Fluffy Dog Breeds – The Double Coated Dog Breed List - Puff Daddies of The Dog World

Looking for a fluffy dog? Then look no further; the double coated dog breeds are your ticket to puff and fluff in all shapes, sizes and temperaments.  The double coat is represented in every dog group from working and herding to toy, hounds, sporting and non-sporting dogs, and they have some major fur-factor going on. For example, looking for a white fluffy dog – choose from the small West Highland White Terrier, Bichon Frise or American Eskimo Dog.  Needing a big fluffy white dog; try the Samoyed or the Great Pyrenees just to name a few of your options.

Double coats are comprised of long, guard hairs that define the dog’s appearance and which are supported by short, dense woolly hairs (the undercoat) below the surface of the guard hairs.  The denser the undercoat, the fluffier the dog appears. The protective guard hairs of the coat are designed to repel moisture and shed dirt.  This coat acts to insulate the dog from summer heat, winter cold as well as rain and wind.  Double coated dogs should never be shaved; their coats act as a protective barrier from summer heat and scorching sun rays.

The Spitz variety of dogs provides the fluffiest coat of the double coated dogs.  Many breeds in the working, herding and toy breeds fall into the Spitz category and even more can trace their breeds lineage back to Spitz ancestors. They were bred to live outdoors year round in Arctic climates and many breeds were originally developed to pull sleds. Spitz-type dog breeds with double coats include the German Spitz, the Finnish Spitz, The Finnish Lapphund, the Akita, the Alaskan Husky, the Alaskan Malamute, the rare Chinook, the Chow Chow, the Finnish and Swedish Lapphund, the gentle and clever Icelandic Sheep Dog, the Keeshond, the Korean Jindo, the Norwegian Elkhound, the Norwegian Lundehund, the Shiba Inu, the Siberian Husky, the Samoyed, the American Eskimo and the tiny Pomeranian from the toy group.

Much of the Herding Group is double coated with varying lengths and thickness of coat.  The double-coated herding dog breeds recognized by the AKC include the Australian Cattle Dog, the Australian Shepherd, both the rough and smooth collie, the Bearded Collie, the Belgian Sheepdog, the Beauceron, the Belgian Malinois, the Belgian Tervuren, the Briard, both rough and smooth coat Border Collies, the Bouvier des Flanders, the Canaan Dog, both the Pembroke and Cardigan Welsh Corgi, the German shepherd, the Norwegian Buhund, the Old English sheepdog, the Polish Lowland Sheep Dog, the Puli, the Shetland Sheepdog and the Swedish Vallhund. The fluffiest dog breeds in the herding group from smallest to largest are the Sheltie, the brilliant Border Collie (my personal favorite), the Aussie, the Rough Collie and the Old English Sheep Dog.

Looking for some fluffy protection? These Puff Daddies are the biggest fluffy dogs on the block; you’ll find them in the Working Group: the Bernese Mountain Dog, the Black Russian Terrier, the rare Entlebucher Mountain Dog, , the Great Pyrenees, the Komondor, the Kuvasz, the Leonberger, the Newfoundland, the Saint Bernard and Tibetan mastiff.

Seeking a water loving dog with some extra puff to his coat? Check out these double coated dogs from the Sporting Group: the American Water Spaniel, the Boykin Spaniel, the Chesapeake Bay Retriever, the Golden Retriever, the Labrador Retriever (not so puffy, but still double coated), the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever and the Wirehaired Pointing Griffon. The Hound group weighs in with the elegant  double coated Plot and the uniquely web-footed Otterhound.

If you’re in need of a dog with some puff and a whole lot of attitude the terrier group should supply plenty of both.  Terrier breeds with double coats include the Australian Terrier, the Cairn Terrier, Dandie Dinmont Terrier, the Tibetan terrier, the Norfolk terrier, some Parson Russell Terriers, the Irish Terrier, the Lakeland Terrier, the Rat Terrier, the Scottish Terrier, the Sealyham Terrier, the Miniature Schnauzer, the Skye Terrier, the Wheaten Terrier, Wirehaired Fox Terrier and the West Highland White Terrier.

The Toy Group offers a nice variety of fluffy and silky double coated lap dogs: the Havanese, the Shih Tzu, Tibetan Spaniel and the tiny but wildly popular Yorkshire terrier.  Looking for small and white? The Non-sporting Group offers the Bichon Frise.

To learn more about these breeds and their temperaments, visit the AKC’s website at www.AKC.org. Whichever double coated dog you select, keep in mind that their coats have some special grooming concerns.  Generally the under coat will “blow” twice a year.  Maintenance of the coat during this seasonal shed is essential to keeping your dog mat free and your home hair free.