To buy a family dog for Christmas?

[VTechnophobe]

We all want one but I'm allergic and have asthma. We have 2 DC (5&3), DH works from home and garden is over an acre so not worried about dog's welfare but will I be constantly ill?

Where I am, buying a dog IS the same thing, regardless of where you get it. Don't make out that 'buy' only means buying from a breeder. It does not!

Have you actually been diagnosed with a dog allergy? Or is it that you just have allergies and asthma related to that? I ask as my son has numerous allergies, confirmed via testing in hospital and did have asthma when younger and carries an epipen. Allergies are not something to test out to see.... as some have said on here. Some people have severe anaphylaxis reactions so popping along to visit some dogs to have a check to see if you react would be completely inappropriate. You need to speak to health professionals first

Could you offer to look after a friends dog for a week or 2 & see how you go on? Other than that I really don’t recommend getting one since you’re allergic.

I echo what others have said about waiting till the new year,. We have a bichon who doesn’t seem to trigger asthma or allergies in our allergic family member and I highly recommend them as a family pet. They are high maintenance in terms of grooming and do not like being left alone though.

Don't make out that 'buy' only means buying from a breeder True, it could be a puppy farm.
What I'm trying to say is that it's better to adopt from a shelter than buy a non rescue dog from wherever.
Is that easier for you to understand?

A dog for Christmas is a dreadful idea obviously.

However if you’re serious AFTER Christmas I would suggest looking at rescue greyhounds. Their coat is very different to most dogs. They make excellent pets.

Allergies don't necessarily lessen over time. Mine have got worse.

If you are allergic to dogs and they are an asthma trigger for you, you would be crazy to get a dog. Asthma kills.

Don't do it.

YABU, and frankly ridiculous.

I don’t see why we can’t say «buy a dog»? You have to pay for it, at a shop/breeder/shelter. So you buy it.

If you are actually diagnosed as allergic to dogs then clearly its,a very bad idea. Maybe read up on allergies before you read up on breeds.

Please listen to my advice, I have bred dogs.

If you have an allergy to dogs, there is NO way of checking you would react to a dog, regardless of it being a ‘hypoallergenic breed’, like a poodle cross. These breeds are mixed and there are no guarantees they are hypoallergenic. When a dog is a puppy, their coat and skin is different to how it will be when they are an adult. You might not have a reaction to the puppy, but might have a reaction when it’s grown.

If you have a reaction, you will need to rehome the dog. You might be putting unnecessary pressure on a charity for this. And the dog may end up being put to sleep if no home found. And you’ll be back where you started, with no dog but with very upset children.

Start considering a rabbit, guinea pigs, hamsters. A dog isn’t for you, you need to accept that and choose a pet from something that is.

I've lived with a dog for most of my life, starting when I was 4 and we got a German Shepherd. I've also had allergies most of my life, notably dust and pollens.

An ENT consultant referred me to an immunologist for testing, as he thought it might make it easier to prevent my chronic sinus problems. Among the (very many) things that caused a reaction was dogs! I had absolutely no idea, and I was definitely no better when I had lived in a dog-free house.

My next dog came from a non-moulting breed (Lakeland terrier), as I thought it might reduce the reaction. I was more allergic to him than I was to any other dog I've ever met, and is the only dog where I have really noticed a reaction. I concluded that it was the dander in the coat and not the hair, and used a spray called Petalcleanse D on his fur which helped massively, and wore a face mask when grooming him.

I now live with another dog from the same non-moulting breed, and she doesn't appear to affect me at all. I've also never had any reaction whatsoever to very short-coated breeds like greyhounds and whippets (which is fab, because there are few things nicer than nuzzling a whippet's neck ), to my friend's Tibetan terriers, to Schnauzers or to any cockerpoo.

Based on my experience, I think dog allergies are bit more complex than just being allergic to all dogs. I'd suggest going to Discover Dogs (in London next weekend, and at Crufts in March) and actually seeing how you react to different breeds.

And never, ever get a dog at a busy time of year like Christmas. They need to be introduced to their new homes at a quiet time, where they can get used to it gradually and not be over-stimulated or freaked out by lots of activity and people around.

I couldn't live without a dog in my life. God knows what I'll do when I'm told and decrepit to look after one properly.

