# Poodle? Bichon? Maltipoo??



## meehkim (Sep 11, 2009)

When I bought Titan, he had no papers, but I was told he was a full miniature poodle. However, whenever I take him out, everyone always asks me if he's a maltipoo or a bichon or poodle..and I'm starting to question what he is. I personally think he is a poodle because of his personality, ease of learning, etc. But what do you guys think??


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## Olie (Oct 10, 2009)

How old is he? He is very cute, however Titan does not look full poodle to me....I could be wrong


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## dt7624 (Apr 2, 2009)

I don't know what he is but he sure is cute!


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## KPoos (Aug 29, 2009)

It's hard to tell without his face shaved but to me he looks like a full bred poodle.


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## flyingduster (Sep 6, 2009)

you'll find that a full bred poodle, with a fluffy face, will always be confused with a 'doodle of some sort! Even the big guys get told they must be a labradoodle!!!

As a puppy, they all look very much the same sort of structure too, it will be more telling when he gets older and you can see the shape of his body and face more. If you want the poodle look, by all means get his face shaved to stop the comments by people, but if you'd rather the fluffy teddy-bear look, then be prepared for the comments forever, even if he later proves by structure he's a poodle!!


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## PonkiPoodles (Feb 25, 2009)

Your puppy sure is cute!
It's very hard to tell whether a dog is a mix or not while it's still a puppy. Once the puppy coat has gone you'll probably get a better idea of wheter it's a purebred or not, and even then it's sometimes hard to say what breeds are mixed in there if it's not a purebred.


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## Spencer (Oct 7, 2009)

Also get prepared for everyone to think he is a girl, lol  This happens to Perry all the time, like yesterday at PetSmart. This woman kept calling him a "she", even after I said "oh... he like to blahblahblah". *sigh* Oh well, it's kind of funny anyway

Titan is adorable though! He looks like epitome of puppy, all fluffy and cute!


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## Fluffyspoos (Aug 11, 2009)

Poodles as puppies don't have the tight curles that they do when they're adults, so he may look like a maltipoo now, but if he is full bred his fur will curle more. I wouldn't say bichon.. because they don't have their tails docked and their muzzles are shorter. Malti poo is hard to say now, just let him grow a bit more.

When you get him groomed, get him groomed like a poodle (shave face, feet, base of tail) then you wont get questioned at all!


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## wishpoo (Sep 12, 2009)

For me the biggest issue is his pigmentation (color of the muzzle and eyes)- but whatever he is he is ADORABLE !!!!!


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## Flake (Oct 18, 2009)

Just clip him when he's a little older, you'll soon tell!


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## meehkim (Sep 11, 2009)

*Update!*

UPDATE! Got Titan a groom a couple months ago, but just thought I'd update y'all on his poodle-status. 

Titan with a lamb cut/teddy bear face! Now does he look like a poodle? lol..all my family is pretty convinced he's a poodle now.  

However, I do miss his frumpy puppy look, and will probably get a puppy clip the next time around!


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## wishpoo (Sep 12, 2009)

He is still very cute  !!!!

I still do not think he is a poodle - at least not pure-bred - but that does not matter at all : ))) !!!!


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## *tina* (Jan 3, 2010)

He is very cute, but I always think of poodles with a more slender face. Either way, he is precious!


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## Olie (Oct 10, 2009)

Olie has the same color nose, but he is apricot. He is so cute! If the face was clipped short it may be better to tell but Im still betting theres more than poodle there. Also I love his hair on the face, so at the same time I wouldn't cut it!


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## Harley_chik (Nov 7, 2008)

I'd say Maltese/Poodle mix. He has a Maltese chest and muzzle, plus his hair look straighter than a Poodles should. He is adorable and I speak from experience when I say Maltese are great little dogs. How does he carry his tail? Maltese (and Bichons) carry their tail curled over their back.


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## meehkim (Sep 11, 2009)

His muzzle is actually a lot skinnier, but my boyfriend wouldn't let me shave his face down, so I guess we will never know, lol!




Harley_chik said:


> I'd say Maltese/Poodle mix. He has a Maltese chest and muzzle, plus his hair look straighter than a Poodles should. He is adorable and I speak from experience when I say Maltese are great little dogs. How does he carry his tail? Maltese (and Bichons) carry their tail curled over their back.


I took the pictures right after his groom so his hair is straighter than normal, but if I don't brush him, his hair does get quite a bit curlier. I was also considering a Maltipoo before ever considering a poodle, so I don't mind if he's mixed  I'm 100% positive he isn't a full Maltese, though. 

As for his tail, from memory...I don't recall that he curls it over his back. It's usually pretty straight, and it occasionally curls. When I get home, I will observe him and let you know!


