18 Hypoallergenic Dog Breeds for Dander-Sensitive Pet Parents
If you or someone in your family is allergic to pet fur, it may seem like getting a four-legged friend isn’t possible. But thankfully there are hypoallergenic dog breeds that help overcome this obstacle!
With hundreds of these special pups out there – with coats ranging from short and soft to long locks, hairless variants and those better suited for bigger homes – the perfect pup can be found no matter where you live! So all hope (and allergies!) aren’t lost after all!
Hypoallergenic dog breeds for allergic pet parents
However, with so many breeds to choose from, the chances are, you will struggle to pick the right dog for your home.
Do not panic if you feel spoiled with these many choices. We’ve narrowed down the choices to only 18 of the best hypoallergenic canine breeds! Whether you may like puppies that shed little hair, or produce low amounts of dander. The 18 choices below will definitely have “The One” for you. Nonetheless, do take note that these dogs still drool a little.
Scroll through to pick a loyal, intelligent, and easy-to-maintain dog for your home.
1: Afghan hound
A native of Afghanistan, the Afghan hound doesn’t disappoint when it comes to keeping pet allergies at bay. Its long silky coat sheds only small amounts of fur and dander. In fact, the dog’s fluffy fur traps much of the fur that has been shed. What’s more? The Afghan hound doesn’t drool much. It will not contaminate your indoor air with saliva-based allergens.
The Afghan hound is fun to have around. Its long silky coat gives it a striking appearance that will charm you and your family members. It’s no wonder some dog lovers call it a “Fashion model” for the dog world. However, the long coat comes at a price. It needs regular brushing to eliminate tangles and mats.
2: Basenji
The Basenji dog breed brags a dander-free short coat that sheds only once a month. Unlike many dogs, this breed spends most of its free time grooming itself – like a cat. Since Basenji doesn’t drool or bark excessively, its allergenic saliva will rarely find its way to your seats, carpet, and beddings.
With its short coat, grooming this hypoallergenic dog breed is an easy task. You’ll just need to brush it at least once a week to keep the coat shiny and healthy. Go for this dog if you are too busy to keep up with the demanding grooming sessions. The Basenji has a lovable personality, and it is relatively easy to train.
3: Giant Schnauzer
The giant schnauzer sheds small amounts of dander, and much of the shed allergen is trapped in the dog’s wiry hair. Furthermore, this dog doesn’t drool that much. Therefore, it is rare that it will contaminate your carpet, beddings, and seats with dander found in saliva.
This dog breed is known for being very alert, vigilant, and muscular. It is excellent for paw-rents who need a guard dog to enhance their sense of security. With the giant schnauzer’s high intelligence and loyalty, it will not be a struggle to train it. However, it is still difficult to manage since it requires heavy exercise to release its pent-up energy, and daily grooming.
4: Kerry Blue Terrier
The Kerry blue terrier is a safe choice for dog lovers with a history of allergies. It has a dense wavy coat that sheds just a little bit once a month. Moreover, this dog breed usually doesn’t drool or bark a lot. Like most breeds on this list, it will not contaminate your home with saliva and dander, the major causes of pet allergies.
A well-socialized and trained Kerry Blue Terrier is friendly and loving. He will be comfortable around your family and friends. However, the Kerry blue terrier is full of energy. So, you’ll need to walk and exercise intensely to keep it fit and release its pent-up energy.
5: Maltese
The Maltese is one of the hypoallergenic dog breeds that I hope to keep one day! It has a long silky coat that doesn’t shed, and its tiny body produces very little dander. Since the Maltese canine drools a little bit, it will release negligible amounts of the allergenic glycoprotein found in dog saliva.
Like many dogs, the Maltese has a striking appearance. Its dazzling, silky, long white coat will steal your heart and that of your friends and family. Besides beauty, this dog is brilliant. You can train it to become a loyal guide, companion, or even therapy dog if you wish.
6: Bichon Frise
The Bichon Frise is another of my favorite hypoallergenic dog breeds as it brags a white velvety non-shedding coat that produces little dander. What is more interesting is that the dog’s fluffy coat helps to trap most of the shed dander and hair. Very little dander will get into your indoor surfaces and air.
