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Top Curly-Haired Dog Breeds: 13 Popular Dogs with Adorable Curls

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gray dog with curly hair — Note: While the breeds in this collection tend to have curly hair, individual pets will vary. Please consult the adoption organization for details on a specific pet.

18 Dog Breeds

Only show breeds available for adoption near me

Black Standard Poodle dog breed standing against a white background

Standard Poodle

Standard Poodles are a high-spirited, energetic breed who love to exercise, solve puzzles, and play with their owners. They enjoy being around their human companions and require a significant amount of care and attention. They are quick-witted, highly intelligent, and love to have fun, but do tend to get bored easily. You can commonly find them running around, swimming,  playing fetch, and loving on their owners. 

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Miniature Poodle dog breed laying on the grass with head up eagerly looking at the camera

Miniature Poodle

The Mini Poodle is a quick-witted, funny, intelligent, and playful dog in a more compact size than the Standard Poodle. They are eager to please, responsive, obedient, and overwhelmingly popular due to their temperament and non-shedding coat. These pups can be sensitive and initially aloof with strangers. They get along well with children, other pets, and other dogs. A bored Mini Poodle can be a noisy one. 

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Toy Poodle dog sitting against a white background tilting his head.

Toy Poodle

The Poodle is famous the world over for its liveliness, sociability, and affection. They are intelligent and amusing and make a wonderful and fun companion. They love to be included in all family pursuits and can be good watchdogs, announcing visitors without being aggressive. Toy Poodle dogs bond closely with their owners and might show their displeasure at being left home alone for long periods of time. 

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Curly coated Goldendoodle dog breed sitting tall with mouth open against a white background

Goldendoodle

Overall, Goldendoodles are friendly, energetic, loyal, and loveable. They do well in family life when socialized despite being high-energy dogs. They love to please and are enthusiastic about training. Intelligent and affectionate, they love going on family adventures. 

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Labradoodle dog breed sitting tall looking serious against a white background

Labradoodle

Labradoodle dogs have the personality of a fun, active, energetic child-at-heart. They are extremely affectionate and will want to curl up and snuggle in your lap—even the massive-sized ones. Labradoodles are giant balls of energy: always ready to play, swim, run, and wait for you to catch up. This Labrador Retriever and Poodle mixed breed thrives on human companionship and wants nothing more than to be around and please their owners. Labradoodles are social, chatty, talkative, and want to feel like a member of the family. They are ideal pets to have around children due to their easy, loveable nature. They are highly intelligent dogs and food-motivated, which comes in handy when training. They make great watchdogs and will alert you when you have visitors; however, Labradoodles are all bark. Their alert will immediately be followed by the uncontrollable desire to play with the visitors. 

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irish water spaniel laying in tall green grass with tongue out

Irish Water Spaniel

Enthusiastic, fun-loving, and often funny, the Irish Water Spaniel dog is playful and high-energy. They are confident yet sensitive souls and need training with patience. They can be reserved around strangers to the point of being timid, but they are generally adaptable and loving members of the family. 

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Close up of a black Curly Coated Retriever dog breed laying down against a white background

Curly-Coated Retriever

Bright-eyed and ready for adventure, the brave Curly-Coated Retriever dog is the best of both worlds: active outdoors and calm inside. They are sensitive, gentle dogs that are easy to train and have eager personalities. They can be reserved with strangers. 

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Side view of Bouvier des Flandres dog breed laying in front of a white background

Bouvier des Flandres

The Bouvier des Flandres dog breed is well-mannered and calm indoors. They are fearless, love adventures outdoors, and are devoted and loyal members of their families. They are confident yet eager to please their owners. Bred to protect, they can be reserved around strangers, both human and canine. While they are good with older children, they might nip the heels of younger kids as they try to herd them. 

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Portuguese Water Dog breed with white on chest sitting tall against a white background

Portuguese Water Dog

The outgoing Portuguese Water Dog lives for two things: family snuggles and splashing in the water. They're great pals with kids, other pets, and even your neighbor's parrot. Their tender hearts mean training should be all about love and treats. Give them direction, and they'll lap it up like a cool drink after a beach romp—they just can't get enough of being active and making you proud!

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Puli dog breed laying down against a white background

Puli

A bouncy, alert mop, the Puli is full of unbridled energy. They are busy dogs that can be assertive and strong-willed, especially when it comes to training. The Puli dog may bark a lot as they have watchdog instincts. 

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Lagotto Romagnolo dog breed sitting with tongue hanging down against a white background

Lagotto Romagnolo

Although all Lagottos Romagnolo dogs have the potential to work, they are excellent family companions, originally bred to do both. They don’t stereotypically “yap,” but they are suspicious of strangers and take time to warm up to new people. They can, however, be barky and vocal when alerting their owners to suspicious activity and the presence of a stranger. Out and about, the Lagotto loves to use its formidable nose, excellent swimming skills, and of course, digging skills. 

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Side view of a laying Kerry Blue Terrier dog breed looking at the camera against a white background

Kerry Blue Terrier

Adaptable, fun, and alert, the Kerry Blue Terrier is a good mix of no-nonsense farm dog and engaging and loyal companion dogs. They love to run and chase and explore but can be well-mannered and calm indoors. They are protective of their people and suspicious of strangers. They’ll greet those they know, however, with endless enthusiasm. Smart and savvy, they tend to bark.

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Black curly Barbet dog breed sitting looking at camera in front of white background

Barbet

Thanks to their love for the water, Barbets can be mud-magnets. They enjoy walking, swimming, and retrieving. They are eager to please, so they respond well to training. 

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Maltipoo dog breed sitting with head cocked to the side against a white background

Maltipoo

The Maltese and the Poodle are affectionate companion dogs who bond closely and deeply with their owners and Maltese Poodle mixes have the same characteristics. Maltipoos tend to be lively, loyal, and very loving pets ready for playtime at any moment’s notice. They love to run, chase and bat toys, and play with their owners. They are true companion dogs, happy to stay by an owner’s side. 

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Cockapoo dog breed sitting with mouth open against a white background

Cockapoo

Cocker Spaniel Poodle mixes have a reputation as being the life of the party, charming and enchanting everyone they meet. They are fun-loving and loyal and make good family dogs. They’ve never met a stranger and love outings with their families. Eager to please and relatively unflappable, they do well in homes with children and other pets. If you have a passion for training, Cockapoos are wonderful little tricksters, picking up on games quickly. They do need outside time to roam and burn off energy. Don’t be surprised if your Cockapoo loves fetch—Poodles were originally bred as water retrievers. 

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Bichon Frise dog breed sitting and panting against a white background

Bichon Frise

Like your friend who keeps asking you to work out at 5 am, the Bichon is eager, perky, and full of energy. They are endearing companions to humans and other pets alike and are very good with children. Sensitive little souls who want to please their owners, are responsive and alert, always looking for an opportunity to play. They don’t like to be alone and could bark excessively if they are.

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Havanese dog breed laying down looking at the camera against a solid background

Havanese

Havanese are busy and curious little pups who love being the center of attention in a family. They play and clown around and are affectionate toward everyone—family, children, strangers, other dogs, pets, you name it. They love to please and pick up training easily. They can bark a lot. 

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Side view of Bedlington Terrier dog breed against a white background

Bedlington Terrier

Bedlington Terriers are affectionate and fun-loving companions who form strong bonds with their families. While their terrier instincts can sometimes lead to playful mischief, they are generally gentle and loving and aren’t afraid to show it. They can be scrappy and stand up for themselves when needed.

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