Fluffy dog breeds certainly have the snuggle factor! But here are so many beautiful, fluffy, furry friends to choose from, it’s a real challenge deciding which of these cuddly canines to choose as your next family companion. There are fluffy dogs of every size, from small, to medium, to large and giant breed fluffy pups.
There are many things to think about before bringing home a fluffy breed dog. Are you ready to groom frequently? Ready to use an anti-shed shampoo? Ready to de-shed and use a brush that removes the undercoat twice a year when your pup’s coat blows? If you are up to the task, then fluffy dogs can be some of the best pups you’ll ever own!
In this guide, we take the hassle out of searching for your perfect fuzzy dog and introduce you to 34 of our favorite fluffy dog breeds in every size. Let’s jump in and take a look!
Small Fluffy Dog Breeds
Each of these dogs doesn’t grow taller than around 12 inches at the shoulder. If you have a small house or if you live in an apartment, you’ll be best with one of these petite pups. Most very small dog breeds have a longer life expectancy than their larger cousins. You may be lucky enough to spend up to 18 years with your fuzzy friend. Here’s a selection of gorgeous small furries that you’ll just fall in love with!
Coton De Tulear
The Coton De Tulear is an African dog breed that certainly boasts plenty of fluffy appeal. These cheerful little dogs grow to stand around 10 inches tall at the shoulder. This makes them ideal for a small home. The Coton has a beautiful white coat that does take a fair amount of grooming to keep it in good condition. You’ll need plenty of time to spend grooming your pup.
Your dog will love being the center of attention because these little guys thrive on human company. Intelligent, loyal, and calm, the Coton is ideal as a senior’s companion, especially if its owner is around all day.
Papillon
The Papillon was bred to be a companion dog, and they make great pets for families. These little guys have gorgeous long, fluffy coats with a white base color and patches of black, tan, or brown. Although they do need grooming to prevent the coat from matting, the great news is that these dogs don’t shed, so you won’t need to worry about vacuuming your home every day!
The main downside to the Papillon is that they do tend to bark at the slightest provocation, which won’t go down very well with near neighbors or if you live in an apartment block.
Bichon Frise
The Bichon Frise is a chirpy, loving little dog that has a big personality as well as a soft, frizzy coat and a pretty toy face. These dogs love to be around their owners and can suffer from separation anxiety if left alone for too long. These pups are small, fluffy, and have white, low shedding coats.
If you want to, you can allow the Bichon’s coat to grow right out and have him trimmed into a teddy bear, or you can choose to follow the AKC breed trim standard to produce that famous fluffy, white coat.
Havanese
The Havanese is an incredibly affectionate, loving breed that is the very definition of a lapdog. These pups love to spend their days by their owner’s side, so much so that their barking can be an issue with the neighbors if you leave your Havanese home alone for too long.
The Havanese is the only breed of dog that’s native to Cuba. These pups are cheerful and fun-loving, but that long, silky coat does take a lot of attention to keep it tangle-free and looking beautiful.
Pekingese
The Pekingese originates from China, where they were kept as watchdogs and pets. Adopted by royalty, Pekes have a regal, haughty air about them, and they’re not the easiest breed to train. They are adorable though and have become quite popular in the small dog lover circles due to their long flowing coat.
However, these super-fluffy dogs with their characteristic lion’s mane and long, soft coats can make nice pets for experienced owners in a home with no small children or other pets. They aren’t the most intelligent dog breeds out there, but they are very loving and attached to their family.
Lhasa Apso
The Lhasa Apso comes from Tibet, where these plucky little dogs were used to guard royal palaces, a job they still do today. These are independent, brave dogs that are fiercely loyal to their family, but they can be rather aloof with strangers. They love to play and will do well with an assortment of different dog toys in order to keep them busy.
The Lhasa Apso is not the easiest of dogs to train and is, therefore, best suited to an experienced home. Despite having a lovely soft coat, the Lhasa Apso is similar to the Yorkie in that he doesn’t shed, so his grooming requirements are minimal.
