Hypoallergenic dogs
Discussion
There is a slowly growing momentum in our house towards getting a dog. We are a family of four, (myself, Mrs, sons 14 & 11).
We’ve talked about it for a long time, it would be good for the boys, the wife needs an excuse to get out in the fresh air after work etc.
One of the major factors against it is that even though I grew up with a dog in the house for most of my childhood/teens, I’m quite allergic to dogs. When we visit other people with dogs houses, my eyes are itchy and swollen, and my breathing is affected.
Is there such a thing as an anti allergy dog?
Anyone with real life experience? Some of the websites telling me which dogs are best have conflicting information.
To throw other spanner’s in the works, we also have two cats, so must play nice and I’d prefer a dog of at least reasonable size so the lads can play fetch and whatever with it. My wife has been put on to a litter of sausage dog pups locally, but they just seem like a toy dog to me, growing up with a lurcher, I’d prefer something that can run about a bit.
We’ve talked about it for a long time, it would be good for the boys, the wife needs an excuse to get out in the fresh air after work etc.
One of the major factors against it is that even though I grew up with a dog in the house for most of my childhood/teens, I’m quite allergic to dogs. When we visit other people with dogs houses, my eyes are itchy and swollen, and my breathing is affected.
Is there such a thing as an anti allergy dog?
Anyone with real life experience? Some of the websites telling me which dogs are best have conflicting information.
To throw other spanner’s in the works, we also have two cats, so must play nice and I’d prefer a dog of at least reasonable size so the lads can play fetch and whatever with it. My wife has been put on to a litter of sausage dog pups locally, but they just seem like a toy dog to me, growing up with a lurcher, I’d prefer something that can run about a bit.
I'm not sure such a thing exists in the absolute sense. There are too many different allergies. FWIW, my wife who suffers from quite a lot of allergies and is largely dog intolerant was able to live with my Norwegian Elkhound.
This despite his shedding insane amounts of hair and dander at least twice yearly. It is the dander, which is attached to pet hair, that causes most dog allergies in humans and dogs that have a non-shedding coat produce less dander. But Elkhound dander is devoid of the protein that causes many allergic reactions.
I suspect the only way to find out is to visit a shelter or other place where you can interact with a candidate breed to see what happens.
This despite his shedding insane amounts of hair and dander at least twice yearly. It is the dander, which is attached to pet hair, that causes most dog allergies in humans and dogs that have a non-shedding coat produce less dander. But Elkhound dander is devoid of the protein that causes many allergic reactions.
I suspect the only way to find out is to visit a shelter or other place where you can interact with a candidate breed to see what happens.
We have a Schnoodle (Schnauzer x Poodle) she doesn't shed and is apparently hypo as are most Poodle x breeds, worth noting though that not all Poodle x breeds are hypo, in certain instances the non-poodle side takes over and you have a dog that sheds and will set allergies off. Pop into the Photos of your dog thread and see if some of us are local and see if you can organise popping along for a walk, will give you a good idea of what the breed is like and if the allergies are set off. I would offer but you aren't local to us otherwise you would be more than welcome to me "the broken one" to see how you get along, each poodle x breed has its own personality traits, Schnoodles are known for being affectionate and good companions (something I can certainly attest to) while being bright and easy to train. Some are known for having boundless energy (cocka and labra) etc you get the idea. The other good news is that they all seem pretty easy to train, Noodle takes 5 attempts before she has something down to a art, downside to her being so bright is she problem solves, the means she will open doors, move chairs etc to get what she is after, entertaining to watch her solve a problem, not so entertaining when she worked out how to open the treat cupboard 
thankfully we were able to train her to ask and not just take, treat cupboard is now safe!
thankfully we were able to train her to ask and not just take, treat cupboard is now safe!rider73 said:
hotchy said:
Lhasa apso? Love mine, wont play fetch. They will more likely steal your ball and not give it back.
dont think its hypo. my sis has allergies and when she visits my parents she gets issues with thiersThey are funny buggers of dogs
I can relate to the fetch thing. Toys do not interest mine in the slightest. Very independant, don't need huge amounts of walking but can go for good long walks if in good shape. Health issues aren't too bad. Our last one's biggest issue was arthritis but she was still in good form until she was 14. Our current one is 9 (10 this year) and was weighed this morning at 5.5 so she's quite wee but healthy, great with kids if brought up with them but they don't take s
t and will often just walk away if they aren't amused by something Gone a bit AMG said:
We have a Samoyed definitely hypo allergenic. Similar to the elk hound mentioned she sheds hair but no dander or doggy smell.
No such thing as a hypo allergenic dog. It's a load of nonsense peddled by breeders.All dogs produce dander which is what sets peoples allergies off. Some produce less but no breed produces none at all.
Gassing Station | All Creatures Great & Small | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff