Are you considering a non-shedding dog to help alleviate allergies or asthma?
Here’s something you might not have heard before: it’s not dog hair that triggers problems in humans. So, the best dogs for allergies aren’t necessarily non-shedding dogs.
Proteins in dog skin, saliva, dander, and even dog urine are what trigger allergies and allergic reactions. Dog fur can also collect allergens like dust, mold, and pollen. All of this means there are no real hypoallergenic dogs.
Getting a non-shedding dog will do little to reduce asthmatic or allergic reactions, since all dogs have the proteins that cause problems. Unfortunately, truly hypoallergenic dogs simply do not exist, despite what some unethical breeders may say.
The best dogs for allergies might be no dog at all. If you have allergies or asthma, seriously rethink getting a dog. If you’ve ever been hospitalized for an allergic reaction or asthma attack, you may even be risking your life to live with a dog. Good dogs for allergic people with severe allergies are rare.
Does anyone spending a significant amount of time with the dog, especially someone in your household, or who you visit regularly, may have allergies? Some estimates say that about 10 percent of people have allergies to animals! Even people with minor allergies can find that their allergies get worse over time, and that they have to give up a much-loved dog because they suffer with constant itching, sneezing, and wheezing.
However, some good news is that dog allergens are often specific to particular breeds. Some breeds produce less allergens than others, and these are often good dogs for allergic people. Every individual has a unique allergic threshold, and may be allergic to only specific allergens. This means that a specific breed of dog may cause an allergic reaction in one person, but not another. So, the best dogs for allergies might depend on the person.
Given how specific allergies are, if you’re considering a specific breed of dog because they’re supposed to be hypoallergenic dogs, it may be helpful to actually spend time with the dog. You can do this by spending some time at a breeder of the breed of dog that you’re interested in. If the breed has good dogs for allergic people, your allergies should be fairly mild. Do not do this if you have severe allergies!
Hypoallergenic dog breeds
The best dogs for allergies are breeds that seem to bother allergy sufferers less than others. Most of these tend to be smaller dogs, since a smaller dog has less dander, skin, and saliva to be allergic to. Many of these dogs for allergic people also shed minimally, meaning that less allergens are released into the air.
The best dogs for allergies include:
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- American Hairless Terrier
- Basenji
- Bedlington Terrier
- Bergamasco
- Bichon Frise
- Bichon
- Bolognese
- Border Terrier
- Cairn Terrier
- Cavachon
- Chacy Ranior
- Hairless Chinese Crested
- Cockapoo
- Coton De Tulear
- Doodleman Pinscher
- Giant Schnauzer
- Hairless Khala
- Havanese
- Irish Water Spaniel
- Kerry Blue Terrier
- Labradoodle
- Lagotto Romagnolo
- Lowchen
- Maltese
- Malti-Poo
- Miniature Littlefield Sheepdog
- Miniature Poodle
- Miniature Schnauzer
- Native American Indian Dog
- Peruvian Inca Orchid
- Poos
- Portuguese Water Dog
- Puli
- Schnoodle
- Shepadoodle
- Shichon
- Shih-Tzu
- Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier
- Spanish Water Dog
- Standard Poodle
- Standard Schnauzer
- Tibetan Terrier
- Toy Poodle
- West Highland White Terrier
- Wirehaired Fox Terrier
- Xoloitzcuintle
- Yorkshire Terrier
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Learn more about choosing the perfect dog in my book, Choosing a Happy, Healthy Puppy.