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## Harley_chik (Nov 7, 2008)

Oh, he's definately not full Maltese, his hair is way too curly/wavy and his muzzle looks long for a full Malt. 

I found this pic of how a Maltese tail lays over the back.


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## Winnow (Jan 2, 2010)

Bichon and Maltese have different skull structure then a poodle.
They have more of a round head. while the skull of the poodle is almost flat

This is a 100% Bichon with a shaved face


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## brittwink21 (Jan 3, 2010)

I think he looks full poodle. I think where everyone is getting disagreements is that he isn't a show quality poodle. There are soooo many breeders who do not breed for quality thing like black points. He does have liver points which is not desirable (except witha couple of colors) Do not fret over it. He is a doll and you only wanted a pet anyway. The majority of breeders especially with smaller poodles toy/mini do not care about bettering the breed, so my guess is just not the best breeder, but still full poodle


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## Mercury's Mom (Dec 6, 2009)

What a cutie. I would guess that he is a full poodle just with a fuzzier face. To bad some gum doesn't get stuck in his face hair on "accodent" so you would just HAVE to shave his face (if you want to) and your bf couldn't complain about it, lol. 

He looks like a lot of minis and toys around here with his light eyes and points. Does he have a thinner cottony coat as well? That's common here in conjunction with the light points. He is a cute little guy and I love his name.


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## Marian (Oct 20, 2009)

Titan is adorable, regardless of his DNA!


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## WonderPup (Oct 26, 2008)

Harley_chik said:


> Oh, he's definately not full Maltese, his hair is way too curly/wavy and his muzzle looks long for a full Malt.
> 
> I found this pic of how a Maltese tail lays over the back.


I have groomed MANY a maltese with a coat that was wavey and curly just like the poodle in question here.. Do not forget harley that those lovey long coated show dogs are often flat ironed. Cross my heart I've seen it done at least a dozen times and not just on Maltese. Alot of that hair stays up in wrappers too. Left on it's own it's own even a show dog's coat would likely get at the very least a wave to it if not a bit of a curl. 
Keep in mind too that not every malt has a tail that curls over, just like not every poodle has a straight tail. Nor does their facial sturcture always look the same. Thanks to BYB's you get ALL sorts of variations that are still purebred LoL. 


I think Titan is adorable and likely not a full poodle but just as loveable either way. He honestly looks like a maltese or bichon mix to me personally maybe with one of those breeds with a poodle? I have a lot of "malti poos" and a "shih poo" or two that look kind of like that. I guess he could be 100% poodle but I doubt it. Even with a shaved face it would be hard to tell. Sometimes you can take one breed and turn it into something completely differnt after all.
It has nothing by the way to do with the fact that he is not a show quality dog either. I see a lot of lovely sweet dogs as a groomer and aside from my own not one of them is show quality either lol. Groomers and a lot of vets get good pratice at guess the breed by looking at dogs of questionable backgrounds all day long.  Like I said Titan is adorable!! I really wish you lived here I would love love love to cuddle him and OMG my husband would try and steal him for sure!!


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## meehkim (Sep 11, 2009)

Thanks for all yours guys' input! It's interesting to see all different points of view! I guess I'll never know what he truly is, so I'll just hope he's a full mini poodle! I just want to believe in the best of people, so I'll take the BYB's word for it. Either way, we love Titan, and he loves to cuddle with EVERYONE, and he is unbelievable smart. I wouldn't have him any other way <3


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## wishpoo (Sep 12, 2009)

That is all that matters now  !!!! You have a cute and healthy dog and you are enjoying him to the fullest : ))) !

PS: Just do not take any BYB's word for ANYTHING LOL


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## Harley_chik (Nov 7, 2008)

WonderPup said:


> I have groomed MANY a maltese with a coat that was wavey and curly just like the poodle in question here.. Do not forget harley that those lovey long coated show dogs are often flat ironed. Cross my heart I've seen it done at least a dozen times and not just on Maltese. Alot of that hair stays up in wrappers too. Left on it's own it's own even a show dog's coat would likely get at the very least a wave to it if not a bit of a curl.
> Keep in mind too that not every malt has a tail that curls over, just like not every poodle has a straight tail. Nor does their facial sturcture always look the same. Thanks to BYB's you get ALL sorts of variations that are still purebred LoL.
> 
> 
> ...


I bet many of the wavy/curly coated, long muzzled Maltese out there aren't full blood. There aren't the easiest dogs to breed, nor are they cheap and they didn't used to be so common. It's not unheard of for a BYB to throw a Bichon, Westie or Poodle into the mix, especially if we're talking about CKC, APRI, etc.

