looking for a DOG!!

[Broseph]

I have some questions for you dog lovers out there. We are currently looking for a dog for the kids(6,4,3) two of them love animals and the other is allergic to them, he is on meds, and has recently been around them with no problem. We are looking for hypoallergenic breeds. When goggleing this we really dont get much info on them.
Does anyone have them?
Does anyone now any facts about them?
And do they all look like poodle? lol
We are going to the book store to try and get some info on them and my wife call the vet to get some names of breeders but i thought i would check here also.
Thanks for any advise you can give.
p.s this is going to be a process due to my son, we dont want to get anything he will be allergic to.

[daniel1983]

.....hypoallergenic dogs? First I have ever heard of those...I heard of the new hypoallergenic cats that they made, but I thought they were still rare.....I thought the two most kept hypoallergenic pets were chinchillas and hedgehogs.....

I know someone that was allergic to dogs......but got a dog anyway.....from the repeated contact with the dog, they developed some type of resistance to the allergy....the dog died so they no longer have one in the house, now when he gets around dogs he sneezes and itches alot again.....

.......have you asked the kid's allergy doctor how he would handle being exposed to a dog over a long period of time? Just wondering.

[wolfy-hound]

Check out poodles, portugese water dogs, bichon frises and possibly havanese. Keep in mind that pet stores will lie about the lineage of the puppies to sell them to you. If at all possible go to a breeder that shows. That way your son can be around the dogs to be sure he won't react.
All these breeds require extensive grooming. However, since your son is allergic, you may want to find a groomer to bathe your dog every week. It will cut down the dander. Many people don't like the idea of a poodle because of the foo-foo look, but any decent groomer can groomer them to look differently. My favorite is to do one like a schnauzer! They look quite sporty and not at all foo-foo.
I hope you can find a breed that agrees with your son's system. You can check out the AKC website to find people to talk to, or find a dog show happening near you to talk to actual breeders, and expose your son to the different breeds that are potentially okay.
Of course if after exposing your son to the different breeds, he begins to react, than you might have to give up on the idea of having a family dog, but you could still get the others to volunteer time to play with dogs at your local shelter too!
Best of luck!
Wolfy

[slartibartfast]

*sigh* Here goes another one...

1a. There is no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog. Non-shedding breeds are somewhat less prone to cause problems, but any dog can trigger allergies.

1b. Anybody marketing dogs as "hypoallergenic" is a scammer. The best they can honestly claim is possibly a reduce level of reaction. No dog is totally allergy-free, unless it's a plush one.

2a. Non-shedding breeds do all kinda "look like poodles"...in so far as they all have coats which do not shed, but grow continuously and need constant attenttive grooming to be maintained. At least one very experienced reg here knows all about that. Plan on going to the groomer monthly for around $30 - $60 a visit. You -can- brush them yourselves, but busy multi-kid households often don't have time for the daily grooming required of long-haired dogs.

2b. Most of the non-shedding breeds are also small, fragile, snippy, and ill-suited for small children.

3a. Do -not-, I repeat do -not- buy a dog from a breeder unless you know what you are doing. This is much like going into a snake forum and dropping several hundred dollars on "hets" from somebody you've never heard of. The animals are almost guaranteed to have health problems, many of which are very expensive to fix. Registered dogs are a huge scam...the ACA is especially bad, as you can get papers for just about anything..all it means is that the "breeder" sent them $10 or $20 bucks for a pretty little certificate.

3b. There are good breeders selling wonderful registered dogs; they're just very rare, have huge waiting lists, and cost a lot. If you want to go this route, find the local breed clubs in your area and ask them for recommended breeders. They can put you in touch with those few folks who are actually doing the health testing, and breeding for soundness instead of a quick profit.

3c. Anybody advertising puppies for sale in the newspaper or online on message boards should be avoided. Good breeders (see 3b) don't need to advertise; they have word-of-mouth working for them, and generally maintain waiting lists for upcoming litters.

4. Maltipoos, cockapoos, schnoodles, and all the other designer dogs are not innately more wonderful than purebreds. There is a chance that mixing up the genes can reduce the number of health problems, but when you consider that you're already starting with poorly-bred dogs (since the good breeders don't do this mixing), it's pretty much like Russian Roulette with one empty chamber. Generally they have all the health problems of their parents, and sometimes a lovely combination of the above (two for one special! Now with heart murmurs -and- dislocating kneecaps! Only $600 for this precious bundle of love and high vet bills!)

In all seriousness, the best option I can suggest is the same one that I suggested for Judy, who was looking at the same situation....talk to local rescue groups about foster-to-adopt. Try different dogs in your house and see what happens. If it doesn't work out, well, the dog is still part of the rescue group and has folks who can take it back in. If you decide that the allergies it triggers are tolerable, request to adopt your foster-baby. Either way, you'll be helping save lives and caring for abandoned and neglected pups. It's a win-win situation. :-)

[Broseph]

When i hear "hypoallergenic" dog i just think of the non shedding kind. my son was around great danes, whippets, chihuahuas, and rat terriers, with no problems, my sons doctors just said for him to take his maintence inhaler and he should be fine. thanks for the advice.

