# How long does it take for a poodle to look like this?



## Lotus (Aug 29, 2018)

Hi everyone, 

I adopted a poodle (mix?) (Lexie) from the shelter. She is the first poodle I have had. She looked like the picture attached. How long do you think she was not groomed for her to look like this? I am trying to figure out about her past. She was found as a stray. I wonder how a dog like her ended up a stray. She looks like the second picture now. 
Also guesses on her mix?


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## Mysticrealm (Jan 31, 2016)

4-6 months depending on what kind of haircut it had the last time it was groomed. 
Maybe bichon cross, hard to tell really since badly bred dogs can look so much different than the breed standard calls for.


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

I would also guess Bichon Frise mixed with Poodle. You can do the easy DNA test if you're truly curious. I did it on my shelter Maltese and would do it again with our shelter Chi/Rat terrier? mix. This is the one I used:

https://www.amazon.com/Wisdom-Panel....0+breed+identification+dna+test+kit+for+dogs


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Mysticrealm is right. Badly bred dogs can look very different from the parents. I go to a small dog social every week at our local humane society. I have a silver minipoo who was a puppy held back for conformation until she grew too tall - she's a good representative of what a well bred poodle should look like. Someone else has a mini schnauzer also a failed conformation puppy -good representative of what that breed should look like. There are three minipoo x mini schnauzer mixed dogs that attend. One of them the people bought their dog and saw the parents, the other two have had DNA testing done on their rescue dogs. None of these dogs look anything like a poodle or schnauzer. All three have stocky bodies with short legs and their fur is all over the place in texture but none like either parent. Personality wise they are all over the place, one has very strong terrier traits. My dog prefers to play with these 3 dogs - they are all friendly, active and love to run. 

I too suggest getting her DNA tested. You might be in for some fun surprises. Someone approached me with a dog that looked like a Chihuahua with funny huge black and white spots and asked if my dog was a poodle. She went on to explain she had her rescue DNA tested and was shocked the greatest percentage was miniature poodle, the second largest was Dalmatian which accounted for the spots. There was no Chihuahua and no small dog. Someone else I met had a puppy from the shelter and her dog looked like a spitz type dog - very cute. She knew all the people who adopted the puppies which were born at the shelter - they kept in touch and met annually. She showed me a photo from a recent get-together- none of the dogs looked like they would be siblings.

If you do get DNA testing done - please post back - it's so much fun to read the results.


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## doditwo (Nov 7, 2017)

Skylar, I think shelters many times are just guessing when they tell you what mix a dog is.
Many years ago I got Ginger, a rescue stray that the shelter told me was part border collie part whippet (obviously I was clueless about dogs when I agreed to adopt that combination lol).
A few years later I took her to be groomed by a local old timer. He asked me about her breed, when I said what the shelter told me he pointed to the calendar on his wall. On it was a picture of a Belgian Shepherd purebred that was the absolute spitting image of Ginger. I’ve reflected quite a few times on how she ever got lost, back then there were no microchips, she was an escape artist but that may have developed while living on the street.
Today I’d definitely get a DNA test, ya never know.


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## Vita (Sep 23, 2017)

Lotus, read this thread. On it, MollyMuiMa in particular shares the surprising DNA parentage findings of her poodle-mix.

Also, you girl looks like a sweetheart. If she is purely poodle, one could use the term 'badly bred' as far as the ideal standard goes. However, as a mixed breed, she's simply inherited different features of her ancestors which isn't "bad", it's just different - and less off-putting.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

doditwo said:


> Skylar, I think shelters many times are just guessing when they tell you what mix a dog is.
> Many years ago I got Ginger, a rescue stray that the shelter told me was part border collie part whippet (obviously I was clueless about dogs when I agreed to adopt that combination lol).
> A few years later I took her to be groomed by a local old timer. He asked me about her breed, when I said what the shelter told me he pointed to the calendar on his wall. On it was a picture of a Belgian Shepherd purebred that was the absolute spitting image of Ginger. I’ve reflected quite a few times on how she ever got lost, back then there were no microchips, she was an escape artist but that may have developed while living on the street.
> Today I’d definitely get a DNA test, ya never know.
> ...


my neighbor had a similar story, her “mixed” breed rescue turned out to be a particularly well bred English sheepdog that a conformation judge said was show ring quality. 

I hope I didn’t offend anyone using the term badly bred- it really refers to the breeder making poor choices. The dog itself may be a great dog with a wonderful temperament, easy to train and super-adorable.


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## Mufar42 (Jan 1, 2017)

I think not terrible long maybe 4 months or so. Looks like a poodle to me but then again I'm new to poodles. In any case she is very cute and I am sure you will be having tons of fun and will find the haircut you like.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

She could look that way after as little as a few weeks, if she started off in a teddy-bear clip, or several months if she had been shaved down. She does look very puppy-ish in the first photo. The short ears and topknot the same length as her muzzle would make me suspect that perhaps she was growing out a full shave down, rather than a more poodley clip.


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## PoodleFoster (May 25, 2013)

Hi
Congrats on rescuing a poodle! Be prepared for fun and the possibility that your poodle may be smarter than you are!!! Ha!
As far as how did she end up at the shelter? Your guess is as good as anyones. I recently fostered a lovely 10 year old female Bichon. She is lovely in every way, mannerly, sweet, easily trained. Her issue? She had mammary tumors, needed spayed and 13 teeth pulled. An elderly lady brought her in as a 'stray' and I suspect she simply could'nt afford the medical bills. I'm guessing , of course. 

Her haircut is months of being unkept, in my opinion. I was told that poodle hair grows 1/4" per month, so if you gauge her shelter hair by that, it's been quite a while. 

Unless you just have to know her DNA, groom her like a poodle and she will be a poodle for all intents and purposes. Shes' lovely and will look so nice in a beautiful poodle trim. Her groom schedule should be every 5 - 6 weeks for her to grow out into a nice pattern. 

GOOD LUCK WITH HER. 

I adopted a poodle (mix?) (Lexie) from the shelter. She is the first poodle I have had. She looked like the picture attached. How long do you think she was not groomed for her to look like this? I am trying to figure out about her past. She was found as a stray. I wonder how a dog like her ended up a stray. She looks like the second picture now. 
Also guesses on her mix?[/QUOTE]


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## doditwo (Nov 7, 2017)

It’s only been 4 1/2 weeks since my puppy’s last grooming and she’s coming close to looking like that little rescue. I get her face shaved but if she’d had a doodleface grooming then it would only take 5 weeks to look like that raggedy.


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## specie (Feb 27, 2014)

Definitely looks like a mini pood to me. Sweet face! It's not that uncommon to see "hotdog" shaped minis; it's a dwarfism gene, I think. You won't find it in show or otherwise responsible breeders, but in the general public it's prob. 35% or more. I think she's lovely. It hasn't been that long since she was groomed. Surprised she wasn't microchipped.


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## Lotus (Aug 29, 2018)

Ok, I will get a DNA test done and post it. I want to wait till Thanksgiving and hope to get a special - I want to get the DNA test of the other shelter dog we have too. She is a terrier mix. Lexie is definitely a good part poodle - her fur does not fall, feels like other poodles. Beyond looks, she walks like a poodle, is super athletic - very fast and jumps way higher than most dogs, and is lighter than one can expect. She is smart, but I don't see her as super obedient yet. But I think she is a puppy. There is a problem with her leg though - it is twisted and curved weirdly, which I thought was a deformity or the vet thought that some breed dogs to have the twisted front feet and she might have that in her, It does not bother her the least at this point. 

I wish she was a little better mannered to the older dog.


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## Johanna (Jun 21, 2017)

We were camping in northern New Mexico once when we met a man with a large, handsome dog. He proudly told us it was a long-haired German Shepherd (long hair is a very major fault in GSDs). If that dog wasn't a Belgian Tervuren, I'd eat my hat! Kept my mouth shut, though - it was hard to do.

Regarding border collie/whippet crosses - I have one. It's not a guess, he really is that combination - an ooops breeding. He's twelve years old now and very quiet, but I'm sure the reason he ended up in a shelter is that he was a very rambunctious puppy in a home with a toddler. I'll bet he wiped that kid out on a daily basis! Cruise (so named because he cruised the kitchen counters looking for edibles) has the color and markings of a border collie (black and white), but his coat is shorter and not so soft as a border collie. His head is intermediate between the two breeds as is his length of leg.


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

The long haired GSD is due to a recessive gene, apparently. One of the trainers at my dog park has one. 

Here is a pic of the difference between a Belgian Tervuren (left) and a long haired GSD (right).

Your border collie/whippet is adorable.


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