Bailey came from the pound, but I seriously doubt he is from a reputable breeder. However, he does have a fairly decent coat and his muzzle isn't terribly long. He is oversized though.


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## WonderPup (Oct 26, 2008)

Harley_chik said:


> I bet many of the wavy/curly coated, long muzzled Maltese out there aren't full blood. There aren't the easiest dogs to breed, nor are they cheap and they didn't used to be so common.



I'd have to disagree. They aren't as expensive as one might think apparently. I don't know what timeline you're going by but maltese and yorkies have always been super common here. There's a new litter in the paper almost every week  They are purebred, just badly bred of course. Look what BYB's have done with most toy breeds in fact - oversized mutant chihuahua's and yorkies that rival my dogs in weight LoL. For that matter thats what you seem to get from a BYB in ANY breed. Sheesh labs are not supposed to be 100 pounds neither or Goldens and most of the shelties here really are more like slightly smaller collies. It doesn't help one tiny bit that more than one vet I know has told an owner looking for a dog to breed to stay away from the little teacups because they aren't as healthy. The clinic I worked at encouraged owners to look for an find larger than average toy breed dogs as a general rule which of course leaves out the responsible health testing dog show going breeder breeding to the breed standard. These dogs are not difficult to breed in these cases, all to easy I'm afraid. Petshops too are a good source for these larger than normal, differently coated and structured dogs. Puppies that are already larger than what you would hope a toy breed adult dog would be are about the norm in a lot of cases. I think this is one area where the poodle is spared, I almost never see poodle puppies in petshops here once in a blue moon and for that I am grateful. Of course it's likely different in other areas of the country which is sad.


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## Poodle Lover (Mar 24, 2008)

WonderPup said:


> I'd have to disagree. They aren't as expensive as one might think apparently. I don't know what timeline you're going by but maltese and yorkies have always been super common here. There's a new litter in the paper almost every week  They are purebred, just badly bred of course. Look what BYB's have done with most toy breeds in fact - oversized mutant chihuahua's and yorkies that rival my dogs in weight LoL. For that matter thats what you seem to get from a BYB in ANY breed. Sheesh labs are not supposed to be 100 pounds neither or Goldens and most of the shelties here really are more like slightly smaller collies. It doesn't help one tiny bit that more than one vet I know has told an owner looking for a dog to breed to stay away from the little teacups because they aren't as healthy. The clinic I worked at encouraged owners to look for an find larger than average toy breed dogs as a general rule which of course leaves out the responsible health testing dog show going breeder breeding to the breed standard. These dogs are not difficult to breed in these cases, all to easy I'm afraid. Petshops too are a good source for these larger than normal, differently coated and structured dogs. Puppies that are already larger than what you would hope a toy breed adult dog would be are about the norm in a lot of cases. I think this is one area where the poodle is spared, I almost never see poodle puppies in petshops here once in a blue moon and for that I am grateful. Of course it's likely different in other areas of the country which is sad.


I guess there is a huge difference between backyard bred maltese and a well bred maltese.  The maltese puppies that come from show breeders and with usually one, but sometimes both parents champions cost a fortune both in California and in Florida. As a matter of fact, two of the really well know FL breeders Marcris and Angel Maltese are a fortune. You can easily pay $2,000 for a pet male and females start at $3,000 and go up from there. And most show/reputable Maltese breeders do very little testing on their Maltese. That was the biggest reason I went with a Havanese.


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## Harley_chik (Nov 7, 2008)

To the best of my knowledge there really isn't any testing to do. Maltese don't seem to have a big problem w/ LP and there isn't really a test for Liver issues. You have to test the individual puppy and there is a lot of contradictory info about how and when to do the liver enzyme test. Some Maltese breeders automatically test before the pups leave and others will do so on request. Testing the parents really doesn't tell you a whole lot b/c MVD and liver shunts aren't passed on that way. Also if the parents had a serious liver shunt, they probably wouldn't have lived long enough to become parents w/o surgical intervention. 

What testing is standard for Havanese?

You are right, even BYB Maltese cost over $1000 until recently, even here and this is a cheaper part of the country. I think Rhapsody charges $2000-2500 for their female pups and Tonia is one of the more reasonable breeders here in TX. She also one of the best in the country. I think Angel Maltese are adorable but I think they are getting too far away from the standard.


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## FitzyBeatz (Jan 24, 2020)

I had the same experience. I rescued an adult dog and they thought he was a pure poodle, but so many people have asked if he was a Bichon.... he definitely has a poodle build and poodle prance, but the tail and face seem pure Bichon... i think I’m gonna have To be a sucker and buy a genetic test. But one thing is for sure, he’s 100% amazing!


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Cute boy! I ordered Wisdom Panel for my last dog and there were some fun surprises. Well worth it.


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