AKC Non-Sporting Group · No. 6 in 2025
How to identify a Poodle
The Poodle comes in three sizes, Toy, Miniature and Standard, and ranked No. 6 by the AKC in 2025. The coat is curly and harsh, or corded, in one solid color. The muzzle is long, straight and fine, and the ears are long and wide.
Field marks
These four marks are the ones the game gives you as clues. They paraphrase or briefly quote the AKC Poodle standard.
- Three sizes: Toy (10 in or under), Miniature (over 10 to 15 in), and Standard (over 15 in)
- Curly coat “of naturally harsh texture, dense throughout,” or corded
- Muzzle “long, straight and fine”; long, wide, feathered ears
- One solid color at the skin; show dogs wear the English Saddle or Continental clip, pets a simpler trim
Tell them apart
Poodle or Shih Tzu?
Check the coat and the muzzle. A Poodle’s coat is curly and harsh, in one solid color, and its muzzle is long, straight and fine. A Shih Tzu’s coat is long and flowing, in any color, with a short, square muzzle and an undershot bite.
Poodle
- Three sizes: Toy (10 in or under), Miniature (over 10 to 15 in), and Standard (over 15 in)
- Curly coat “of naturally harsh texture, dense throughout,” or corded
- Muzzle “long, straight and fine”; long, wide, feathered ears
- One solid color at the skin; show dogs wear the English Saddle or Continental clip, pets a simpler trim
- “Luxurious, double-coated, dense, long, and flowing”; topknot tied up
- Muzzle “square, short, unwrinkled,” about 1 in from nose to stop
- Tail “set on high, heavily plumed, carried in curve well over back”
- Round, broad head with an undershot bite; all colors allowed
Test your eye
One photo, four names, ten dogs a day. Free, no sign-up.
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