Pomeranian
The Pomeranian is always the star of the show, and can be a full-sized pup, or come in a smaller teacup size. being full of confidence and mischief. Pomeranians are curious, boisterous, and love to be the center of attention. Despite their diminutive size, Poms love to spend their time out and about on adventures with their owners, and they’re pretty trainable too.
These pups have a beautiful fluffy, teddy bear coat that needs daily grooming to keep it in good condition, and they also shed impressively for such tiny creatures! They are also quite expensive, so be prepared to spend some cash if you want to buy one of these fluffy little pups!
Cockapoo
The Cockapoo is a standard poodle mixed breed that crosses the poodle and a Cocker spaniel. The Cockapoo shares the best character traits from each of the parent breeds. Cockapoos are extremely sweet-natured but intelligent too, making them easy to train and the perfect choice for a family pet. Fun-loving and comical, this breed is certainly entertaining!
The breed’s coat is quite thick and fluffy, and it does need daily brushing to keep it looking good. You may also opt to have your dog clipped to keep him comfortable during hot weather.
Toy Poodle
The Toy Poodle is extremely intelligent and very easy to train. Although they boast a lovely soft fluffy coat, poodles don’t shed, and their grooming needs are minimal.
On the downside, the Toy Poodle can be easily bored if left alone, which may lead to barking and destructive behavior. However, if you and your family are active and like to get out and about with your dog, your Poodle pup should have all the exercise and stimulation he needs to keep him happy.
Shih Tzu
The Shih Tzu comes from Tibet, where the name means “Lion Dog.” Feisty and full of character, these dogs were long kept reserved as the property of Chinese royalty, and it’s easy to see their appeal. Huge brown eyes and a gloriously unruly fluffy coat give these pups the cuddle factor in spades!
You’ll need to spend some time socializing your dog and grooming him to keep that lovely coat in good fettle. But the Shih Tzu will make all your efforts worthwhile, as he makes a super family pet and devoted companion.
Yorkshire Terrier
The Yorkie is a sassy little critter who loves to show off and be the center of attention in the family. Although these pups’ love for their owner is never in doubt, they can be very protective when strangers approach, and their high prey drive means that you can’t trust them around the family cat.
The Yorkie’s long, silken coat is a delight to behold and doesn’t take much work to keep it nice, as these are really tiny dogs. These breeds can be very attached to an owner, so make sure you plan to be home consistently to minimize any separation anxiety they may develop.
Medium Sized Fluffy Dog Breeds
If you’re looking for something a little larger, but you don’t have space for a very large pup, something in the medium-sized range might be what you’re after. Medium-sized fluffy dogs do take more grooming, and they shed more than their tiny cousins.
However, if you and your family are outdoorsy and enjoy walking and exercising outside, then a slightly bigger dog may better suit your lifestyle. Most of these breeds live for between 13 and 15 years and can grow up to 20 inches tall at the shoulder. Here’s a selection of medium-sized fuzzy pups that might just be what you’re looking for.
Shetland Sheepdog
The Sheltie is traditionally a herding breed that worked on hill farms, helping to control flocks of sheep. Like most herding breeds, the Shetland Sheepdog is extremely intelligent, quick to learn, and easy to train. Shelties are great family dogs for many reasons, including their loving temperament.
Shelties also love to be around their human family and usually get along well with other pets too. These active, lively dogs need plenty of exercise every day to keep them happy and calm.
American Eskimo
The American Eskimo dog is energetic, curious, and intelligent, making this breed a great choice for an active family who wants a dog to match. It’s recommended to have a larger yard so that your American Eskimo Dog can have plenty of room to roam about when given the space.
These dogs do need lots of mental and physical stimulation to keep them happy, and it’s important to provide your pet with that to prevent boredom and destructive behavior from setting in. The American Eskimo is very loyal to his owners and doesn’t appreciate being left alone for long periods.
Finnish Lapphund
The Finnish Lapphund comes from Lapland in Finland, where they were originally a working breed that was used to herd reindeer. Lappies are incredibly friendly dogs who love to please and are highly trainable.
