Dogs and Allergies

[the_std]

I know that a lot of people on this forum have furbabies, so I thought this might be a good place to ask.

I'm allergic to pretty much everything in my life, and pet dander is especially bad. Most cats and dogs leave me with gigantic hives and swollen eyes just from being in the room with them. This conflicts with my insane love for dogs and the desire to adopt every one I see. My boyfriend and I are beginning our research on our future pet, and cannot seem to decide on a breed.

Now, I know there is no such thing as a truly hypoallergenic dog, but there are breeds that don't cause nearly as many problems as others. My forays into this topic have led me to such dogs as the Airedale terrier, the Wheaton terrier and all the sizes of Poodle. Does anyone else have experience or suggestions they can offer in this arena?

[AmbrosiaWriter]

If you want a small dog, Bischo freise (omg spelling) is a good one.

Schnauzers come in three sizes (standard, giant, and mini.) They are good if you want a buddy-buddy dog, they will be at your side, and are quite protective. However, kind of like a bull dog, they can be a bit stubborn, so you'll need to have a firm grasp of when to discipline and when to reward for behavior (though all dogs will have a need for training, I do suggest taking them to training classes if you have little experience yourself.)

Yorkshire Terriers are tiny dogs if you need a small one, but they tend to be the most... erm... big dog in small body syndrome if not trained properly. I've never seen so many misbehaved dogs as the Yorkie, but I place fault on the owners for going "OOOH LOOKIE THE LITTLE CUUUTIIEE, HE'S SOO AWDOWADLBLE" and not actually training. -.-;

Bedlington Terriers are kind of funny looking, but I love the funny look they have - well, if you get them groomed traditionally. They're quite calm and passive dogs, and are good if you are a very laid back household. Medium sized dog.

Basenji. Why? BECAUSE THEY ARE FOX LIKE! So cute. I love them. They don't bark, and actually have very little dander. UUhm.. on the not barking bit.. they do kind of a bay/yodel... but you can train them no to. Another kind of stubborn dog.

Chinese Crested. Though they are weird looking they are super hypoallergenic. (I think it's a cute kind of weird, but I think most pit bulls are adorable, even the gargoyle faced ones!)

Anyway, these are the best I've come across in my time at a vet clinic and working with dogs in general. Have any questions about anything else DOG feel free to PM me.

[freeatlast]

Shitzus are also pretty good if you have allergies. They have hair instead of fur and they do not shed. I am allergic and our shitzu does not bother me.

[ArcticChicken]

Poodle crosses are often fairly hypoallergenic. For small ones, I like cockapoos, I've never met one that wasn't an absolute darling.

[LesserSouthernFroglet]

Shitzus are also pretty good if you have allergies. They have hair instead of fur and they do not shed. I am allergic and our shitzu does not bother me.

I've got two maltese terrier - shitzu crosses (both have shitzu type hair). One of them is a compusive groomer, and leaves chunks of chewed off hair all over the place. As a result, they're both clipped fairly short most of the time, with longer tails. They shed less than the cats apart from the chewing-off-dreadlocks thing, and they have way more hair to shed.

Good luck finding the perfect pooch! I do hear good things about poodles as far as allergies go.

[Eevie]

I myself have a schnauzer mix and she's probably the best dog I've ever had. She does have a very piercing bark however. And the neighbor who are very sensitive around dogs have no real problems with her.

[Seshat]

Best thing for controlling pet dander is to control it while it's on the pet.

Wash.
Brush.
Clip.

Take your best antihistamine before doing any of these chores, and wear a protective mask and gloves.

Give the dog a thorough daily brushing, first with a detangling comb, then with a shedding rake, and finally with a soft-bristled brush like a boar-bristle brush.

Give him a weekly bath. If your vet or pet store can recommend a dander-releasing shampoo (similar to an anti-dandruff shampoo), use that. When the dog is dry, another brushing is in order.

As appropriate for the breed, keep his fur clipped. It'll make brushing and bathing easier.


Train him to use a particular bed. If he's a big enough dog (or has a small enough bed), you can train him to bring his bed with him when he goes from room to room. Have two of them. Wash them regularly, and separately from human-clothes, human-sheets, human-towels.

This should not only keep the danger minimised, it'll also be a DAMNED effective anti-flea regime.


While training him to accept being brushed, train him to accept you examining and filing his claws, examining his eyes, nose and gums, brushing his teeth, and examining his butt. If you do that on at least a weekly basis, if not a daily basis, you will catch health problems the first day symptoms crop up.

Any halfway decent vet or pet trainer can help you teach an animal to not only accept, but enjoy, this sort of grooming attention and affection.
(Possible exception: animals who have been abused, or who have extreme sensitivities for whatever reason. Even most of these can learn, it will just take a lot more patience while you untrain the 'water-bad' response.)

Good luck.

[monolayth]

I have found that the longer haired dogs bother me less. but I will break out in hives when I touch short haired dogs.

[Flying Grype]

The difference between "hair" and "fur", if I understand correctly, is that an animal that's said to have fur has a double coat, with coarse guard hairs and soft underfluff. An animal with just one texture of hairs in its coat is said to have hair rather than fur. I have no idea if haired dogs are less allergenic than furred dogs.

You could always go with a hairless Xoloitzcuintli. http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/xolorescueleague.html

[the_std]

As much as I think dogs like the Chinese Crested, Xolo and Basenji are adorable, I found a new wrinkle in my plan - the climate I live in. The past few days its been -45oC with the windchill, and that's a pretty regular occurrence every winter.. Dogs like that simply are not suited for the climate, especially because I want to be able to do a lot of outdoor activities with any dog I end up owning.

