Floppy eared dogs come in many shapes and sizes, and each one is unique in appearance and personality.
If you’re thinking of introducing a floppy-eared fuzz ball into the family, you may need to learn more about each breed.
In this article, we will walk you through 14 of the most popular breeds in floppy-eared dogs, and what to expect.
We can’t promise your new puppy won’t leave teeth marks on the legs of your antique dining room chair, or not pee in your favorite shoes.
However, you may have a better idea of which breed will fit in with your family the best.
Floppy eared dogs
We’ve compiled a list of 14 of the most popular floppy eared dogs, along with a breakdown of each breed’s appearance, temperament, and life expectancy.
Labrador
One of the most popular breeds of floppy eared dogs. The Labrador is powerful, smart, and they love their families.
Labrador Appearance:
Labradors are lean and strong in appearance with a large head and medium-sized floppy ears. They also have an average length stocky tail that originally helped them to propel through the water like a rudder.
Labrador: Life Expectancy
Labradors have an average life expectancy of a good 10 to 12 years.
The Labrador Coat
Labradors have a single coat that is short, thick, and very dense. Their coat is a remnant of their working dog ancestry. It’s weather-resistant and makes them hardy in bad weather. The downside to this beautifully warm and cozy coat is that they shed… a lot! not ideal for This makes Labradors a problem for people with allergies.
Labrador Temperament
Labradors are widely regarded as the gentlest and least aggressive of dog breeds. They’re friendly and exceptionally sweet in nature!
Labradors are also highly intelligent and eager to please and are commonly trained as guide dogs for the blind.
Being so clever, sociable, and adaptable has contributed to making the Labrador breed so incredibly popular.
Springer Spaniel
These loveable, lively bundles of high energy are often mistaken for being uncontrollable forces of nature. However, these floppy eared dogs are incredibly friendly, bright, and very trainable.
Springer Spaniel: Appearance
Springer Spaniels have a small and thick body that is slightly longer than it is tall. They have muscular legs and a well-proportioned build enables them to run very fast.
Having floppy ears, their faces have an everlasting adorable expression, and the medium-sized, usually hazel-colored eyes of these pups are beyond captivating.
Springer Spaniels: Life Expectancy
The Springer Spaniels have a life expectancy that is relatively long. They can live between 9 and 15 years on average.
The Springer Spaniel Coat
Springer’s have a medium-length double coat. The topcoat is commonly wavy but may also be flat and the undercoat is compact, dense, and soft. This weatherproof, waterproof, and thornproof coat helps keep them warm and safe.
Springer Spaniels Temperament
These dogs are highly active and have seemingly limitless energy to burn. Springer Spaniels are friendly, and are very loving to their owners! These energetic dogs prefer the company of people rather than other dogs.
Springers are very intelligent, energetic dogs with powerful noses. They are a popular choice to work as rescues dogs, or as police sniffer dogs.
These floppy eared tornados are best suited to a busy home and an active outdoorsy family.
Basset Hound
Basset hounds are good-natured dogs that are powerful and strong-willed. They’re perfectly capable of dragging you through a hedge if they pick up an interesting smell with their super-sensitive nose.
Basset Hound: Appearance
Bassets are deceptively strong, they have dense bones with large bodies and short legs. Given that they’re bulky, Basset hounds mature slowly, often not attaining full size until around 2 years old.
These floppy eared dogs are instantly recognizable by their little, bent legs, their long hanging floppy ears, and their big heads with drooping lips, big brown eyes, and creased foreheads for their big brain.
Basset Hounds: Life Expectancy
Coming to their life expectancy, most Basset Hounds live for a good 12 – 13 years.
The Basset Hound: Coat
Their coat is short and flat that can be composed of any recognized hound color. Additionally, with low overall grooming needs, their dust-resistant coat doesn’t need too much cleaning.
Basset Hounds Temperament
The basset hound is usually an amiable, even-tempered dog. Historically, since they lived in packs, they tend to get along with most other dogs and pets in general. Bassets are people-oriented and do well around children as well!
However, being fairly smart and stubborn dogs, they’re not too easy to train. A patient and firm handler with plenty of composure is needed to bring out the best in them.
Beagle
Beagles are low maintenance for grooming, they are friendly with people, children, and pets alike. However, these greedy little munch machines will eat you out of house and home, then happily raid your trash can.
Beagle: Appearance
Beagles are medium-sized, compact dogs with floppy ears. Officially, they come in two varieties: 13-inch and 15-inch. The 13-inch variants of the breed don’t exceed 13 inches in height at their shoulders, while the 15-inch ones are between 13 – 15 inches tall.
