Fluffy Dogs – 30 Hairy Dog Breeds

Welcome to TheFactualDoggo.com and our list of very fluffy and very hairy dog breeds. Let’s jump right into it.

Let’s Take a Look at Some Big Fluffy Dog Breeds (in No Specific Order)

1. Samoyed Dog Breed

It is possibly the most famous of fluffy dog breeds, often referred to as a “cloud” because they are so fluffy and white!

The breed originates from the Samoyedic peoples of Siberia, where the breed’s name originates.

Evidence suggests that Samoyedic people have kept this breed or similar variations for approximately one thousand years.

It is part of the Spitz type of dogs (huskies and Akita are two other Spitz-type dogs). It has a double coat of thick, white, fluffy hair.

Originally the Samoyed breed was bred as a herding, hunting, and sled hauling dog.

However, it is more frequently kept as a pet in modern times and has gained increasing popularity due to its highly aesthetic, fluffy white coat. 

2. Great Pyrenees Dog Breed

Great Pyrenees are a breed of livestock guardian dog (that means they live out in the fields with the animals they protect), originating from the Pyrenean Mountains of Southern France.

The breed is popular in France and the United States as a working livestock guardian.

Their instinct to stay with herds of cattle or flocks of sheep and scare away predators is world-famous and highly valued by farmers.

Great Pyrenees are large, heavy, long, and tall. They have a fluffy and thick double coat, perfect for keeping them warm out in the fields of the Pyrenean Mountains as they protect their livestock.

These dogs are sometimes kept as pets. However, their working instincts might not always make them suitable for the domesticated life in family homes. 

Here’s a super-cute video of these fantastic dogs:

 

3. Bouvier des Flandres Dog Breed

Bouvier des Flandres translates literally to “Cow Herder of Flanders”.

They come from Flanders, a region of Belgium. The people (and dogs) from this area are known as Flemish.

Bouvier des Flandres are a large, sturdy, and very fluffy dog breed and have a thick double coat of black, fawn, or salt and pepper hair.

Nowadays, they are most commonly kept as pets and used as police dogs and guard dogs due to their high levels of intelligence and sturdy temperament.

Check out this video if you would like to see this dog in action:

 

4. Alaskan Malamute Dog Breed

Often confused with Siberian Huskies, the Alaskan Malamute is a closely related breed from the Spitz family of dog breeds.

They were initially bred as powerful sled pullers with an impressive ability to pull heavy loads through deep snow for many miles.

The dog has the classic Spitz shape, with a thick double coat of fur and a fluffy tail that curls backward towards the dog’s spine.

Alaskan Malamutes still pull working sleds but are more often found competing in sled pulling races or most often as beloved family pets.

This video is an excellent introduction to the Alaskan Malamute:

 

5. Bernese Mountain Dog Breed

Bernese Mountain Dogs originated in the alps of Switzerland and were initially bred as working dogs for farmers.

They were used as all-purpose farm dogs, herding livestock, guarding the farmstead, and even pulling carts of Cheese. (They were nicknamed “Cheese Dogs”).

In more modern times, they are most commonly kept as pets. Their placid nature and fluffy coat make them excellent pets for children.

Their coat is distinctively tri-colored, black and white, with amber patches around the eyes and face.

6. Leonberger Dog Breed

The Leonberger is a beautiful, giant, fluffy dog breed from the German city of Leonberg in Baden-Württemberg.

The Leonberger has a thick, water-resistant double coat of black, brown, and gold flecks.

Initially bred for guarding, herding, and draft work (pulling carts), they are mostly kept as loving family pets.

7. Newfoundland Dog Breed

The Newfoundland is a gigantic and extremely fluffy dog breed from the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

They were bred to be used by fishermen and are incredibly powerful and skilled swimmers.

They were used for water rescue, jumping into the ocean to rescue fishermen that had fallen into the water. They were also used to drag fishing nets through the water.

Their thick double coats are perfect for keeping them warm in the water, and they have webbed feet, which along with their vast, powerful frames, allow them to swim so strongly.

8. Bearded Collie Dog Breed

Bearded Collies were first bred as herding dogs for farms and shepherds in the Scottish Highlands.

Their high intelligence levels and thick and hairy coats made them ideal for challenging local conditions.

However, they are most often kept as family pets in more recent times.

9. Tibetan Mastiff Dog Breed

The Tibetan Mastiff is a tough and ancient breed of Tibet and the surrounding areas.

They have a thick, long, and very fluffy double coat. This can be in a wide range of colors such as red, amber, black, and even light gold (often referred to as white).

Tibetan Mastiffs were originally used as hunting, herding, and guardian livestock dogs.

They are now much more popular as pets and show dogs. But, sadly, the breed has become very fashionable, and poor-quality breeding has become rife.

