Dogs know when they are being laughed at, according to the British Kennel Club.

Anyone who has looked deep into the eyes of a poodle that has been dyed pink, doused in glitter or had Snow White and at least three of the seven dwarfs carved across its rump will find it hard to disagree.

Alarmed by the rise of extreme dog grooming, animal charities have urged owners to resist the trend. They warn that not only might it be physically irritating, it is also likely to be humiliating.

Caroline Kisko, secretary of the Kennel Club, said: “We are not greatly in favour of doing anything to dogs that makes them feel ‘silly’. Dogs know when they are being laughed at. You can get a dog that will love being the centre of attention. But some will feel silly,” she said.

“Outfits come under the same banner. If someone wants to put a bumblebee costume on their dog for Christmas, that’s fine, but take it off again. The dog doesn’t want to be a bumblebee. With colour dyeing and so on, if you are intending that your dog wander around looking like a pink rabbit for the rest of its days, I would say that is pretty questionable. But if it is pink dye that will come out when you wash it, maybe that’s OK.”

Ms Kisko said that human vanity was robbing dogs of their dignity. “They are not toys and we need to maintain that a dog is a dog,” she said. “Since we can’t ask them we should err on the side of caution. Why is it suddenly OK to dress a dog up in silly clothing or dye it? If you put a dog in a handbag, you are treating it as if it is an adornment rather than a dog.”

Elisa Allen, of Peta, said: “Dogs aren’t bonsai trees to be sculpted into shapes that please us. Many are nervous about being groomed, and dyeing them bright colours puts them at risk of allergic reactions and even toxic poisoning.”

Daniela Forshaw, a dog groomer from Essex, insisted that her poodle, Venice, loved her look. She said: “My dog is the best kept in country — just pink.”