We're planning on a new arrival fir Christmas. We've owned dogs before. Our timing will be good bc we're planning a quiet Christmas and in fact a bit of socialisation will be good

There are no such thing as hypoallergenic dogs.
With a cross breed you don’t know what you will get and many people are allergic to the saliva not the fur.
I am supposedly allergic to dogs. (Had NHS testing done)
I react to certain dogs. I spent a couple of years meeting as many wolfhounds as I could and getting very close to them! I didn’t react to a single one. Thankfully that was the breed I wanted.
Golden retrievers? Only ever met one that didn’t trigger me.
Christmas is a bloody awful idea.

Allergies can lessen. I was terribly allergic to cats and dogs, rashes, sneezing, wheezing, itchy eyes. When I was around 10 we lived with some friends who had a dog and my allergy to dogs gradually went away, although hairy ones can still set me off, but ifbi know I'm going to be near one I'll take an antihistamine and be fine. Also, lived with a cat for a year and by the end of the year I was able to have the cat sit and be stroked on my lap, although I always wash my hands after handling them.
Rough coats tend to be worse for me in terms of itchiness, long hair for wheezing and sneezing. Short coats like greyhounds are best for me and very rarely set me off, but coats like on staffies tend to make me a bit rashy.
I would say borrow my doggy would be a good first step as you'll get an idea of how bad your allergies will be set off and also it will be a chance to see the effort and commitment required in caring for a dog.
We have a very lazy, laidback greyhound, but even so she can be a bit stressful as she is a bit delicate in the head and has to be tricked and persuaded to going out for walks sometimes and gets easily spooked. Also, vet bills are never cheap, even something as simple as a check up is going to cost. In the first couple of years of rescuing our greyhound she had multiple accidents due to still being in racing mode and charging into things like fences and branches. Thank goodness for pet insurance!
Do your research and then do some more. Spend time with dogs and dog owners.

It is not true that cockerpoos don't moult. Some do, like crazy.

Same thing with labradoodles. I know someone who got one because their child is allergic to dogs and they were told that a labradoodle would be fine. Also told it wouldn't moult. Their child is allergic to it and them and their house is covered in dog fur

Look at 100% Australian labradoodles. These dogs were specifically bred as guide dogs for people with allergies.

But the majority of the first litters had the Labrador coat, not the poodle and this continues to happen. A mixed breed dog=no guarantee on coat.

Cockapoos are hypoallegenic

As above, not all. It isn’t possible to know the coat type until the adult fur comes in. You’ve obviously been lucky.

DH is allergic to dog hair, but not Yorkies as they have fur like human hair. They also don’t have an undercoat. He is mildly allergic to poodles.

Do your research to find a dog you are not allergic to and get it in spring, as toilet training will be more pleasant and it won’t get overwhelmed by Christmas.

You have to be very careful, as you don’t want the dog and your kids to go through rehoming because you haven’t done your homework.

Get it in Spring?
Unless a rescue comes up it doesn’t work like this. Decent breeders rarely have pups available.

If you're allergic don't get one.

Also there no. Such. Things. As. Purebred. Doodles.

I'm a dog groomer, and so many of these so called "non shedding" breeds shed like you wouldn't believe, and the ones with the more poodly coats require a LOT of grooming unless you don't mind a matted mess that needs shaved down to the skin.

Educate yourself about dogs and spend some time with a few different breeds to test out your allergies.

We got our puppy in January and I would say never again. I had a fucking miserable few months in the dark and cold doing the house training. Do your research and then consider a summer puppy is my advice. Most good breeders will have waiting lists.

Poor OP. No, a dog is not best at Christmas - and certainly not a puppy. And as other PPs have said, mixed breeds advertised as non-allergenic depend on the outcome of cross breeding and some are just advertised as such and then need rehoming. Just do your research, visit a couple of dog places and be prepared for hard work! And possibly, when next visiting your medical centre, you could talk to them about this project?

My BIL is severely allergic to cats & dogs. They done a lot of research and got a Zuchon - a Bichon Frisse crossed with a Shih Tzu. This breed is classed as a 'hypo-allergenic' dog, and they have had no problems whatsoever with her. 🤗

Christmas is the worst time of year for puppy. If you can get one for around easter or summer holidays when you can have plenty of time off around the house to concentrate on toilet training, the weather is also better for walking, socialising to the big wide world outside and toilet training it is much better.

You also need to be very careful of the Christmas puppy farm breeders.