The Bichon Frise has a peaceful character and is generally quite small, making it great for apartment living. It warms up to pets, kids, and visitors very quickly. Their striking appearance, resembling a sizable fluffy toy, draws smiles and affection naturally.
7: American hairless terrier
Unlike those hypoallergenic dog breeds that shed small amounts of dander and skin, the American hairless terrier doesn’t. As its name proposes, the American hairless terrier’s coat is entirely bald – which means it has nothing to shed.
This dog is a darling for busy pet parents who have little-to-no time for dog grooming. They have no hair to brush and clip, so you’ll only need to bathe them at least once a week to keep their skin clean and odorless.
The American hairless terrier is friendly to other pets, kids, and visitors. Like any other high-energy dog, this breed needs intense exercise.
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Also known as monkey dog, the Affenpinscher boasts three allergy-busting characteristics. One, this dog produces and sheds little dander that can hardly trigger any allergy flare-up.
Two, the dog’s dense, wiry coat traps the little dander it produces. As such, the dander doesn’t get its way to your seats, carpet, bedding, and indoor air.
Three, the Affenpinscher canine doesn’t slobber.
This hypoallergenic dog learns quickly, adapts to new environments easily, and fears nothing. It is a great companion and watchdog. Its dense, wiry coat needs regular grooming though to look shiny and healthy.
However, this dog breed can be quite intolerant to kids so if you have young children, this might not be suitable for your family.
9: Hairless Chinese Crested
The Hairless Chinese Crested is indeed hypoallergenic. Its coat is completely hairless, except for its furry tail, feet, and head. It has no fur to shed on your seats, carpet, and beddings. In addition, the Chinese Crested is non-slobbering.
This purebred dog is a lot more unique from the ordinary canines out there. It has a distaste for exercise, but it is surprisingly agile. Also, the Hairless Chinese Crested dislikes strangers, but it has a strong liking for its guardians, perfect for those looking to get a personal guard!
10: Coton de Tulear
Despite its hairy appearance, the Coton de Tulear is hypoallergenic. It produces little dander and sheds minimal fur. Additionally, this cute and furry friend doesn’t drool. Rest assured, with the low dander count, drool production, you will rarely have an allergic attack.
The Coton de Tulear looks like a charming puppy made from fluffy, long, and dense cotton (fur). It needs regular brushing to untangle its mats. With a friendly personality, this dog will get along well with kids and visitors. It is moderately active and insanely affectionate to its guardian.
11: Irish water spaniel
The Irish water spaniel has a low-shedding double coat that produces minimal dander. Furthermore, the little dander and fur shed by this canine gets trapped between the coat’s double layers. It isn’t deposited on surfaces. Additionally, the Irish water spaniel doesn’t drool much.
Though the water spaniel sounds like a great hypoallergenic dog breed, it has a few weaknesses. The dog needs regular grooming to untangle mats, and to eliminate the dander trapped between its dense, curled fur. This dog also requires heavy exercise to keep it fit and minimize instances of destructive behavior.
The Irish water spaniel loves pleasing people, playing with kids, and swimming.
12: Lagotto Romagnolo
Like any other dog with curly fur, the Romagnolo will need a good deal of maintenance. You’ll need to brush its coat daily to remove mats and maintain optimal coat health. Also, you will need to clip the wooly coat regularly.
Lagotto Romagnolo sports a curly, wooly, non-shedding coat that produces low amounts of dander. In addition, the Lagotto Romagnolo doesn’t drool. Therefore, it has near-zero chances of triggering your allergies.
This dog is surprisingly affectionate to almost everyone. It is tolerant of small pets you keep at home, and your kids. This is an ideal breed if you keep other small animals or if you have young children.
13: Portuguese water dog
The Portuguese water dog is a single-coated pup. Its curly coat sheds little-to-no hair. Since this canine doesn’t drool and bark a lot, it won’t contaminate your indoor air and surfaces with those allergens found in saliva.
With high energy levels and a curly or wavy coat, maintaining this dog is quite challenging. You’ll need to brush it daily and trim its coat occasionally. As such, you have to either learn how to groom your dog or send it to the groomer which will incur high costs.
