Top 10 of the Strangest Looking Dogs!

They say “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” – this phrase certainly comes into play in the world of canines. While I can truly appreciate almost any type of dog if they have a great personality or a charming puppy grin, well….some of them are just funny looking! (Luckily dog’s don’t really mind if you laugh in their general direction, as long as you have a good treat to make up for it). Actually many of the dogs on this list are rather unique in their appearance, which causes quite a few of of us to do double takes when we encounter one on the street (if you ever happen to!).

Bedlington Terrier: Is that a dog or a lamb? Bedlington Terriers have to be one of the strangest dogs I have ever seen. With their pear shaped heads, curly sheep-like fur and triangular ears, these dogs truly look like no other breed out there! While the Bedlington may look like a timid little sheep, in the early days this breed was often used for fighting. While the Bedlington’s of today have been bred to be sweet companions, they can still hold their own if they are challenged.






Chinese Crested: Hairless breeds always draw a crowd. Most people *do* believe dogs should have fur! The little Chinese Crested has fur on its paws (socks), its tail (plume) and a long flowing mop on its head (the crest). Their skin is soft and needs to be carefully cared for. Sunscreen must be used to make sure the dog doesn’t burn and they should be bathed regularly to prevent acne and other skin issues (and moisturised to control dry skin!). Some Crested owners bring their dogs in the shower with them to maintain this routine. A Chinese Crested named “Sam” was voted the “World’s Ugliest Dog” three years in a row! When he passed away at age 14, the contest judges decided that Sam was indeed “The Ugliest Dog Ever”.





Neapolitan Mastiff: This giant Molosser breed looks something like a mini-Rhino! The Neapolitan Mastiff stands out as “strange” due to all that loose skin! They have wrinkles all over their bodies, most prominently on the face and head. All those wrinkles need some extra TLC – the folds must be cleaned and kept dry as acne and infections are a concern if they are moist. The canine actor who played “Fang” in the Harry Potter movies was a Neapolitan Mastiff.





Puli: The Puli is one of the 3 “dread locked” breeds on this list! The “dreads” are actually known as “cords” and naturally begin to form when puppies are about 9 months old. Owners have to help this process by separating the cords as they can form very large matts if they are not maintained. Bathing one of these dogs is a lengthy process, as they take hours to dry!







Komondor: Komondors resemble Pulik (the plural of Puli), as they both have corded coats. However the Komondor is quite a bit larger than the Puli and seems to resemble a large mop (the breed is always white). Actually the coat color much resembles a used mop as the cords are often a bit “off white” from dust and dirt. Komondors were bred to guard livestock and their thick coats protected them from the elements as well as predators. The Komondor needs a great deal of intense grooming.






Peruvian Inca Orchid: Another hairless breed, these little dogs have even less hair than the Chinese Crested! This ancient breed appears in art dating back to 750 A.D. However when Peru was conquered by the Spanish, it almost led to the loss of these unique dogs. While these dogs occasionally have a bit of hair on their feet, tails and heads – breeders strive for a completely hairless dog. Grooming requires moisturizing with lotion to prevent skin drying. Peruvian Inca Orchids can be prone to acne and blackheads and obviously need to be kept warm in the colder weather!






Shar Pei: No one can confuse a Shar Pei with any other breed. This heavily wrinkled dog also has an unusual “hippopotamus” shaped muzzle. I have seen dogs of various breeds react in a confused manner towards Shar Pei. I’m guessing they didn’t recognize them as one of their own kind! As puppies the wrinkles are everywhere! As the dog grows the wrinkles often become less evident and are limited to the head and back. Shar Pei should always have a solid bluish-black tongue; spotted tongues are considered a fault and a pink tongue is a disqualification!





Xoloitzcuntle: The last of the hairless dogs on our list- these guys have quite the name! Pronounced “show-low-its-queen-tlee”, you can also call a Xoloitzcuntle a Mexican Hairless or even a “Xolo” for short. These little dogs look almost exactly like the Peruvian Inca Orchid, but their roots are not the same. Xolo’s were considered sacred by the Aztecs as they were believed to help guide individuals through the underworld after their death. Like the other hairless breeds, Xolos require bathing, moisturizing, sunscreen and coats to keep these little baldies happy and healthy!






Bergamasco: Another “moppish” looking breed, the Bergamasco’s coat is actually considered “felted” and not “corded”. The matts are made up of the 3 types of hair that the dog grows and begin to form in late puppyhood. Due to their dark color, they often appear quite shabby. The Bergamasco is from Persia and like the Komondor, served as a sheepdog and livestock guardian. While some owners may be tempted to shave these heavily coated dogs, breeders absolutely frown on this, saying the dogs coat will never be the same.





There you have it! A list of 10 of the strangest looking breeds out there! Don’t be offended if you are the owner of one of these fantastic dogs – you are one of the few who get to experience their unique personalities (as well as looks!). Wrinkled, hairless or heavily matted – these are dogs who draw a crowd wherever they go!