However, as you would expect from a working breed, these dogs do need lots of exercise and are inclined to bark if left alone for long periods. Also, although that beautiful luxuriant coat is designed to keep the dog warm in the harshest of winter weather, it also does shed excessively.
Keeshond
The Keeshond is a devoted family dog who is highly social and can’t be left alone for long without showing signs of separation anxiety. Also, these pups love to bark, and that could be a problem for you if you live in an apartment or have close neighbors. If you take on one of these pups, you’ll need to enjoy grooming, as the Keeshond’s thick, fluffy coat does shed continually.
These pups are great with kids and can make wonderful family pets. They are from the German Spitz line of dogs, similar to the Pomeranian. They are often compared to the Spitz because they look so similar.
Chow Chow
The Chow Chow is a super-fluffy teddy bear of a dog with an unmistakable look. These powerful dogs can grow to stand 20 inches at the shoulder and have a distinctive ruff of fluffy hair around the head. Chows can be red, blue, black, cream, or cinnamon in color, and they have bluish-black tongues.
Chows might look like cuddly fluffballs, but they can be suspicious of other dogs and of strangers and can be very protective of their owners. So, you’ll need to spend time socializing and training your pup. These dogs are really only suitable for experienced homes where there are no other pets or children.
Australian Shepherd
The Aussie is a fun dog that’s always up for having a good time. This is a working breed that’s bred to keep going all day in the rough and tumble of a cattle drive or something similar. For that reason, you must be prepared to devote at least two hours each day, whatever the weather, to exercise your dog.
Aussies can be very destructive if they don’t get the exercise they need, and you’ll also need to spend time grooming them to keep that fluffy coat looking good. Aussies are a great family dog and can make a happy addition to a household with kids and other pets.
Bearded Collie
The Bearded Collie is a working breed that’s well known for being intelligent, active, and happy-go-lucky. However, if not given sufficient exercise and stimulation, these dogs can become destructive. Bearded Collies are generally obedient and easy to train, making a great addition to any active family’s household.
Bearded collies are less popular than their border collie and rough collie cousins, but they have similar temperaments. This breed needs a firm owner that understands how to train highly intelligent dogs.
Border Collie
Can’t leave out the Border Collie! Border Collies are some of the most intelligent dog breeds there are, based on their ability to learn new commands very quickly. This breed is highly trainable and can showcase that out on the agility course, as well as during basic obedience training.
Border Collies shed quite a bit and require a very active family. It’s not recommended that you bring home a Border Collie to your family unless you have a lot of time to devote to training them, and a yard big enough to exercise them regularly.
Large Fluffy Dog Breeds
In this section of our guide, we move on to look at some of the largest fluffy dog breeds around. If you have a big house with plenty of outside space and you and your family enjoy spending time in the Great Outdoors, one of these bigger breeds might suit you.
Siberian Husky
The Siberian Husky is an adventurous, active dog that loves to run, explore, and play. Needless to say, one of these stunning fluffy pups is best suited to an active, outdoorsy family, as they do need lots of exercise.
Huskies are sociable, intelligent, and very family-oriented, as they were originally bred to work as a team, pulling sleds across frozen wastes. You’ll need to brush your Husky twice a week, more often when the dog is blowing his coat, and you may need to brush him every day.
Bouvier Des Flandres
The Bouvier is a powerful, fearless dog that can grow to stand 28 inches at the shoulder. These canine athletes were originally bred to work on farms, and if you take on one of these dogs, you’ll need to be prepared to spend time exercising him every day.
Despite their tough look, the Bouvier is very gentle and affectionate and loves to be around kids and his human owners. However, the breed can be suspicious of strangers and other dogs.
Eurasier
The Eurasier is a German breed of dog that’s quite new on the scene. These pups are wary of strangers and other dogs, but they are generally not aggressive. As a family pet, the Eurasier is calm, intelligent, and curious, loving its owners, and enjoys learning new activities.