There's been a lot of excellent advice in this thread!

AmbrosiaWriter - I've never even heard of the Bedlington terrier, but the research I've now done on it make it seem like an excellent choice! A good size and a great temperament.

ArcticChicken - I, too, love poodle crosses. The two dogs I had in my childhood were poodle crosses. The only downside to them is, that if the animal isn't purebred, there's no guarantee as to the dander type or hair characteristics of the dog, and that makes it tough for me.

Seshat - Your advice is fantastic. I've owned dogs as part of my family ever since I was small, so grooming and bathing dogs is not outside of my comfort zone, though they were much smaller than I plan on owning, so they were easier to control. I might look into outside grooming services if I get the medium-to-large size dog I was planning on.

A couple of other things I've come up with since reading the answers in this thread...

- Ideally, I would love to have two dogs, one medium-to-large size and one smaller size. I've seen the difference between "single" dogs and dogs who have others to keep them company throughout the day, and I'd much rather my dog have company when it's alone. Plus - I love dogs! The more the merrier. Does anyone know specific breeds that do well together?

- I would much rather adopt a dog from a rescue association than buy from a breeder, as I know firsthand how tough it can be to weed the good breeders from the bad, and do not want to contribute to the overpopulation of dogs with no homes. Of course, my allergies make this very tough, as, with rescue dogs, there is generally no way to guarantee their breeds. Does anyone have any advice regarding how to determine how allergic you are to a dog, aside from letting the dog lick you and waiting for the hives to form?

[AmbrosiaWriter]

The only way to know if two dogs will get along well together is to introduce them (in a neutral place) and see what happens. Even though dog breed may be prone to a temperament (like the Bedlington terrier), each one is an individual and can have different reactions to a different kind of dog. You can assume based on energy types (for example, if you have a low energy dog you won't want to get a high energy dog, going medium is as far as I would go.)

So if you're going to go based on breed, try to find breeds that a prone to the same kind of physical activity level. A hunting dog bred to run prey down until they collapse in a fit of exhaustion probably won't do well with a dog bred to just be big and intimidating but not really high energy.

You can always call around to shelters to see if they have specific breeds, or if they think they have a breed mixed into one of their dogs. You can also see if you can find profiles online for people trying to find new homes for dogs. As to how you would know if you were allergic prior to interacting with the dog, you'll probably have to ask the employees/volunteers/home finders what breed they get their fur/hair texture and dander level from. Not sure if they'll be knowledgeable enough to have an answer though.

[wolfie]

With some breeds, their energy level might not be what you'd expect. Jack Russels have been referred to as "a big dog in a small dog's body" - very high energy. Dalmatians (watch out for congenital deafness) are also high energy - they were originally bred as "coach dogs", and it shows. Greyhounds are the "40 MPH couch potatoes". Even though they can haul posterior when they want to, most of the time they would rather lie around the house. A couple cautions about greyhounds - when they're outside a fenced yard, they're on a leash, no exceptions. If they see something interesting and take off, there's no way you'll catch them. Also, even in a fenced yard, NEVER tether them (includes the "trolley on a cable" tether), and don't use a leash longer than 6 feet (i.e. no retractables). They can accelerate fast enough that with a tether or a long leash, they'll have enough speed when they reach the end that the shock will break their neck.

[AmbrosiaWriter]

Not all big dogs are high energy. Great Danes - for example - are perfect apartment dogs. While they are big, they just love moving slow and lazing about. Actually, working them out too much is bad for them because it puts a lot of stress on their joints that they can't handle, thanks to breeding for purity all that stuff.

So basically, look into the dog and what it was bred for and how it responds to not being in its bred for situation (for example, a herding dog not being on a farm where it needs to herd - THEY TEND TO HERD CHILDREN. Not kidding, it's HILARIOUS.)

[Seshat]

Contact the various shelters and rescues in your area, and discuss your needs.

You are likely to find a sympathetic worker; and someone who can help you find a matched pair of dogs to try.

While the situation is not ideal, they might be able/willing to have you pet and play with a pair of dogs they suspect would work for you (and with each other); then go home and see if you break out in a terrible set of hives while they hold the dogs for your usual 'incubation' phase.

(It's probably better for the dogs to do it that way, than for them to be taken to a new home, and have to go back to the shelter a week later.)

Anyway: my main recommendation with this is to discuss it with the shelters and rescues.

Also, be aware that there are breed-specific rescues. They may well be able to help.

Finally: shelters and rescues are often looking for people to foster dogs. You may well be able to foster a dog or two; get to know them and the breed, discover how well you tolerate that breed. If you're really lucky, you'll find a foster pair who end up needing a forever home and you can keep them.

[Luna Baby]

We have a poodle/dachsund mix that came from a local shelter. I wouldn't have gotten a 'designer breed' if it hadn't been one from the shelter that just totally grabbed my heart the moment I saw him. He really looks like a short legged poodle. He is totally shed free, although I do get a comb full of hair when I work on his coat.

One thing to mention that you may or may not be aware of. Many of your dogs that 'do not shed' will require lots of coat maintenance. Something I wasn't prepared for. Mine has to go to the groomer much more often than I like (can afford, actually) so I'm learning to trim his hair myself. Poodlles, bishons, yorkies, etc, need to visit with the groomer.

Just my $.02.