Best dog for person who suffers with pet allergies

skychick

skychick

Well-Known Member
Joined
12 March 2010
Messages
1,071
Location
Devon
Visit site
We are looking into getting a dog. OH allergic to animals. Its managable and he has gone from being really bad with the horse to me now being able to sit around in hairy jods and him stroking the horse without any allergic reaction, so he really does get better with exposure.
So we have been talking for a long time about how much we want a dog, and if it would be something we could do. We have the space, money, time etc for a dog, but we would love some advice, preferably from people who own dogs despite having allergies as to how they manage it and what sort of dog they have (i know each persons allergies are different) as we want to make a bit of a shortlist so that we can go and spend time with the dogs to see how OH reacts.
I have a border colllie x springer at my parents....she is REALLY hairy....and funnily enough he doesnt react tooo badly to her. He does a bit but shes not the worst.
Have looked into labradoodles....but have heard very mixed reviews about how little they actually do shed. Also that they have a tendancy to be a bit nuts and hyper. also £1000 for a dog!!!! hmmmm i dont think so!!

So any suggestions/reccomendations/experiences would be very gratefully recieved.

Choccie biscuits all round.
 
I have allergies as well so completely sympathise!- I saw an advert the other day for an irish breed of dog I'd never heard of called a Wheaten Terrier- they are supposed to be a good breed of dog to pick if you have allergies as they do not moult or something- they looked really cute as well!
 
Another that would say a poodle. I have no experience of them myself, and am not particularly fond of the look of them, however I have only ever heard good things said about them and for that reason I would consider getting one myself.
 
Ditto poodles! They are such friendly and loving dogs, my old YO bred standards and miniatures. The have loads of energy and the YO's sister did really well in agility with her miniature.

I'd never considered them before I was at that yard, now I don't want anything else, they have such character.
 
Bichon's don't shed, and are such lovely, happy little dogs.

My OH's son has one, and she's a delight. They can be hard work coat wise, however OHS's is clipped short, so not a problem.
 
I'm allergic to horses/cats/birds/rabbits and have had them all!
Like your OH, I get better the more exposure I get - however it doesn't seem to bother me whether long hair or short hair...someone told me its to do with the animal dander on their fur as well as the hair length and shedding.
Now I'm still bad with grey horses (as in white fur) but rode my YO's (dapple) grey ID today and he didn't bother me one iota.
It might just be a long case of trial and error to see what dogs bother him and what dogs dont...but don't go for anything with a thick or long coat, as the undercoat usually gets to people more!!
Very short haired dogs such as Pointers, Weimeraners, Dalmations etc may not affect him as much, as there isn't much hair there to shed.
I think sometimes its all down to the individual its just finding that animal that dosn't bother him.
Good luck!
 
Poodles, Airdale Terriers and Labradoodles (labrador x poodle - gorgeous dogs!) don't moult, so should be good for people with allergies!

Did a bit of research into it a few years ago!
 
Shall have a look into all that you have mentioned. Thanks guys.

Poodle seems the obvious choice so will prob go and meet a few of those.
Also the wheaten terrier, they do look nice, and aparently have a low to non shedding coat.

Tibetan terrier......will have a look into that one!
 
KellysHeroes said:
I'm allergic to horses/cats/birds/rabbits and have had them all!Very short haired dogs such as Pointers, Weimeraners, Dalmations etc may not affect him as much, as there isn't much hair there to shed.
Good luck!
Click to expand...

I really wouldn't recommend a Dalmation, I know somebody who owns one and it moults tiny white hairs absolutely everywhere it's crazy!!!
 
Apparently all these dogs are hypoallergenic, so would be suitable:


Affenpinscher
Afghan Hound
Airedale Terrier
Australian Terrier
Basenji
Bedlington Terrier
Bichon Frisé
Border Terrier
Bouvier des Flandres
Cairn Terrier
Chinese Crested
Dandie Dinmont Terrier
Giant Schnauzer
Harrier
Havanese
Irish Terrier
Irish Water Spaniel
Italian Greyhound
Kerry Blue Terrier
Lakeland Terrier
Lowchen
Maltese
Miniature Bull Terrier
Miniature Schnauzer
Native American Indian Dog
Norwich Terrier
Poodle - Standard
Poodle - Toy
Portuguese Water Dog
Puli
Rat Terrier
Samoyed
Scottish Terrier
Sealyham Terrier
Shih Tzu
Silky Terrier
Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier
Standard Schnauzer
Tibetan Terrier
Welsh Terrier
West Highland White Terrier
Wire Fox Terrier
Wirehaired Pointing Griffon
Yorkshire Terrier
 
We've never had a problem and my friend's son is allergic to dogs as OP's OH is and they've got two! :)

ETA as said above, the drs said to me its not the hairs moulted that are the problem, its the dander on them that causes the reaction...how true it is I don't know, but I react to some cats/horses and not to other so I can completely understand that!
 
Re: Labradoodles

You need to check they have been tested for the non-allergenic gene. Not present in some crosses as may inherit labrador gene instead. I can't remember what the certification is, you'll have to find out but don't get bamboozled by breeders who say they are non-allergenic because to say that they ALL are, is a myth...

:)
 
I know a standard poodle called Barney, who looks more like a trimmed bear than a poodle as-we-know-them. He has the most brilliant huge paws, and when he runs in front of you, he really does look like a mini bear. The most fab temperment, and best friends with a cat. Loves everybody, kind and gentle. I want one !! sm x
 
KellysHeroes said:
You'd think wouldn't you!

