Hypoallergenic dog owners...help me decide,

[tomtoothdoc]

ok folks. those who own or used to own hypoallergenic dogs, please help my wife and i decide about getting one.

my wife is allergic to animal dander....actually the salivary protein.....but she wants a dog. although she's willing to take precautions and accommodate the situations, she's not willing to get allergy shots. her symptoms include sneezing, runny nose/eyes, hard to breathe and on one occasion an allergy-induced asthmatic attack. cortisone cream, benadryl, and proventil inhaler help alleviate those symptoms.

we house tested a toy poodle for a week about 10 yrs ago. she was fine with the hair/shedding and petting/playing with it but she inadvertently touched her eye after the puppy licked her hands and her eye puffed up. also the children were too young to handle the puppy so we decided not to get one at the time....it was a family friend's puppy on loan.

fast forward to now, one of the two older kids is already away at school and the other will be away after this summer so only the youngest (12) will be left at home. i think that's one of the reasons she now wants a dog again. we own a home with big front and backyard but no fence. there's a 1/2 to 3 ft deep creek running through the back yard. we grew up with dogs but never had our own....usually friends' and family's. she wants to keep our bedroom off limit to the dog....besides that, it's free to roam the rest of the house.

she's leaning more toward the smallish dogs like shih tzu, westie, malteses, bischon frise. i'm leaning more toward a little bigger ones like a miniature bull terrier(this one is my favorite....it's on some googled website's hypoallergenic list but not on some others), basenji, wheaton terrier, schnauzer, etc.

my questions are as followed. what is the most hypoallergenic breed? is a puppy or adult better for the allergy. difference in male vs female? what to do to limit the allergen exposure?

looking to hear from personal experience rather than what you've heard or read....i've googled those already. thanks.

 

[duke62]

Yorkie

 

[jaa1456]

We have two Yorkies, both males. Even though they are the same breed these two are completely different in personality. One is as hyper as can be and runs around non stop. He doesn't bark much but is always doing something. The other one lays around most of the time and barks at any little noise. They are both almost 8 and we have had them since 8 weeks old. The personalities have been the same since then, also I would suggest getting a fence for your yard. All dogs enjoy running without a leash.

 

[E.intheC]

I have similar issues, but they're much worse with cats and with dogs who shed, like a golden retriever. A few things- I was pretty allergic to cats, and when my wife's grandmother passed away, we decided to adopt her cat. At the beginning, I was pretty allergic, but my wife was very diligent with keeping the apartment clean, vacuumed, etc, and she used a kind of wipe to "wipe down" the cat daily. :lol2: It worked. Even now, we don't do the above as much, and she stays upstairs. I'm not bothered by her at all. After a while, I think I got used to the cat and I'm not really allergic anymore. Other cats can bother me, though.

As for a dog- we got a Havanese (he's the dog in my avatar, and I'm a huge fan!) One of the reasons is that they don't shed, and are hypo-allergenic. I've heard their hair is very similar to human hair, but I'm a bit skeptical.

Good luck with your dog selection! Hopefully everything works out. Give it time, and make sure to keep the dogs very clean. Also, have your wife wash her hands after handling the dog. I noticed that helped me tremendously.

 

[Arati]

what is your experience with dogs and puppies? what do you plan to do with the dog? will it be mostly an inside dog, or will you be taking it all over in the car ect?

are you summer people who love the sun , or winter people or both? there are many hypo no shed dogs now . I think its more important to establish what your expect from the dog and your skill level with dogs.

for instance wheaton terriers are great smart active ect, but maybe not the best for a couple who hasn't trained a dog before or a low energy couple.

 

[JimmyR1rider]

Mastiff.

WITH the extra fur and saliva option

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bStla-jHKhk

 

[Klewis]

We have our Havenese for 8 years now, got her when she was 6 weeks old. havenese's have great temperament, very smart and loving. My friends son and I both have severe dog allergies and she got one after testing him with our dog, she is very happy with her dog too. No reactions.

Hypoallergenic dogs are usually Hair dogs not fur dogs. Hair dogs usually don't shed which is another benefit to them.

If you are looking for a larger dog, my wife's boss has a Portuguise Water dog that is also a hypoallergenic, him and his children also have serious allergies and they have no problem with the dog. This dog is a very active dog.

I have heard good things about the Weaton Terriors, they are a mid to large size and very active. We were considering this one to add to the family.

Good luck.

 

[masterswimmer]

Tom, my daughter was extremely allergic to the dander as well. She was on a nebulizer, ventolin, etc. We got a Shih Tzu just over 16 years ago (he's still with us ) and never once has my daughter had any issues with him. All the meds (nebulizer, ventolin) stopped as she entered her teens and has never had a re-occurrence.

The real nice thing about Shih Tzu's is zero shedding. No need to vacuum hair off couches, carpet, bedding, clothing, anywhere.

Good luck with your search. There is a dog out there that will suit your wife's requirements.

I'd probably consider Jimmy's heart felt recommendation very seriously :biggrin:

Russ

 

[jcdeng]

check out this link http://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/characteristics/amount-of-shedding
Lists some high and low shedding dog breeds.

I have a cocker spaniel and I never see dog hair in my house.

 

[tangy84]

Most Poodle mixes don't shed, but you have to make sure when looking at a specific puppy. I had 2 cockapoos (mix of poodle and cocker spanial), they're great and very smart. After putting one of them to sleep, I got a sheepadoodle (mix of an old english sheepdog and a poodle) that doens't shed. Poodle mixes have great personality and are very friendly. There is also the golden doodle (golden retriever and poodle). We went to see a goldendoodle, and we saw 2 and one was shedding and the other wasn't. So you have to look at the specific pup. Gl

 

[tomtoothdoc]

thank you very much for all the advice/suggestions. i'm on a road trip right now. will reply to each response individually after i settled down in the hotel tonight.

