Dog cube is the latest obsession in Japan and Taiwan

It’s a tradition in landscaping, but in pet stores? Dog owners in Japan and Taiwan are taking their canines to have their hair groomed into perfect cubes. Yes, cubes. It’s cute and geometrically pleasing, and the style has exploded on the internet, leaving dog lovers across the globe more than a little curious.

It’s unclear exactly when the trend came about, but it was a huge hit at the Tokyo Dog Festival back in 2012. The trend "came about because people were always looking for more impressive haircuts, and somebody came up with the idea of shaping the dog like a hedge", Tain Yeh — a hairdresser for dogs in Taipei — told the Daily Mail.

Dog cubes. Scientific proof that the Japanese have too much god-damned time on their hands. http://t.co/pmU8s3NDCV pic.twitter.com/cJZmuxOjj3

— Ralph Garman (@RalphGarman) June 3, 2015

It’s not just dogs who are getting the square treatment — for over 30 years, the Japanese have been enjoying cube-shaped watermelon, which will run you about $100. But dogs are different than fruit (we know; groundbreaking observation) and not all puppies can work the cubeface.

TIL there is a trend in Japan/Taiwan to shave your dog to look like a cube. pic.twitter.com/zAPH6FdJBZ

— Florian Vanthuyne (@prplps) June 2, 2015

According to Buzzfeed News, the haircut is only available for pups who have lots of hair around their face, like poodles or shih tzus. Olga Zabelinskaya, a New Jersey pet groomer and specialist in international grooming styles, told Huffi ngton Post that the cube cut is "not practical" as it requires an inordinate amount of product to maintain the rigid right angles.

Japanese trend of shaving #dog fur into cubes!!! #japan #japanese #weirdtwitter pic.twitter.com/thWofovhYk

— Paul Day (@Skunk69) June 3, 2015

What’s more practical and less angular is the art of shaving a dog’s hair into a circle. Zabelinskaya says the circle cut is "more subdued, and easier to maintain