Dogs Don't like Hugs and Kisses

This is one of Doggone Safe's major messages and probably the one that gives us the most trouble. Many people simply don't believe this and are determined to argue about it.

Some dogs are very tolerant and will allow hugging and kissing, some try to get away, some lick the face of the hugger until they let go and some resort to biting. Some rare dogs do enjoy hugs from a person that they love, who scratches their chest while hugging and who doles out hugs on the dog's terms. There are few if any dogs who enjoy hugs the way kids do it, which is to clasp the dog around the neck and hang on. This is very threatening to a dog. The fact that the dog is uncomfortable or even feeling a threat and the proximity of the child's face to the dog's teeth makes this potentially very dangerous. This is why we recommend that parents teach children to show affection to the dog in ways that do not involve hugs and kisses.

In a study that looked at the reasons for dog bites to children the following was found:

Dogs Understand Intimacy

Children and the elderly are the two populations most likely to be seriously injured by dog bites. Children are frequent victims because they lack both impulse control and dog savvy. Since much of my business is family dog training, a large part of my responsibility as a dog behavior professional is to teach parents how they can help their children live safely with dogs and teach children appropriate dog skills. I also try to teach people about how to understand their dogs, what dogs like, what they don't like, and how they use body language to communicate these feelings and preferences with us.

Hugs are a frequent cause of dog bites to children - most dogs don't like hugging. Dogs just aren't a "hugging" species; they don't crave ventral contact like we primates do. When I tell this to my clients, they often respond with expressions of disbelief, and occasionally, indignance. "But my dog loves being hugged!" Frequently, when we watch the dog, his body language tells a different story - we see body language which includes "whale eye" (seeing much of the whites of the dog's eyes), looking away, lip licking, yawning, pulling away from the handler. If a dog decides he doesn't like being hugged, his teeth are at face level; this is why many bites to children involve facial disfigurement.

There are lots of items on the "List of Things Human Think Dogs Like That Dogs Actually Usually Don't Like One Bit. Hugging, kissing, direct eye contact, pats on the head, and close facial proximity in general are but a few.

Why do dogs shake their legs?

If you have a dog, you probably know all of his little idiosyncrasies well. More than likely, one of them is kicking his leg when you scratch a certain place on his stomach. Long-time dog owners will know that almost all dogs do this. Typically it happens when you scratch them in a place known as the "saddle" region, which includes the belly, flanks and back. Some kick one leg, some kick the other, and the height and speed of the kick can vary depending on where you scratch and on the individual dog. It doesn't make much sense -- he kicks his leg even though there's no way that leg can actually reach your hand to make it stop. It's funny, but have you ever stopped to ponder why it's happening?

Dogs shake or kick their legs when you scratch them because of something known as the scratch reflex. It's a completely involuntary reaction, which explains why your dog may look as puzzled as you do when it starts to happen. When you scratch or tickle your dog's belly, it irritates him, much the same way that the wind or a bug might. It activates nerves under his skin that are connected to his spinal cord and relays a message to his leg muscles to kick in an attempt to get rid of the irritant. Of course, you're the one both providing the "itch" and "scratching" it, so it's a completely pointless act.

The scratch reflex does have one purpose -- it's reliable enough that veterinarians sometimes use it to assist in diagnosing nerve damage or neurological problems. And while we've called it an irritant, you're not really irritating your dog at all. Most dogs like a scratch on their bellies, so just move to another spot. If he really doesn't like it, he'll just let you know by moving away. Think of it as similar to our knee-jerk reflex, when the doctor taps your knee and your leg kicks out. Or when you scratch a cat at the base of his tail and his rear end rises up. It's just one of those quirks of animal anatomy.

Not all Dogs Like Being Petted

Sounds crazy doesn’t it?

When we think of dogs we think of getting lost in their luxurious fur.

Just petting them lowers our blood pressure and can take stress right out of our lives.

Thankfully most dogs like being petted, but not all dogs do. Even dogs that were taken home as pups and loved and coddled may not like being petted and touched affectionately.

Some dogs are just not overly affectionate; it is part of who they are as individuals.

These dogs usually are the dogs that would rather play ball or train or interact in games with you than snuggle in your blanket with you.

They are the ones that are happy laying on their own beds on the floor and don’t generally come to you for affection; they get interaction from you in other ways.

Or these are the dogs that demand affection and “worship” from you but only on their own schedule. They may nuzzle you for affection one minute; and then threaten you for petting them the next.

This Dog has Soft Squinty Eyes

Genetics vs. a Learned Behavior

Some puppies are born like this; they are just more independe

Do Our Pets Really Love Us?

In the English language, we have just one wordto describe the different types of love. Theancient Greeks were a bit smarter in this respect;they used different words to describe the love fora spouse, a sibling, a parent or a friend.

You have to wonder which word they used todescribe the love between pets and people. Weknow how we feel towards our pets, but do theyexperience the same emotions toward us? Or isthe bond simply a mixture of instinct, dependence and social role?

