Hypoallergenic Dog Breeds

Hypoallergenic Dog Breeds

We often hear about hypoallergenic dog breeds and how they make great pets for people who suffer from allergies.  I don’t agree that any dog can be guaranteed to be 100% hypoallergenic. However, a dog breed which is known to be a minimal shedder would produce fewer allergens and therefore be more suitable for allergy sufferers.

It is the dander, which is attached to pet hair, that affects people with pet allergies.

I know that many Poodle crossbreeds are sold claiming that they are hypoallergenic, but this is not always the case. It upsets me that these dogs are being handed to rescues because the dog is causing severe allergic reactions in owners. It’s not the owner’s fault if they have been given incorrect information and it can cause huge upset for a family if they have no choice but to rehome a much-loved pet.

 

We have two Poodle mix dogs, in the Waggy Tales family, a Cavapoo and a Goldendoodle. One of the reasons that my daughter chose poodle crossbreeds was that they are supposed to be very low shedding dogs. This was important because her husband is an allergy sufferer. The oldest dog Rosie the Cavapoo is definitely a minimal shedder, however with Luca the Goldendoodle, the opposite is in fact true.

Luca is a big dog with a dense white coat so as you can imagine, his fur gets everywhere. No amount of vacuuming removes all the fur and black clothes are not an option.

It is rather annoying that the Goldendoodle was presented as a low shedding ‘hypoallergic’ dog breed and bought specifically with that reason in mind. However, we wouldn’t change Luca and just adapted cleaning and grooming routines, etc to keep the allergens as low as possible.

(It would be very interesting to know if anyone has a non-shedding Goldendoodle)

I do have to say that the Cavapoo is extremely low shedding, but I think it comes down to individual dogs and there is never a guarantee.

Poodle mix dogs can take on the coat of a poodle, which is dense, curly fur. They have no undercoat and shed minimally.

However, the dog can take on the coat characteristics of either breed.

In the case of a Goldendoodle, the Golden Retriever is known to be a high shedder so the risk is quite high.

In my opinion, if you want a low shedding dog a pure breed is the only way to guarantee low shedding.

Here is a list of dog breeds which are known to be Low Shedders.

Bichon Frise

West Highland Terrier

Lhasa Apso

Cairn Terrier

Maltese

Poodle

Schnauzer

Scottish Terrier

Shih Tzu

Whippet

Yorkshire Terrier

Kerry Blue Terrier

Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier

Portuguese Water Dog

Briard

 

The Most Popular Poodle Mixes

The Poodle comes in three different sizes, ranging from a toy dog to a large standard. Therefore, they can be cross-bred with most breeds.

This list shows the most popular poodle crosses

• Cockapoo = Poodle + Cocker Spaniel.
• Maltipoo = Poodle + Maltese.
• Labradoodle = Poodle + Labrador.
• Goldendoodle = Poodle + Golden Retriever.
• Schnoodle = Poodle + Schnauzer crossbreed.
• Peekapoo = Poodle + Pekingese.
• Yorkipoo = Poodle + Yorkshire Terrier

From the above, if you want a poodle cross with minimal shedding due to allergies, a Maltipoo or Yorkipoo could be a relatively safe option.

Why Cross With A Poodle?

The main reason has to be that poodles are very low shedding dogs but other factors which make poodles such terrific dogs are their high intelligence and friendly personalities.

Also, unfortunately, there are people who want to own a ‘designer dog’ and having a breed ending in poo or doodle sounds cute! (Sad but true!)

For more information on low shedding dog breeds please take a look at this post

Choca-Doodle Dog Shampoo Product Review.

Choca Doodle Product Link

 

This Choca-doodle dog shampoo is designed especially with doodle dogs in mind. Here I give an honest review of the product, which I purchased from Amazon. It was used on a Goldendoodle and a Cavapoo, both with very different textures of coat.

The following video shows Luca the Goldendoodle’s love for muddy puddles! This video was taken when he was still a puppy, but he still loves to get wet and muddy, whenever he can!

Luca the Goldendoodle is a large, almost white dog with dense curly fur. He also loves muddy puddles, rolling in fox poo and jumping into streams.

It has been a struggle in the past to keep his fur conditioned and tangle-free so when I saw this 2 in 1 conditioning shampoo created for Poodle Crossbreeds I had to give it a try.

The thing that almost stopped me buying this product was that it claims to have a Double Chocolate Delight perfume. Now, I don’t know about you but I don’t really want my dog to smell like a Snickers bar! Luckily the chocolate smell was very mild and in fact, I would describe it as very lightly perfumed.

The shampoo is brown in colour and made a nice lather when added to warm water. As I said before the smell is pleasant and not overpowering.

After bathing, both dogs were really easy to brush and any tangles came out easily. Both dogs had lovely soft coats with silky curls.

The brand does other items in the range, but so far I have only tried the 2 in 1 conditioning shampoo. I will be trying out the Comb Thru Spray in the next few weeks and will write a review to let you know what I think.

Delivery was extremely quick and the item was well packaged and came with free postage.

 

Choca-Doodle 2 in 1 Conditioning Shampoo

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