5 Best Hypoallergenic Dog Breeds

If you’ve always wanted to own a dog, finding out that you or someone in your household suffers from a pet allergy can be crushing. Especially during this lockdown period when you are likely to be spending more time with your dog.

However, not all dog breeds are created equal, and there are many breeds that are especially friendly to allergy sufferers, either through intentional selective breeding for hypoallergenic fur or as a happy side effect of breeding for other traits.

Many dogs bred for swimming, for example, grow tight, thick hair that both keeps them warm in the water and makes them well-suited for households with allergies.

Of course, every dog and every allergy is different, and just because a dog sheds less or has hair instead of fur doesn’t guarantee they won’t activate your runny nose and itchy eyes.

It’s a good idea to spend lots of time with the breed and even the specific dog you’re planning to adopt before making it official, just to make sure their hair and your nose are a good match.

However, for the brave, sneezing souls among us looking to adopt a dog that will be kind to their allergies, these five breeds are a great place to start.    

• Cavachon – Another great pick for apartment-dwellers, the Cavachon is a designer cross between the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and the Bichon Frise, combining many of the best traits of both breeds, including the spaniel’s intelligent, friendly personality and the low-shed coat of the Bichon Frise, in a tiny, adorable package. Cavachons are lap dogs and absolutely adore playing and cuddling with their humans – if anything, they’re too friendly and can suffer from separation anxiety. Their small size and relatively low exercise requirements – one walk and some inside play every day – make them great city dogs, and their cuddly and playful personalities mean they’re especially child-friendly.
• Poodle – Poodles of any size (Standard, Miniature, and Toy poodles are all recognized by the American Kennel Club.) can be a great choice for dog lovers with allergies. Originally bred for hunting, poodles are active dogs who love long walks and runs, games of fetch, and swimming – their curly, low-shed coats help keep them warm even in cold water. That same coat, though, makes them among the more high-maintenance breeds, needing to be brushed daily or taken to the groomer for frequent clipping. Designer poodle cross-breeds, like labradoodles and cockapoos, can also inherit the poodle’s hypoallergenic coat, but their mixed heritage makes for more variation among individual dogs.
• Schnauzer – Like poodles, Schnauzers come in three sizes – Giant, Standard, and Miniature – and each size comes with their own benefits and challenges. In general, though, Schnauzers are energetic and sociable dogs who love to play with their family and need lots of exercise, although Minis can be adapted, with some training, to apartment living. The Schnauzer’s two-tiered double coat helps give them an expressive and wise, even professorial face, which reflects their intelligence and trainability. That gorgeous coat can require additional upkeep and frequent brushing or grooming, but Schnauzers more than make up for it with their outgoing, playful personalities and suitability as family pets and workout companions. 
• Xoloitzcuintli – If you’re allergic to dog hair, one solution may be to simply get a dog without any hair! The Xoloitzcuintli (show-low-eats-QUEENT-lee), or Xolo to save time, is an ancient Mexican breed, named after a dog-headed Aztec god. Though famously hairless, Xolos do come in a coated variety as well, and coated and hairless Xolos can be born in the same litter. Although their wrinkled, bare skin can be slightly off-putting at first, their pointed ears and large eyes make them both dignified and adorable, and their loyal, affectionate personalities make them great companions and faithful friends, especially for allergy sufferers. 
• Yorkshire Terrier – Yorkies are routinely listed as among the most popular breeds for city-dwellers, because their small size makes them good apartment dogs and their outsize personalities make them great companions. In addition to producing minimal dander, their black and tan fur gives them a gorgeous, glossy appearance and can be grown to reach the floor for an especially sophisticated look. Like all terriers, Yorkies were originally bred to catch rats, and they maintain that scrappy, feisty personality to this day, which also makes them good watchdogs – even if they’re not the most intimidating dog on the block. 

Summary

These five are far from the only hypoallergenic dog breeds, and, as noted at the top of this list, your allergies are unique and may react differently to different dogs and dog breeds.

Of course, allergies should not be your only consideration when adopting a dog – you also want a pup whose needs can be met by your lifestyle and whose personality meshes with what you want in a dog.

However, if one of the things you want in a dog is the ability to pet them without struggling to breathe, these breeds may be the perfect dog for you.

Thanks once again to John Wood from All Things Dogs