In short, do our pets really "love" us, as we understand it? In a word,

the answer is yes, according to clinical evidence. Food does play alarge role in feelings of affection between pet and owner. But dog doesnot live by biscuit alone – and neither does a cat's affection dependsolely on treats. The mere presence and/or touch of a preferred personhas been shown to reduce the heart rate of these animals – a sign ofbonding. (The same is true with horses.)

How do dogs perceive time?

Most dogs are never late for a meal -- they know exactly where to be at the same time every day. They also know when to expect their owner home and, like clockwork, place themselves patiently at the door for that arrival. When you witness this behavior, you assume dogs have a sophisticated understanding of time. But what is time really like for a dog?

They say a human year is equivalent to about seven dog years. But what does this common theory tell us about a dog's perception of time? Actually, very little. The idea of "dog years" comes from the life expectancy of dogs compared to humans. So it wouldn't be correct to apply this idea to the concept of time perception.

To understand how dogs perceive time, we first need to understand how humans perceive time. Arguably, each person experiences the passing of time in different ways at different times. Albert Einstein once explained the principle of relativity by saying, "When a man sits with a pretty girl for an hour, it seems like a minute. But let him sit on a hot stove for a minute -- and it's longer than any hour. That's relativity" 

Even though the experience of time is relative for every individual, all humans think about time in similar ways. For instance, our memories are inextricably tied to how we understand the passing of time. Our ability to remember events in a particular order plays a large part in our perception of time. We're also able to predict things. Though we don't all claim to be psychic, each of us counts on certain events in the future -- even as simple as assuming that the sun will come up tomorrow. These abilities have important implications -- for instance, memory and prediction allow us to have a sense of continuity, personal history and self-awareness.

Do Dogs Feel Love?

We feel tremendous love for our dogs, and our dogs sure seem to love us. But is a dog really capable of emotions? Or are we just projecting our own love onto our dogs?

Scientists avoid the subject because part of what sets humans apart from the animals is our ability to experience feelings. To say that animals actually have feelings, in the same way we do, would change everything – perhaps disrupt our entire position and standing in the animal kingdom.

However, any dog owner knows that dogs love completely and have a greater capacity for love than most people. If one were to describe the main characteristics of a dog, they would have to be:

• strong affection
• warm attachment
• unselfish loyalty and benevolent concern for others

Wait a minute – those are the Merriam-Webster Dictionary definitions of love. Probably why the author of Dogs Never Lie About Love, Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson writes, “dogs are love.” So there isn’t a question of whether dogs love, the mystery is how they have such an enormous capacity for it. Dogs who are neglected or abused still show love for their human and wag their tails in hope of a little affection.

Dogs Give Unconditional Love

Dogs taken from abusive situations hold no grudges toward the human race. A half an ounce of kindness from a new person results in an abundance of affection from the formerly mistreated dog. Humans rarely have the capacity to so completely forgive and love under those circumstances.

Why Do Dogs Like to Lean on Us?

One of my dogs, Max, is a big guy. When we're outside in the dog pen, he likes to come over and sit beside me. However, he doesn't just sit, he leans and if I'm standing up and not paying attention, he knocks me sideways because his lean is more of a flop against my legs. All of my dogs like to lean on me at times, but why do they snuggle up next to our legs or beside us on the couch?

Kelly, the matriarch of my dog family, will either sit beside me on the couch or climb onto my lap and lean against me. Then she lays her head on my arm or chest and melts my heart with her eyes as she gazes into mine. Some of the time, I know she's trying to butter me up for some CANIDAE Tidnips treats, but usually it's because she likes to cuddle whenever she gets the chance. Keikei and Riley are fond of sitting on my feet when I'm standing or sitting, which keeps my feet warm on a cold night.

Cuddling is one reason dogs lean against us, but think about how dogs, especially small dogs, see our world. It can be a pretty intimidating place for some canines. A dog that feels unsure of himself or is shy will press up next to your legs for security. A scared dog may move behind you and seek comfort knowing you are there to protect him. It's his way of saying you make him feel safe.

16 Common Dog Myths

Not sure what to believe when it comes to the health of your dog? Well, look no further! Petplace.com helps to put a muzzle on the myth.

1. Dogs should have a litter before they are spayed.

This is not true. Dogs that have a litter before they are spayed are not better for it in any way. In fact, spayed dogs are at lower risk for breast cancer and uterine infections.

2. Dogs are sick when their noses are warm.

The temperature of a dogs nose does not indicate health or illness or if they have a fever. There is an "old wives tale" that cold wet noses indicate health. And Warm or dry noses indicate a fever or illness. The only accurate method to access a dog's temperature is to take it with a thermometer. Normal dog temperature is 100.5 to 102.5 degrees F.

3. Mutts are always healthier than purebred dogs.

This is not true. Both mutts and purebred dogs can be unhealthy. Both can have diseases, however, mutts generally do not have many of the genetic diseases common in purebred lines.

4. All dogs like to be petted on their heads.

Some dogs do like to be petted on their heads but many do NOT.