Beagles: Life Expectancy
The normal life expectancy of a Beagle is between 10 to 15 years.
The Beagle Coat
Their rain-resistant coat is smooth, thick, and hard-wearing to harsh weather. The good news is they don’t shed a lot! Beagles have a double coat that only needs to be brushed once every 7 – 10 days to prevent shedding.
Temperament of Beagles
Your average Beagle is a friendly, gentle, and affectionate dog who’ll love to be around people. These dogs are active and thrive when they’re outside, stimulating their senses and having fun. On the flip side, however, this means that they easily get bored and destructive. So keeping them occupied is the way to go!
English Setter
These large good-natured dogs are friendly, sociable but very protective. However, if left alone there’s a good chance they’ll become destructive. English setters can be stubborn and need to be coaxed rather than forced to do something. They’re very clever and have long memories.
English Setter: Appearance
The English Setter is a gorgeous, graceful, and slim dog with white coloration and blue, lemon, orange, or brown speckling. Some dogs may even be tricolored: blue, brown, and white.
A fully-matured male English setter stands anywhere from 25 – 27 inches tall and weighs 64 – 80 lbs. Females are typically a little smaller.
English Setters: Life Expectancy
The life expectancy of an average English Setter is about 12 years
The English Setter Coat
Their coat is long, silky, flat, and somewhat wavy. With large, hazel eyes, a dark nose, and rather long floppy ears that hang downwards, the English Setter dogs have an unbeatable appearance.
The ears, legs, tail, and underbody are all extremely feathered.
English Setters Temperament
The English Setter is a gentle and placid dog, known to be especially good with children. This sensitive and mild-mannered breed loves to both give and receive love. As gentle as they are, these dogs are highly protective and alert, guarding their families and territories!
Afghan Hound
Less than eager to please, this aloof dog needs a lot of work and dedication. Afghan hounds get bored very easily when left alone, and this easily turns into destructive behavior. However, Afghan hounds can be fun and rewarding for the owner willing to put the time and effort in.
Afghan Hound: Appearance
A male Afghan Hound usually stands about 28 inches tall, and generally weighs between 50 – 60 lbs — the females being slightly lighter and shorter.
Afghan Hounds have a regal appearance. Their strong, arched neck, floppy ears, pronounced hips, big paws, and seemingly exaggerated bend at the knees, give this breed a unique look.
Afghan Hound: Life Expectancy
An average Afghan Hound has a good life expectancy, ranging from 12 to 14 years!
The Afghan Hound Coat
An Afghan Hound coat is long, silky, and comes in a variety of colors. Although, they’re never patterned or spotted.
However, with highly intensive grooming needs, handling them could be a lot of work for a busy family.
Afghan Hounds Temperament
Afghan Hounds tend to be independent and strong-willed, making it essential that you train them firmly. They’re also self-confident and standoffish.
Additionally, these dogs can be quite suspicious of strangers. If not socialized enough or properly, they’re highly likely to develop a personality that is hard to control.
Labrador Retriever
Probably one of the most popular family dogs in the world. They’re friendly and great with kids. Retrievers are incredibly clever and highly trainable.
They do need a lot of exercise, and stimulation to keep them happy and content.
Labrador Retriever: Appearance
A Labrador Retriever is easily noticeable by their wide head, floppy ears, and large, expressive eyes.
These dogs are quite strong and sturdy. They’re almost square in appearance, having a large frame and firm legs.
The males are usually about 24 inches tall, which puts them in the medium-sized category and weigh about 85 pounds. The female counterparts are normally smaller and shorter.
Labrador Retrievers: Life Expectancy
These dogs mature moderately fast, reaching adulthood at 6 to 12 months of age. And, they usually live 12 to 14 years!
The Labrador Retriever Coat
Two hallmarks of the Labrador Retrievers are the short but fairly thick double coat that is highly water-resistant, and the well-known “otter tail.” The color of their coat can range from chocolatey through black to yellow/red or even almost entirely white!
Labrador Retrievers Temperament
In general, these dogs make a wonderful addition to a family, as long as you take care of their exercise and training needs.
Originally, this breed was bred to work and work hard, being idle is not in their genetic makeup..
The Labrador Retrievers are normally good with other pets, other dogs, and children. However, they are inclined to get separation anxiety, so be aware of this if you are leaving them for long periods at a time.
Training is a great way to tone down their natural bounciness and enthusiasm.