 

[tomtoothdoc]

Yorkie

We have two Yorkies, both males. Even though they are the same breed these two are completely different in personality. One is as hyper as can be and runs around non stop. He doesn't bark much but is always doing something. The other one lays around most of the time and barks at any little noise. They are both almost 8 and we have had them since 8 weeks old. The personalities have been the same since then, also I would suggest getting a fence for your yard. All dogs enjoy running without a leash.

thanks for the suggestion/input. i'll put that on the list. fencing is not an option at this point. the creek in the backyard leads to a wetland/marshland which is partly on our property, we probably can't touch it. this is an assumption based on past experience from the first house one town away. there's a dog run area walking distance of the house, we plan on walking there so i can get some exercise in also.

 

[tomtoothdoc]

I have similar issues, but they're much worse with cats and with dogs who shed, like a golden retriever. A few things- I was pretty allergic to cats, and when my wife's grandmother passed away, we decided to adopt her cat. At the beginning, I was pretty allergic, but my wife was very diligent with keeping the apartment clean, vacuumed, etc, and she used a kind of wipe to "wipe down" the cat daily. :lol2: It worked. Even now, we don't do the above as much, and she stays upstairs. I'm not bothered by her at all. After a while, I think I got used to the cat and I'm not really allergic anymore. Other cats can bother me, though.

As for a dog- we got a Havanese (he's the dog in my avatar, and I'm a huge fan!) One of the reasons is that they don't shed, and are hypo-allergenic. I've heard their hair is very similar to human hair, but I'm a bit skeptical.

Good luck with your dog selection! Hopefully everything works out. Give it time, and make sure to keep the dogs very clean. Also, have your wife wash her hands after handling the dog. I noticed that helped me tremendously.

thanks eric. was it a special wipe for controlling allergens?
never seen a havanese. i'll google some pictures for her to check out.
i'm sure she learned about hand washing from the last time she touched her eye after playing with the puppy.

 

[tomtoothdoc]

what is your experience with dogs and puppies? what do you plan to do with the dog? will it be mostly an inside dog, or will you be taking it all over in the car ect? we never own a dog. it would probably be an indoor pet. don't plan on traveling with it.

are you summer people who love the sun , or winter people or both? there are many hypo no shed dogs now . I think its more important to establish what your expect from the dog and your skill level with dogs. we're summer people. don't go away much during the cold. no skill/experience with dog training at all. i supposed my wife wants a companion pet that follows her around the house.

for instance wheaton terriers are great smart active ect, but maybe not the best for a couple who hasn't trained a dog before or a low energy couple.

don't think we're looking for a super energetic dog like a jack russel....more like a lazy'ish dog....lol.

 

[tomtoothdoc]

Mastiff.

WITH the extra fur and saliva option

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bStla-jHKhk

haha very funny jimmy. i'll let my wife know about your suggestions. she would want a dog she could pick up without getting a hernia.

 

[tomtoothdoc]

We have our Havenese for 8 years now, got her when she was 6 weeks old. havenese's have great temperament, very smart and loving. My friends son and I both have severe dog allergies and she got one after testing him with our dog, she is very happy with her dog too. No reactions.

Hypoallergenic dogs are usually Hair dogs not fur dogs. Hair dogs usually don't shed which is another benefit to them.

If you are looking for a larger dog, my wife's boss has a Portuguise Water dog that is also a hypoallergenic, him and his children also have serious allergies and they have no problem with the dog. This dog is a very active dog.

I have heard good things about the Weaton Terriors, they are a mid to large size and very active. We were considering this one to add to the family.

Good luck.

that's the second mention of the havanese. will have to look it up. i've never seen these dogs you'vde mentioned. how would i go about looking for the breeders....other than google?

 

[tomtoothdoc]

Tom, my daughter was extremely allergic to the dander as well. She was on a nebulizer, ventolin, etc. We got a Shih Tzu just over 16 years ago (he's still with us ) and never once has my daughter had any issues with him. All the meds (nebulizer, ventolin) stopped as she entered her teens and has never had a re-occurrence.

The real nice thing about Shih Tzu's is zero shedding. No need to vacuum hair off couches, carpet, bedding, clothing, anywhere.

Good luck with your search. There is a dog out there that will suit your wife's requirements.

I'd probably consider Jimmy's heart felt recommendation very seriously :biggrin:

Russ

i think she would like the look of the shih tzu. do you have to do a lot of brushing/grooming?

so you're in the same boat with jimmy.....a mastiff isn't big enough, perhaps we may need to look at st. bernard?!?!?!

 

[tomtoothdoc]

check out this link http://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/characteristics/amount-of-shedding
Lists some high and low shedding dog breeds.

I have a cocker spaniel and I never see dog hair in my house.

cool. thanks for the link.

 

[tomtoothdoc]

Most Poodle mixes don't shed, but you have to make sure when looking at a specific puppy. I had 2 cockapoos (mix of poodle and cocker spanial), they're great and very smart. After putting one of them to sleep, I got a sheepadoodle (mix of an old english sheepdog and a poodle) that doens't shed. Poodle mixes have great personality and are very friendly. There is also the golden doodle (golden retriever and poodle). We went to see a goldendoodle, and we saw 2 and one was shedding and the other wasn't. So you have to look at the specific pup. Gl

is smart dogs easier to train? honestly i kinda like the dopey looking dog like the miniature bull terrier, it's so goofy looking that's it's cute.

 

[tomtoothdoc]

i heard people mentioning fur vs hair.....do the hair need to be cut on a regular basis? what should i expect to spend on grooming? and where? petco, pet boutique, flowbee?