I have a German Shorthaired Pointer. My Dad is not allergic to my brother's Lab, but had to take a tablet to be around my dog! And he's a LOT less hairy than the Lab! So I don't think it's the length of hair. He does moult too.... Obv the length of hair just isn't so long....

My friend is really allergic to my boy too.

Not all Labradoodles are hyo allergenic by the way. It's not a guaranteed thing! It depends which parent they take after!
Click to expand...
 
I would love it if he wasnt allergic to Dalmations, i have wanted one all my life lol!

May have to take him to see a few ;-)
 
We are a bit wary of Labradoodles....a) because they may be more along the labrador side in the coat department.
b)i have been speaking to several vets and dog wardens recently and they have said that they get a hell of a lot of people who have them and they are bouncy, silly, over energetic, live wires who literally never stop and they cant handle it.
c) at nearly £1000 a dog.....just because its got a fashion status attached to it, its ridiculous.
Its a shame as they seem like nice dogs and we were really interested in one but they are just too expensive.

Great danes apparently dont shed alot :-D although......we would need to move!
Although being 5 ft 3 i could probably stick a saddle on it and ride it whilst i am horseless LOL!!!
 
My Tibetan Terrier moults like crazy, and she has terrible skin problems due to being quite inbred (we rescued her), I don't know for sure but I wouldn't say she's hypoallergenic. I also wouldn't buy into the labradoodle hype, its not guarenteed to be good for allergy sufferers and ultimately you're paying a grand for a mongrel.
 
We have found that actually a lot of short haired dogs are the worst for allergies, especially the labs.
The short haired ones shed all year round, but thats not the major issue. Short haired dogs seem to have more grease to their coat and produce more of a "doggy grease" if you know what i mean, which is what the OH seems to be allergic to.

Its such a shame, he loves animals dogs especially. I just couldnt have imagined my life growing up without pets. I think the longest its been that i havent had a pet/animal is about 6 months in 24 years.
 
KellysHeroes said:
We've never had a problem and my friend's son is allergic to dogs as OP's OH is and they've got two! :)

ETA as said above, the drs said to me its not the hairs moulted that are the problem, its the dander on them that causes the reaction...how true it is I don't know, but I react to some cats/horses and not to other so I can completely understand that!
Click to expand...

Well the thing is that my Mum is severely allergic to several animals, and she could never go round this friends house without swollen face/inhaler etc. And although I have two labradors, if I don't hoover the carpet every day she then has a reaction.

She has actually been diagnosed as being allergic to their spit and not their hair. Hence why she is more allergic to cats than she is dogs!
 
I can recommend a Barbet. They are a french water spaniel and look similar to Portugese water spaniels and labradoodles. They don't malt and I keep mine clipped short as she is in and out of our river all the time! If you google them they have their own website. Their breeder is in Hampshire and is lovely and very helpful.
 
bedlington terriers, great dogs and they don't shed-if you type it in on google images you'll see alot of them with their hair all styled-we have ours trimmed but scruffy :)
 
skychick said:
We are a bit wary of Labradoodles....a) because they may be more along the labrador side in the coat department.
b)i have been speaking to several vets and dog wardens recently and they have said that they get a hell of a lot of people who have them and they are bouncy, silly, over energetic, live wires who literally never stop and they cant handle it.
c) at nearly £1000 a dog.....just because its got a fashion status attached to it, its ridiculous.
Its a shame as they seem like nice dogs and we were really interested in one but they are just too expensive.

Great danes apparently dont shed alot :-D although......we would need to move!
Although being 5 ft 3 i could probably stick a saddle on it and ride it whilst i am horseless LOL!!!
Click to expand...

I have a labradoodle, and she is amazing - really trainable, easy going, and we always get compliments about how nice she is to be around. Bundles of energy, but excellent manners. She was also considerably less than £1000 as a puppy. However, she does moult and is definitely not hyopallergenic!

My dog is a first generation cross (i.e. mum was a lab, dad a standard poodle) - naturally it is impossible to predict whether such dogs would be suitable for those with allergies or not. I believe that later generations (i.e. labradoodle x labradoodle) have been specifically bred to have the poodle-like fleece which is good for allergies, so you would have to do your research and find one of these.

When we were looking for a pup we really wanted a standard poodle, having known several wonderful ones. But, ironically, we were put off by the price, and decided on a (cheaper!) labradoodle. So glad we did! Having said that, I expect that labradoodles with the 'hypoallergenic' label attached will be rather expensive... shame!
 
Take him to your local dog re-homing center to hang out with different types to see which ones he reacts to the least, they may also be able to advise you.
 
It depends as well what sort of dog you want - that's a whole new ball game!! Something lively, calm, small, big???? - although the Great Dane idea is a good one, a friend has a Shetland and a Great Dane and the dog is a little bigger than the Shettie!! :p
I think its to do with the individual tbh - dogs haven't ever affected me because I've never been away from them (that's the reason the doctors gave me) and yet, my Gran's cocker spaniel (who is clipped for health reasons and VERY short) does set me off if I touch my face after stroking her.
Also bear in mind, different dogs of the same breed moult more or less than others...our Goldie isn't very hair-lossy at all which isn't typical!
I really do hope you find something and I'm confident that your OH will become better with more exposure!
 
Mini schnauzer! They are the coolest dogs ever. They are big dogs which are trapped in a little dogs body, lots of personality and so much fun! They don't shed, although you will need to pay to get them clipped (I clip my own though)

This is my 9 year old mini, Beastie. She looks peeved as I had just woken her up after finding her asleep on my clean washing! (Actually, she always looks peeved :p)

utf-8BSU1HMDAyODgtMjAxMDA3MTktMTYxN.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top