These dogs don’t need a vast amount of exercise, and their chilled-out demeanor makes them great pets. However, the time you don’t spend walking your dog will be more than made up for in grooming the Eurasier’s thick double coat, especially during the two seasonal mega-shedding seasons when the coat is “blown.”
Alaskan Malamute
Often mistaken for the Siberian Husky, the Alaskan Malamute is a powerful working breed that’s still used today for sledding across rough arctic terrain. Although affectionate and friendly, the Malamute can be a handful if a family home, largely because of their tendency to dig, chase, and shed.
These dogs can also be stubborn and challenging to train, making them more suited to an experienced home than a first-time dog owner. Malamutes need lots of grooming to keep their double coat from matting, and the twice-yearly blowing of the coat is something to behold!
Old English Sheepdog
The Old English Sheepdog was used as a sheep herding dog. Although still classed as a working breed, the Old English is now happy to live as a family pet. You’ve likely seen an Olde English Sheepdog in the movie “Hook” as the dog named Nana.
When it comes to fluffy dog breeds, they come much fluffier than these pups! These dogs are renowned for their thick, profuse coat, peek-a-boo hairstyle, and rolling, bear-like gait. Friendly and mellow, the OES makes a lovely family pet, especially for a household that enjoys a day out in the countryside and plenty of long walks.
Rough Collie
The Rough Collie is the breed that inspired the iconic Lassie books and movies. These beautiful fluffy dogs are devoted to their owners, intelligent, and always watchful and protective. The collie is a highly trainable dog and is very good with agility training as well as basic obedience commands.
These pups are highly sensitive to emotions, and they can be a little shy. Although the long, superbly fluffy coat can be time-consuming to groom, the Rough Collie does make a wonderful family pet.
Samoyed
The Samoyed is a stunning dog that’s famous for having an incredibly fluffy white coat. These happy, talkative dogs are loving, loyal, and just seem to love life. They are especially happy when they can spend time with their human family. Unfortunately, that loyalty can bring problems in that these pups don’t like being away from their owners. This leads to separation anxiety and unwanted barking.
However, if you can accommodate the Samoyed’s need for company and a high-energy personality, you’ll have a loving and lovable fluffy companion for life.
German Shepherd
Believe it or not, the German Shepherd can have a long fluffy coat! The GSD is the second most popular dog breed in the United States and is one of the more prominent family dogs. Their coats can be in multiple colors. The most popular colors are black and tan, white coats, blue coats, and some are completely black. The German Shepherd is also commonly used by law enforcement and military personnel to sniff out drugs and other contraband.
The longer coat GSDs are not considered a fault by breeders, unlike other breeds that show up on this list with long hair but are typically short-coated dogs.
Giant Fluffy Dog Breeds
While we’ve covered small, medium, and large breeds, there are some giant breeds that have long and fluffy coats too! There are a number of breeds that fit into the “giant breed” category, which means they are larger than 100 pounds. These massive fluffy dogs can be massive loving pups, and enjoy spending time with their owners. Just get ready for lots and lots of hair!
Great Pyrenees
The Great Pyrenees is a super-sized, super-fluffy dog breed that carries a beautiful, lush weatherproof coat of all white or white with shades of tan, gray, badger, or reddish-brown.
The breed is immensely powerful and strong, having been bred to guard and protect sheep from wolves and mountain predators. These dogs are independent and sometimes stubborn to train, but they are also calm and devoted to their family.
Tibetan Mastiff
The Tibetan Mastiff is a huge dog, standing up to 30 inches tall and weighing in at 175 pounds! These imposing beasts were once used to guard livestock against wolves, bears, and other ferocious predators. However, despite their fearsome appearance, these lovely fluffy dogs have huge hearts. They especially have a soft side when it comes to their human families. You’ll find that your giant fuzzy friend loves nothing more than spending time being groomed and cuddled.
The breed has a reputation for being stubborn when it comes to training. They can be problematic around strangers, other pets, and children. But if you take the time to socialize and train your dog from a young age, that shouldn’t be a problem.
