I have heard they are wonderful dogs. I think the whole “poofy hairdo’s” that you see in the dog shows have sort of ruined their true nature. (I know some people like it but I think it is silly). I bet your DIL’s dog looks very forward to you visiting!
I bet your DIL’s dog looks very forward to you visiting!... He starts whimpering when he sees my street. He’s such a nice guy. I won’t let them give him a farook haircut, but what the heck, I pay for it anyway.
There's actually a method to that madness. Poodles are technically water retrievers and they don't shed like the vast majority of retrievers do. So, to keep the coats from matting, at one time they were shaved all the way down, but that caused arthritic problems with the joints. So, what we see in dog shows is called "field dress" as hair is left over the joints that need to be kept warm in cold water.
When it comes to the purebreds, there's always a method to the madness, although, I can't quite figure out what Shih Tzu wants bows in his hair. Most of the rest of the toys are shown natural. And don't let these little guys fool you. We have two toy dogs and they are the biggest meat hounds you've ever met.