[MeMe]

My son has been around dogs all his life and he is fine yet he shows a high allergic reaction to the tests! he is also supposed to be allergic to milk yet he can drink a gallon a day! lol.

[Entropy]

I believe you're thinking of the Labradoodle. Originally touted as being hypoallergenic they haven't quite worked out that way. They were on the news a few years back. There are breeders around the US but as I said they aren't really living up to the 'hypoallergenic' thing. Though they are said to be less smelly.

[junko]

I have a labradoodle. He's a fantastic dog, but I wouldn't recommend them to anyone who is looking for reduced allergies, non-shed, or anything else they are touted to be. I wouldn't recommend one for a first time dog owner. He is a VERY high energy, very strong dog, who likes to get into trouble and has the intelligence to figure out just how to do it! Luckily I have spent most of my life working with dogs in some capacity or another so I have the experience to deal with this.

So why did I choose a labradoodle? At the time all we had was a nasty tempered ancient little peke-a-poo who hated everyone but me . Our Irish wolfhound had passed away a couple of years ago and we wanted a smaller dog that looked like a wolfhound, a happy, playful, friendly, good natured dog. Our kids just said they wanted a dog that liked them . So, after extensive research, visiting a few dog shows, I couldn't find a specific breed that we all agreed on, started looking at crosses and finally chose the labradoodle.

Yeah, I've heard it all about the "designer dogs." This one works for our family and that's all that matters to us! We are MADLY in love with this dog!

[joyful girl]

*sigh* Here goes another one...

1a. There is no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog. Non-shedding breeds are somewhat less prone to cause problems, but any dog can trigger allergies.

1b. Anybody marketing dogs as "hypoallergenic" is a scammer. The best they can honestly claim is possibly a reduce level of reaction. No dog is totally allergy-free, unless it's a plush one.

2a. Non-shedding breeds do all kinda "look like poodles"...in so far as they all have coats which do not shed, but grow continuously and need constant attenttive grooming to be maintained. At least one very experienced reg here knows all about that. Plan on going to the groomer monthly for around $30 - $60 a visit. You -can- brush them yourselves, but busy multi-kid households often don't have time for the daily grooming required of long-haired dogs.

2b. Most of the non-shedding breeds are also small, fragile, snippy, and ill-suited for small children.

3a. Do -not-, I repeat do -not- buy a dog from a breeder unless you know what you are doing. This is much like going into a snake forum and dropping several hundred dollars on "hets" from somebody you've never heard of. The animals are almost guaranteed to have health problems, many of which are very expensive to fix. Registered dogs are a huge scam...the ACA is especially bad, as you can get papers for just about anything..all it means is that the "breeder" sent them $10 or $20 bucks for a pretty little certificate.

3b. There are good breeders selling wonderful registered dogs; they're just very rare, have huge waiting lists, and cost a lot. If you want to go this route, find the local breed clubs in your area and ask them for recommended breeders. They can put you in touch with those few folks who are actually doing the health testing, and breeding for soundness instead of a quick profit.

3c. Anybody advertising puppies for sale in the newspaper or online on message boards should be avoided. Good breeders (see 3b) don't need to advertise; they have word-of-mouth working for them, and generally maintain waiting lists for upcoming litters.

4. Maltipoos, cockapoos, schnoodles, and all the other designer dogs are not innately more wonderful than purebreds. There is a chance that mixing up the genes can reduce the number of health problems, but when you consider that you're already starting with poorly-bred dogs (since the good breeders don't do this mixing), it's pretty much like Russian Roulette with one empty chamber. Generally they have all the health problems of their parents, and sometimes a lovely combination of the above (two for one special! Now with heart murmurs -and- dislocating kneecaps! Only $600 for this precious bundle of love and high vet bills!)

In all seriousness, the best option I can suggest is the same one that I suggested for Judy, who was looking at the same situation....talk to local rescue groups about foster-to-adopt. Try different dogs in your house and see what happens. If it doesn't work out, well, the dog is still part of the rescue group and has folks who can take it back in. If you decide that the allergies it triggers are tolerable, request to adopt your foster-baby. Either way, you'll be helping save lives and caring for abandoned and neglected pups. It's a win-win situation. :-)

perfect post!

[frankykeno]

First off I would talk to your son's allergist. Some kids like my older son that is allergic to cats can tolerate them somewhat and it isn't a major health issue with Luke, other kids can react so strongly it's a big health concern so that would be my first issue as a parent. With Luke we just managed the cats, they were never allowed in his bedroom, I vacuumed the carpets and couches like a mad woman and made sure the cats were very clean and had well tended coats.

I think working with a rescue group is a super idea. You could foster a dog to see how your son reacts or have him regularily visit a dog at it's foster home to see if he can tolerate exposure to that particular breed or cross-breed. I would suggest you train the dog to stay out of his bedroom and not get up on the furniture so your son isn't laying directly where the dog lays. Good grooming is of course a must with any dog no matter what coat it has. I was always amazed at how much our short coated Labs shed!

Let us know how it goes. It's great you are taking this in stages so you can make the right decision for your child and for the dog involved.