Hypoallergenic Purebred Small Dogs

When the word hypoallergenic dog is mentioned, the first thing that came to mind is designer dog. Sadly, this isn’t always the case. Not all designer dogs are hypoallergenic—quite a few of the popular ones aren’t—and to make such claim is setting oneself up for debate.

What Is A Hypoallergenic Dog?

Let’s define the word hypoallergenic. According to dictionary, hypoallergenic means that it’s designed to reduce or minimize the possibility of an allergic response. As I had explained before, the cause of allergic reactions to dogs is due to the protein found in the saliva, dander (dead skin flakes), or urine of animal NOT the fur.

Regardless how many times this has been said, some owners aren’t convinced that their allergy reaction is not through fur. One of the possible causes of their allergy reactions to the dog’s fur is when the dog runs in the park and brings pollen and weed allergens back to the owners.

With that said, no dog, be it purebred or mixed purebred (designer dog), is truly hypoallergenic. To claim that they are hypoallergenic is to say that the dog has the ability to minimize their saliva production, sebaceous skin gland secretion, or amount of urine elimination.

If It Isn’t A Hypoallergenic Dog Then What?

In my opinion, shed-less or low allergen dog would be a better choice of word to describe dogs with “shed-free” coat. Unfortunately these words are rarely used to search for dogs with those types of coat or lack of (hairless).

Note: In my ebooks, you’ll notice that I use low allergen to describe these dogs. The listed small breed dogs are graded in terms of low, medium, and high allergen produced.

All Dogs Shed…Differently

Another misconception often heard is that hypoallergenic dogs are also shed-free. Keep in mind that all dogs shed; the difference is the way, frequency, and amount they shed their fur. Some single-coated dogs, Poodles for example, shed relatively less and the excess furs are clung or rested onto the coat—which reduces airborne dog allergens. Double coated dogs shed excessive amounts of fur especially during peak shedding seasons—within four to six weeks in late spring and early fall. If your dogs live in a tropical climate, be prepared to see shedding season all year round.

So No Dogs For Allergy Sufferers?

Of course, there is still hope. There are ways to minimize allergens as I listed here. However, it would be much more manageable to get dogs that have comparatively “shed-free” coat (or coatless) especially those breeds with soft, silky, or curly single coats such as Kerry Blues, Portuguese Water Dogs, Poodles to new a few.

If you are looking for a “hypoallergenic dog” but don’t want to fork up hefty sum that designer dogs command, here are twelve purebred small dogs that will suit your fancy.

List of Hypoallergenic Purebred Small Dogs

• American Hairless Terrier (miniature and toy)
• Bedlington Terrier
• Bichon Frise
• Chihuahua (long and smooth coated)
• Chinese Crested Dog (hairless)
• Coton de Tulear
• Italian Greyhound
• Maltese
• Mexican Hairless (toy)
• Miniature Schnauzer
• Poodle (miniature and toy)
• Puli

Most of the dogs mentioned above, besides the hairless breeds (AHT, Chinese Crested, Mexican Hairless), short smooth-coated dogs (Chihuahua and IG) and Puli, require daily grooming to keep allergens at bay.