Dachshund
These plucky dogs of limited stature clearly believe in their heads that they’re ten feet tall. This popular breed makes excellent house dogs and companions, they’re also a natural watchdog who are suspicious of strangers entering their territory.
Dachshund: Appearance
Although the Dachshunds are usually seen as a uniform breed, it is exciting to note that there are, in fact, two size classes in them: standard and miniature. Both these alternatives have no huge difference in height, however…
The main element that sets apart these two breed categorizations is weight. A standard Dachshund dog will weigh about 16 – 32 pounds, while a miniature Dachshund may weigh up to about 10 – 11 pounds. No matter their weight class, though, these dogs are sure to have one of the most adorable floppy ears you’ll see in canines!
Dachshunds: Life Expectancy
The life expectancy of an average Dachshund is about 12 to 16 years — meaning you’ll get many years to spend with your pet!
Temperament of Dachshunds
If you’re looking for dogs of a calm breed that will carry themselves with mannerly behavior, you probably shouldn’t be looking at Dachshunds. They may be considered as big dogs in a little pooch’s body! They are small but brave and stubborn, and almost certainly never shy.
Cocker Spaniel
These excitable bundles of fun have probably the waggiest tails on the planet. They’re extremely friendly and sociable and very submissive and keen to please. However, they do need lots of exercise and stimulation.
Cocker Spaniel: Appearance
The Cocker Spaniels have a rounded head and a wide, square muzzle. Their ears are beautifully floppy, long, as well as feathered, and their back tilts toward the tail, lending these dogs a striking appearance.
Cocker Spaniels: Life Expectancy
These dogs have a long life expectancy, ranging from a good 12 to 15 years!
The Cocker Spaniel Coat
Cocker Spaniels have an impressive coat that’s thick, occasionally wavy, and short on the back and head. On other areas, like the ears, chest, legs, and belly, however, the coat runs long. As remarkable as their coat is, it takes a lot to keep it in good shape. Groom Cocker Spaniels regularly.
Cocker Spaniels Temperament
With a wonderful temperament that makes them excellent companions, the Cocker Spaniels are a top choice of many. These dogs are friendly, loving, and want to be around their family all the time! That also means they don’t like being left alone and can undergo separation anxiety if left to themselves for a long time.
Weimaraner
They are fantastically athletic but don’t make great family dogs. They need a killer exercise regime, that can swallow up most of your spare time. They’re dominant with other dogs and instinctively predatory towards other smaller pets such as guinea pigs, rabbits, and cats.
Weimaraner: Appearance
A Weimaraner dog is 23 – 28 inches at the shoulder; females are usually slightly shorter. The bodies of these dogs are muscular and built to work, streamlined, and capable of running with excellent endurance. Their head is steady with adorable floppy ears.
Weimaraners: Life Expectancy
The life expectancy of a typical Weimaraner ranges from 10 to 15 years!
The Weimaraner Coat
The coat of the Weimaraner dogs is short, sleek, and regarded as “wash-and-wear.” These pooches need a quick rubdown with a curry brush every now and then. Owing to the mouse-gray/silver-gray coat color, the Weimaraner has gained the nickname “The Gray Ghost.”
Weimaraner Temperament
Weimaraners are fairly active dogs, demanding a high level of physical activity routinely. And even though they’re hunting dogs, they aren’t good kennel dogs — Weimaraners prefer living with their owners. This highly intelligent breed needs activities to keep them mentally occupied; a lack of which leads to destructive behavior like digging and chewing stuff.
Bloodhound
A friendly and approachable breed that loves to be around people they know.
Young at heart, they can take longer than most dogs to mature and can seem quite awkward and ungainly, much like a puppy.
They can be possessive over food and toys.
Bloodhound: Appearance
Bloodhounds are quite large, with the males standing anywhere from 25 – 27 inches tall and weighing about 90 – 110 lbs, while the females can be 23 – 25 inches tall and measure 80 – 100 pounds on a weighing scale.
The dogs of this breed are really wrinkly, with their coat hanging in folds of their loose skin, especially at the sides of their face and over the forehead.
These folds, alongside their long floppy ears, help to direct scent from the soil up to the Bloodhound’s nose and keep it there longer than usual. And that is why they’re excellent at tracking scents.
Bloodhounds: Life Expectancy
The life expectancy of an average Bloodhound is anywhere from a good 11 – 15 years, and they’re are a healthy breed, in general.
The Bloodhound Coat
A Bloodhound’s loose coat needs to be brushed weekly, and their shedding is something to be mindful of, especially if you have related allergies.