In addition, the Portuguese water dog will need at least 30 minutes of exercise to keep it fit and release pent-up energy. If you are someone who loves outdoor adventures, this will be a wonderful breed to keep you company.
It also enjoys the company of kids, seniors, and other pets, a reason why breeders recommend it for families.
14: Peruvian Inca Orchid
The Peruvian Inca Orchid, Peru’s national dog, is completely hairless, except for some little vestigial hair on its feet, tail, and head. That means it has nothing to shed. Additionally, this dog is dander-free. It’s no wonder it is an excellent pick for pet owners who are highly sensitive to dander.
Initially bred for hunters, this rare hypoallergenic dog has powerful muscles, and it is always alert. You will always feel secure when you are around it.
The Peruvian hairless Inca Orchid is friendly, playful, and fun-loving. If not well trained and socialized, it can become overprotective to its guardian and quite unfriendly to strangers or small pets.
15: Poodle
Poodles are well known for their superb intelligence and their instantly recognizable appearance. But, behind the intellect and charming looks, the poodle is a great hypoallergenic dog breed.
Its single-layer coat keeps growing instead of shedding. Moreover, this canine produces small amounts of dander so your chances of getting allergy reactions will be minimized.
On the flip side, their coat needs regular grooming by professionals, which means this is a high maintenance breed.
With their high intelligence, poodles are very easy to train. They are amongst the first few intelligent dogs used by the ancient Military. You can teach them to hunt, track, guard, or guide. Besides intelligence, poodles are friendly, loyal, and quite naughty.
16: Bedlington terrier
The Bedlington terrier has a tight curly coat, similar to that of lambs. This coat sheds little hair and dander, and most of the allergens shed by this dog cling to the curly coat instead of falling.
In addition, the Bedlington terrier releases fewer allergens in the form of saliva since it drools and barks less.
The curly, dense coat requires regular grooming to untangle mats and eliminate the dander and hair trapped in there. Also, you will need to clip the coat at least once a month to keep it neat.
With the Bedlington terrier’s high energy, be ready to help it exercise intensely.
17: Yorkshire terrier
The Yorkshire terrier spots a long, silky, straight coat that keeps growing rather than shed. The coat produces and sheds little to no dander. In addition, the Yorkshire terrier doesn’t drool much. It will only release small amounts of saliva allergens to your indoor air and surfaces.
Keeping your Yorkie in top shape is quite demanding. Its coat requires regular combing and clipping to keep it neat. And since they are very energetic, you’ll need to help them work out intensely.
Yorkshire Terriers are highly affectionate to adults but snappy towards kids or small pets. Take note that Yorkshire Terriers are not the same as Yorkie Poo which are also hypoallergenic. They look alike because a Yorkie Poo is a cross between Yorkie Terrier and poodle.
18: Hairless Xoloitzcuintli
Xoloitzcuintli is a rare dog that has been around for over 3000 years. It takes a slot on this list of best hypoallergenic dog breeds for one reason—a hairless coat. That means the Xolo has nothing to shed. Go for it if you are highly sensitive to pet dander.
The Xolo comes in miniature, toy, and standard sizes. So, you can always settle on one that is ideal for your home. Since the skin is hairless, the Xoloitzcuintli will need special care, more so when exposed to sunlight. It is loyal and friendly to its owners and quite hostile to strangers.
FAQs on Hypoallergenic Dog Breeds:
From the above, you have seen the 18 different dog breeds you may want to consider if you’d love to own a dog but unfortunately, you suffer from allergies. In case you may still have queries, do check out the frequently asked questions below on this topic.
Final Thoughts on Hypoallergenic Dog Breeds
Whether you want a toy dog with striking looks or a giant dog that enhances your sense of security, you will always find a hypoallergenic dog that suits your particular taste. But remember, hypoallergenic dog breeds aren’t 100% allergy-free. They do drool and shed little dander and hair that can trigger an allergic flare-up.
I suggest that you get an automatic vacuum cleaner robot for dog hair which can help you to get rid of any dog hair that may be in the house. This will help to further minimize your direct contact with any dog fur that may be in your home. Here are the top rated ones that may interest you:
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