male will be between 41cm and 43 cm tall and weigh between 9 and 10 kg and on average they live to around 13 years of age.

Basenjis have lots of energy and so they need plenty of exercise to stave off boredom. 

They make great family pets (for an active family!) but they will probably form an extra special bond with one person within the family. 

If a long neck, pointy ears and short hair don’t prove to be an unusual enough mix of features for you, then Basenjis don’t bark!

They produce a sound that is more like a yodel. 

[5] Cirneco dell’Etna

This dog gives off an air of real elegance…⁶

I knew nothing of this breed until I started doing some research for this article.

It is an Italian breed, which originates in Sicily around Mt. Etna.

Originally bred to hunt rabbits, the breed’s physique struck me at a first glance.

This dog looks like an athlete and those ears are over-sized, aren’t they?

There is no chance of missing those…

This dog looks very similar to a Pharaoh Hound, another breed that made it into my list of dog breeds with long necks

An adult male can be as tall as 52cm and weigh around 12 kg.

In terms of exercise these dogs need about an hour a day.

And although they are shy with strangers, they crave time with their human family.

In fact, they don’t do very well spending time on their own. 

[6] Bull Terrier

Bull Terriers have these terrifically long faces, with a fine pair of pointy ears perched on top.

Bull Terriers are party animals, who crave attention.

And when they get the attention they will more often than not be a bit cheeky and naughty!

In terms of size, they can range between 45 and 55 cm tall and in terms of weight they can be 38 kg. 

These dogs, when looking their best, are pure muscle.

But a well trained and socialised Bull Terrier is as sweet as pie.

They love lots of exercise and play so make sure you have enough time to devote to them.

In return you will be rewarded a lovable clown for life!

[7] Boston Terrier

In contrast to the Bull Terrier’s long snout, the Boston Terrier has a much shorter one. 

But the ears are as “interesting”.

An adult male stands between 39 and 42 cm tall and can weigh anything up to around 10 kg. 

These are companion dogs.

Created in Boston, Massachusetts, these Terriers weren’t created to hunt or to chase. Only to love.

They crave affection and attention and are best friends with everyone- human family, strangers, kids or adults. 

He just wants to be where you are. 

He is happy to sit around, participate in some agility courses or go for a walk. He is pretty laid back. 

And for a smallish dog, they don’t bark too much either. 

[8] French Bulldog

Want a dog with pointy ears, short hair and a breed that everyone else has got? 

Try a French Bulldog. 

In 2019 in the U.K, they were the second most popular dog and in the U.S. they were the fourth most popular.  

With most other dog breeds in this list, pointy ears are the physical feature that your eye is most drawn towards.

I don’t think you can say this for French Bulldogs as there are many features which look so unique!

One of these is the flat snout, which causes the breathing difficulties which are such a common health concern for French Bulldogs. 

But let’s take a look at some of the stats, shall we.

The interesting thing about French Bulldogs is that males aren’t that much bigger than females. 

Standing at about 30 cm tall and with a maximum weight of about 12 kg, these are small and bulky dogs. 

Due to their physical limitations, two walks a day of about 20 minutes each are more than enough for these dogs.

But don’t for one minute think that you will get away with ignoring these bulldogs- they will turn on the charm and want to stay with you for as long as possible. 

[9] Chihuahua

At the start of this article, I described Great Danes, the largest of all dog breeds. 

And so to end the article, I will look at Chihuahuas- the smallest dog breed.

One of the few things to link these two breeds are pointy ears and short hair. 

Although there is a long coated version of a Chihuahua as well!

Chihuahuas vary in size between 15cm and 25 cm and in weight from as little as 1.3 kg to 3 kg.

Their ears are large but they aren’t as out of proportion as the ears on a Boston Terrier seem to be.

Many breeds have very strict limits on acceptable coat colours.

But for Chihuahuas, they come in a wide variety of colours, which is great news if your perfect dog has to be a certain colour. 

Like most small dogs, they have enormous personalities and believe that they should be by your side 24/7.

One of the original “bag dogs”, they are small enough to carry around in a bag.

It is then up to you to decide on how many situations you want the limelight stolen from you. 

Photo Credits

¹ Photo by Nathalie SPEHNER on Unsplash

² Photo by Erin Campbell Smith on Flickr

³ Photo by Anna Kozakova on Unsplash

⁴ Photo by Georgiana Voiculescu on Unsplash

⁵ Photo by Edvinas Bruzas on Unsplash

⁶ Photo by Giorgio Minguzzi on Flickr

James Grayston

My name is James and I love dogs. have owned four Golden Retrievers in the past 15 years. Currently I own two "Goldies"- a five year old and a seven month old. The photo shows me with our youngest when she was about 7 weeks old!