Bloodhound Temperament
Bloodhounds usually have a loving temperament and are very gentle in personality. And although they may track a scent for miles, they’re one of the worst guard dogs ever! The reason is that they like humans! What’s more, they can be considerably shy with people whom they haven’t met before!
Poodle
Highly intelligent and easy to train, poodles are floppy eared dogs that are extremely clever. They’re friendly gentle and have hypoallergenic fur, and make fantastic family pets.
Poodle: Appearance
Poodles have three recognized size variations:
- Standard Poodles, standing over 15 inches and weighing around 45 to 70 pounds
- Miniature Poodles, at 10 – 15 and 12 – 20 pounds
- Toy Poodles, with less than 10 inches of height and about 5 – 7 pounds of weight.
All the Poodles share a square frame, with an aristocratic neck, floppy ears, and an even back. Poodles tend to have an elegant appearance coupled with a long muzzle and a bouncy, lively gait.
Poodles: Life Expectancy
Many poodles live a relatively long life. The smaller-sized poodles have an average lifespan of about 13-15 years, while the standard poodles tend to live for about 12 to 14 years.
The Poodle Coat
The poodles have a long, curly coat, and they make good dogs for people with allergies as they don’t shed too much; instead, their hair mats to themselves. In point of fact, this is why poodles need frequent clipping since the mats can be painful.
Poodle Temperament
Poodles are a breed renowned for their intelligence and trainability. They are vibrant, energetic, and fun-loving dogs that thrive on attention and may develop destructive behaviors such as nuisance barking if neglected or left alone. Especially smaller poodles, who are known to make up for their size with aggressive tendencies.
No matter the variety of poodles you own, they should always be socialized to make sure they don’t react badly or aggressively to something new.
Black and Tan Coonhound
They get on great with other dogs and people but need lots of exercise. Black and Tan Coonhounds are floppy-eared dogs that are intelligent but very stubborn and need lots of training and persuading.
Black and Tan Coonhound: Appearance
These big, muscular working dogs have long floppy ears. They have hazel or dark brown eyes and a dense, tapered tail.
Male black and tan coonhounds stand 25 – 27 inches tall and usually weigh between 50 – 75 pounds. The female counterparts are 23 – 25 inches in height and 40 – 65 pounds in weight.
Black and Tan Coonhound: Life Expectancy
The life expectancy of these scenthounds is about 10 – 12 years.
The Black and Tan Coonhound Coat
Black and Tan Coonhounds have a short coat that is designed to endure both the hardships of winter and the rigor of summer. As their name suggests, the coat of this breed is black with tan markings. The markings could be located anywhere, but are usually present above the eyes, on the legs and chest, and on the sides of the muzzle.
Black and Tan Coonhound Temperament
The black and tan coonhounds have an intelligent, responsive, and loyal temperament. They’re passionate about whatever work you give them. These dogs are pretty outgoing and pleasant, although some may be wary of strangers.
Additionally, since they were originally bred to work somewhat independently, these dogs may be a bit headstrong, making the training more arduous.
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Playful and friendly, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are great floppy eared dogs that love their home comforts, and a nice lap to sleep on.
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel: Appearance
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is sophisticated and noble in appearance, yet charmingly and adorable.
Being among the largest toy breeds its body frame is 12 – 13 inches high and 13 – 18 pounds heavy.
The face of a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel dog carries a distinctive expression — sweet, gentle, and curious all rolled into one, pronounced by its large, dark brown eyes that set well apart, and cutesy floppy ears.
Cavalier King Charles Spaniels: Life Expectancy
These toy, companion dogs have an average life expectancy of about 9 to 14 years.
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Coat
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel dogs have a long, soft, and silky coat that comes in four color blends:
- Red and white — with a fragmental red mask, ears, and red spots on a white body;
- Tricolor — black and white with tan spots;
- Ruby — solid red colored;
- Black and tan.
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Temperament
These dogs are delightfully affectionate, playful, and intelligent. They’ll want to eagerly indulge in whatever you do. What’s more, attributes like shyness and aggression are not part of Cavalier King Charles Spaniel’s identity. On top of that, they’re excellent with children and make excellent family pets!
Floppy eared dogs – The Conclusion
Floppy eared dogs are an interesting variety of canines. Dogs that have this physical trait often look very cute and appealing, but they also come in many different breeds which can be difficult to determine if you don’t know your dogs.
If you’re looking for a new pet or just want to learn more about a particular breed, we hope the above list proves to be invaluable!