10. Old English Sheepdog Dog Breed

The Old English Sheepdog is a classic fluffy dog breed, made famous in the United Kingdom as “The Dulux Dog” after a highly-successful advertising campaign for a paint company.

There were first bred in the UK as working, sheep, and cattle herding dogs, but these days are much more likely to be kept as pets or show dogs.

11. Caucasian Mastiff

Caucasian Mastiffs are enormous, muscular, and very hairy dogs.

Also known as the Caucasian Ovcharka, they are native to the Caucasus region that spans from Europe to Asia.

They were first used as guardian livestock dogs, protecting goats, sheep, and cattle from predators such as foxes and wolves.

They are often used as guard dogs in more recent times and are very popular with Russian correctional officers.

They have a thick and fluffy double coat, usually brown, white, grey, or black.

Now Let’s Look at Some Medium-Sized Hairy Dog Breeds

12. Chow Chow Dog Breed

The Chow Chow is about as fluffy of a dog breed as you could find!

They have an incredibly thick double coat, usually colored red, fawn, or cream.

Their coat is very thick around the neck, looking like a mane, often earning them the nickname lion dog.

The Chow Chow is an ancient breed somewhere between two to three thousand years old.

Originating from China, these dogs were bred as hunters and guards dogs.

13. Rough Collie Dog Breed

This beautifully fluffy breed of dog is most famously known as the “Lassie Dog” from the films and TV series which starred one of this breed and Lassie.

They are also known as the long-haired collie breed and were bred in Scotland and used for herding sheep.

They are rarely used for working these days but are very popular as family pets and show dogs.

Their coat comes in various colors, including tri-color, sable, white, merle, and blue.

14. Barbet Dog Breed

The Barbet comes from France (barbe translates as beard in French) and is a rare breed of working water dog.

Their coats are long, woolly, and thick, usually colored black, grey, brown, or fawn.

When working, they are used as water-fowl retrievers for hunting and popular family dogs.

15. Australian Shepherd Dog Breed

The Australian Shepherd stems from California and not Australia, as you might expect.

But they were bred from Australian cattle herding stock, which explains the name.

They are still very popular with ranchers using them as working dogs but are now common as pets and show dogs.

Their double coats are smooth and flat along the back but hairy and fluffy on the chest and legs.

They come in all sorts of colors, including blue merle, red merle, black, and red (with or without white).

16. Eurasier Dog Breed

The Eurasier is part of the Spitz family of dog breeds, so it has the characteristic thick, fluffy double coat and a tail that curls over towards the dog’s spine.

This breed comes in various colors, including fawn, red, wolf-grey, black, and black and tan.

The breed is very new. It was started in Germany by breeding Chow Chow with Wolfspitz to try and gain the best features of both breeds.

They were bred as companion dogs, so they should not be worked but will do fine as show dogs.

17. Keeshond Dog Breed

Originating from Holland, the Keeshond (also known as the Dutch Barge Dog) is another breed from the spitz family of dog breeds that all have fluffy coasts and fluffy, curly tails.

They have a thick, double coat with a fluffy outer layer of fur. They are usually a mix of grey, white and black colors.

There is some debate over the history of this breed. Some people don’t even accept that they are an actual breed.

In modern times they are not worked but are kept as family pets and show dogs. 

18. Finish Lapphund Dog Breed

The Finish Lapphund is another member of the spitz family of dogs, with the classic double coat, a fluffy outer coat, and a tail that curls over the top towards the dog’s back.

As the name implies, the breed originates from Finland. Bred by the Sami people, it was initially used to herd reindeer.

The breed was standardized in 1945 by the Finnish Kennel Club and is now a popular family pet in Finland and other parts of Scandinavia.

19. Norwegian Elkhound Dog Breed

Often confused with huskies, the Norwegian Elkhound is another part of the Northern Spitz family of dog breeds.

As with many other types of spitz dogs, the Norwegian Elkhound has a double coat with a thick fluffer outer coat and a curly tail.

As their name suggests, the dogs were bred for and still used for hunting elk (also known as moose).

The Elkhounds will track down and then hold at bay the moose until their owners catch up and shoot it.

As you can see from the video below, these dogs are athletic, hardworking, and very brave!

 

Finally, Let’s Look at Some Small Fluffy Dogs

20. American Eskimo Dog Breed

The American Eskimo is a super cute and very fluffy small dog breed that is part of the spitz family.

Like all spitz breeds, the American Eskimo has a double coat of thick hair and a curly tail.

The American Eskimo Dog Breed is white and small to medium in size.

They are descended from Spitz breeds bought over to the US by immigrants early in the 1900s and are predominantly kept as pets.

21. Shetland Sheepdog Dog Breed

Shetland Sheepdogs (also nicked named Shelties) are a very fluffy but tough little dog breed.

