Which Hypoallergenic dog?

[Smallfry79]

Hi,
I would really love to get a dog for myself and children. I am currently weighing up the decision as I know it's a very big long-term commitment. My youngest is 13 so no concerns about small children.
My oldest has allergies so I would need a hypoallergenic breed.
There will be someone home most days but realistically there will be times when the dog may need to be left alone for a few hours. Especially in a few years time when our circumstances might change.

Ideally I would like a medium sized dog, with moderate exercise needs.
We live rurally so no street lights for long late night walks.

I know a lot can depend on the individual dogs temperament. We had dogs as kids that were related and yet very different!
But despite that can anyone recommend a suitable breed? I was thinking of a minatire poodle but I think they are very prone to separation anxiety so might not be best choice.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Thanks for the positive stories too.
The dog definitely wouldn't be allowed in his room. He is late teens now so good and managing allergies and takes antihistamine most of year for pollen anyway.

I'll consider it all again. Thanks for all your tips and experiences

If he's late teens, can you not wait until he leaves home before getting a dog?

I have a relative that has really bad pet allergies. He once looked after our Labrador for a week and it nearly killed him. They did go on to get a dog though and ended up with a Pattersale Terrier without any issues.

As he's late teens it's probably manageable if you do your research and find a good breeder who will allow you to spend time with their dogs. With a young child it would be more risky but a late teen should be perfectly able to monitor their own condition and medication.

I'm asthmatic and apparently allergic to both cats and dogs. At the point when I was allergy tested we already had 6 cats, two of which I knew I reacted to but the rest didn't appear to affect me. We now have only one elderly cat. Up until we got our puppy in May, we had been without a dog for three years and I can honestly say that in all that time my asthma has been no different than it was before, including the point at which we had 3 dogs.

You've already said you will keep the dog out of his room and I would recommend that another family member should be in charge of grooming the dog - preferably outside (even a non-moulting breed will require grooming to remove bits of vegetation after a walk). It is doable, even with asthma, provided you do your research which clearly you, OP, are doing.

There is no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog unfortunately, they all shed skin cells but some shed hair less so than others. I would test him out around some more allergy friendly dogs before committing. However if allergies are severe no dog is suitable unfortunately 😞

I was miserable throughout my childhood, constantly sneezing, asthma and rashes, because my parents couldn't not have pets. If he's late teens, just wait a few years and then he won't have to live with it and constantly feel rubbish? It's not just the sneezing / asthma it's the constantly feeling tired and under the weather. Allergies are like constant unpleasant background music even with the meds.

Mini poodles, definitely.

I have allergies but have been fine with them. They don't shed a single hair so no hair everywhere which is great, they also don't smell! (My very honest family would tell me if my house smelled when they visited) But grooms are expensive, we get them done every 7 weeks for £100.

They're the most loving, soppy babies ever. We adore them.

We have a wonderful miniature Australian labradoodle; look them up. They're ace.

We adore our miniature poodle. She’s nearly two now and we have groomed her and trimmed her from day one. It’s not difficult and we’ve saved ££££ already.

Maybe a dog isn't for us then but my younger child would love the company and friendship and is mad about dogs

One of our local rescues lets you go and walk the DDogs. This is how our dog mad DC2 got their dog fix for quite a while. We'd go together and walk one. It was also a good excuse to get them out of the house and have a walk with just me.

I think there is a lack of awareness about allergies to dogs in the UK. Hypoallergenic dogs can be better for some sufferers but the allergen is still present. Also the severity of allergies can change. My DN is allergic to cats and dogs. His allergy to dogs is now so severe he carries an epi pen despite only being mildly allergic initially. So there is a risk that you get a dog and your ds' allergy gets worse.

Whatever you do make sure it doesn't exacerbate his allergy. It's terrifying how many dog owners allow dogs to approach my DN because they are 'hypoallergenic' (and friendly of course). It's almost impossible to avoid dogs so it's a difficult allergy to control.