The Best Dogs For Allergy Sufferers

If you or someone in your family suffers from allergies and if you love dogs, you have a combination that can be very frustrating. You want a dog companion, but don't want to live on allergy pills for the life of the dog.

The good news is that there are some dogs considered hypo-allergenic, which are better for allergy sufferers than other dogs.

First, it's not always the dog fur you're allergic to, but rather the dander on the skin that gets sloughed off when you pet the dog or when it shakes.

In addition to having a hypo-allergenic dog, it helps to keep the house floors cleaned frequently, whether that means vacuuming carpets and rugs or sweeping hard floors. Pet dander and fur can settle into the fibers and make allergies worse than they need to be.

There are several breeds of dogs that are considered hypoallergenic.

Poodle. The poodle comes in 3 sizes: toy, miniature, and standard. They need regular grooming and a good amount of exercise.

Bichon Frise. Bichons are little fluffballs and fun to watch and play with.

Maltese. Similar to the Bichon, Maltese are little fluffballs and are a good small dog, although they need regular brushing to keep their coat smooth and unmatted.

Miniature Schnauzer. Like the poodle, the schnauzer comes in three sizes, but it's the miniature that is the best for allergy sufferers.

Yorkshire Terrier. These dogs shed very little and are good apartment sized dogs, too.

On top of these full breed dogs, there are several crossbred dogs that will work for people with allergies. For instance, poodle mixes like the Labradoodle, Malti-poo and Cockapoo are some popular poodle mixes. But, don't assume all mixed breed dogs are the same. The first generation of a mixed breed will be a 50-50 mix, but further generations might have more of one type of dog than the other.

The best advice we can give is that before you commit to taking on a new dog, whether pure breed or mixed breed, is to spend time with the dog first. Go to wherever it is and pet it vigorously and give it lots of loving. First, it's a good way to see the personality of the dog, which is always important, but it also should give you a good indication of whether your allergies will be bothered or not.

By: D Roth

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Dave Roth owns and operates Vacuum Cleaner Talk, a website devoted to reviews about the many different vacuum cleaners available. See reviews of Eureka vacuum cleaners, Kirby vacuum cleaners, Hoover vacuum cleaners, and much more.