While they originate from working stock, they are only kept as pets and are often popular with dog show fans.

22. Yorkshire Terrier Dog Breed

Yorkshire terriers are a very small but tough breed of dog hailing from the English county of Yorkshire in the North East of England.

There were originally bred for ratting (catching and killing rats), and even though they are mostly kept as pets, they still have the courage and toughness to work if trained to do so.

Their coats are long, silky, and flat with black, dark, and light tan coloration, making these hairy little dogs prized possession for people who like their dogs tiny and pretty.

23. Havanese Dog Breed

The Havanese (also known as the Havana Silk Dog) is part of the Bichon family of dogs and come from Havana in Cuba.

They have a very soft and silky fluffy coat and come in all sorts of colors, usually mixed in with white patches.

24. Pekingese Dog Breed

The Pekingese is a breed of toy dog that was first bred in China but is now popular worldwide.

They are very small, adorable, and very hairy!

Sadly due to the breeding of this dog for aesthetic purposes, it has some common health issues related to this.

25. Lhasa Apso Dog Breed

The Lhasa Apso is a fluffy toy dog breed that originates in Tibet.

Their coats are very long and come in various colors, including black, brown, gold, and white.

26. Toy Poodle Dog Breed

The Toy Poodle is the smallest variation of the poodle, a working water dog from Germany (or possibly France).

Toy poodles have never been used for hunting, but they were used as circus performing dogs before becoming extremely popular as family pets.

As with all poodles, Toy Poodles have a fur coat more similar to that of a sheep than most other dog breeds.

27. Shih Tzu Dog Breed

The Shih Tzu is another hairy toy dog breed from Tibet.

Like most toy dogs, they have a placid and friendly temperament and love to be pampered.

Their coats are very long and silky, and they are usually white, black, and grey colored.

28. Bichon Frise Dog Breed

The Bichon Frise originates from France, but the Bichon family of breeds originally comes from Spain.

They are a small toy dog breed with a fluffy white coat that sometimes has dashes of yellow around the mouth.

29. Coton De Tulear Dog Breed

The Coton De Tulear was initially bred in Madagascar. It is a toy dog with a cotton-like, fluffy coat that can be white, black, or tricolor.

30. Pomeranian Dog Breed

The Pomeranian is a tiny toy breed from the Spitz family of dogs.

They have a thick and fluffy coat that comes in various colors, including black, brown, red, black and tan, and sable.

A Note About Poodle Mixes and Cross Breeds

If you know anything about dogs, you will know that poodle cross breeds such as the Labradoodle have become increasingly popular worldwide.

Due to being mixed with poodles, these variations are definitely fluffy dogs.

But we chose not to include them in this list as we think they deserve an article just for themselves.

A Note About Spitz Type Dog Breeds

If you have read through this complete list of fluffy dog breeds, you will have realized that many of them are part of the spitz family of dog breeds.

Spitz’s usually have long, thick fur, point ears, pointy muzzles, and tails that curl towards their spines.

Smaller spitz breeds can often look like foxes, while the bigger breeds tend to look similar to wolves.

Most of the breeds were initially bred for hunting, herding, sled towing, or guarding duties, and many of them are still used as working dogs in colder parts of the world.

So if you ever see a very hairy dog with pointy ears, curly tails, and thick fluffy fur, the chances are it is a spitz of one sort or another.

Why Fluffy Dogs are Awesome

The first thing to say here is that I think ALL dogs are awesome, not just the very fluffy ones!

But in particular, I think fluffy dogs are fantastic for three main reasons:

1. They are dogs, and all dogs are awesome.
2. Very hairy dogs are excellent to snuggle up to.
3. Fluffy dog breeds look amazing.

So if you are tempted to get yourself a breed of fluffy dog as a new pet, you now have some excellent reasons why it might be a good idea.

But before you do, let’s look at the downsides of fluffy and hairy dogs.

The Downside to Fluffy Dogs

There is one definite downside, and it is the same thing that makes these dog breeds awesome.

It’s their fluffiness and dealing with all that hair:

1. The hair gets everywhere in your home, and there is lots of it.
2. Your dog will need a lot of grooming care to prevent them from looking like a bedraggled swamp rat.
3. Also, hairy dogs tend to shed more dog dander, which triggers people with pet allergies.

So before you decide to buy a super fluffy dog, you need to think carefully about whether or not you can cope with all the hair, the mess, the cleaning, and the grooming that comes along with all the fluffy magnificence.

Final Notes of Super Fluffy Dog Breeds

It is incredible to think that all of these different fluffy dog breeds originate from the now-extinct Late Pleistocene wolf.

And that his massive variation has been created over many thousands of years by man’s selective breeding.

Ok, that is the end of this post. If you are considering getting a super fluffy doggo, we hope that it has given you some useful knowledge and inspiration.