English Mastiff
Believe it or not, the English Mastiff can actually come with a fluffy coat! The English Mastiff has a long-haired gene that sometimes surfaces during breeding. This happens occasionally due to the fact that the Saint Bernard was brought into the English Mastiff line to save the breed sometime back in the 1800s. The Long Haired English Mastiff is considered a breed fault. If you have a fluffy English Mastiff, it’s likely that pup wouldn’t have been included in breeding lines.
The Long Haired English Mastiff will definitely shed! You’ll want to make sure that you use an anti shed shampoo and then groom your pup frequently to keep the shedding down. When the coat blows twice per year, you can expect quite a bit of hair around your house. Brushing is a must!
Newfoundland
Newfies are huge dogs, weighing up to 150 pounds. However, despite their massive size, these dogs are great big softies at heart. They just enjoy being part of your family. These gentle giants are calm, loyal, and incredibly loving. Today, the Newfoundland is used as a working rescue dog, therapy dog, or in their traditional role of hauling equipment across harsh terrain.
You’ll need a big house to accommodate one of these super-furry dogs. You’ll also need to enjoy grooming your pet, as these pups shed a lot. And they drool too! Newfies can be black, gray, brown, or black-and-white.
Leonberger
The Leonberger is a giant dog, weighing up to 170 pounds and standing up to 30 inches at the shoulder. These big dogs have a goofy, silly personalities and are full of energy, making them somewhat of a handful. They can also be slow to learn, making training a challenge. On the plus side, the Leonberger makes a wonderfully fun family pet with endless affection for love for everyone.
Leonbergers have a thick double coat that’s designed to keep them warm. It also protects them from the weather in the harshest of winter environments. That means lots of grooming is required to keep the coat in good condition. These pups do shed a lot too.
Bernese Mountain Dog
If you’re looking for a really large dog that’s silly and loveable in equal measure, then the Bernese could be the one for you. These big pups do need plenty of exercise, but they are actually very calm and eager to please.
Berners are very trainable, but their size can make them a little accident-prone, and one of these 100-pound dogs is not a good choice if you have a small home. They are great with children and do just fine in a multi-pet household.
Caucasian Shepherd
The Caucausian Shepherd is also known as the Russian Bear Dog and is one of the biggest breeds with a fluffy coat. These monsters can get close to 200 pounds when fully grown. They are extremely protective of their owners and are used to guard flocks in Russia.
If you plan to own one of these giant breed dogs, you’ll want to ensure that you have plenty of hard space. They love to roam, so they can do their job. This breed makes an excellent guard dog. They are excellent with family if you can handle having one this size in your home. Keep in mind you’ll need to be up to the task of grooming them regularly.
Saint Bernard
The Saint Bernard is a classic breed that’s been around for centuries. This giant breed is known for having long hair and having a shaggy coat to boot! Saint Bernards make awesome family dogs and can be quite protective of the people they are closest to.
The Saint Bernard will need a large yard to patrol, and shouldn’t ever live outdoors in climates that are extremely hot. These pups are working dogs and will need an energy outlet when they are young. As they grow older, they will start to calm down just a bit. Their double coats will require consistent grooming. This is also true for many Saint Bernard mixes, including the Saint Berhusky.
Final Thoughts
So, as you can see, there are a whole host of beautiful fluffy dog breeds to choose from. Use the information we’ve provided in this article to choose the perfect fluffy dog breed for your home and family. Do remember that all fluffy dog breeds need regular grooming, as well as exercise, and you must be prepared to get the vacuum cleaner out regularly to keep your home looking and smelling fresh!
Many people want a fluffy dog, simply because their fur makes human wants to cuddle them like a big fluffy life doll – yet they’re forget that a dog is a dog. They need walk and excercise everyday, they want to explore, they like throwing themselves on the grass, ground, dirt, mud, lake or whatever. They don’t like those sweet parfume scents, they love being dirty and their own scent. If you can’t provide them groomed by professional groomer frequently, then don’t get any of them. I’m sorry to say but its not only endanger your dog’s fur and skin, but also none wants to cuddling a smelly, matted, dirty fluffy dog 🤢