Assessing slightly overweight dog base on look, however, can be very tricky especially breeds with furry coats like Bichon Frise, Collies, or Pekingese as their luscious coat may conceal their excess fresh underneath it.

Two Methods of Recognizing Canine Obesity

The first step in effectively managing obesity is to recognize and acknowledge the problem. There are two ways of assessing your dog weight. One is by weighing your dog using a bathroom scale. Unlike small breeds that can stand on the bathroom scale, for larger dogs you’ll have to subtract your weight from the combined weight figure to determine your dog’s weigh. If yours is a purebred dog, the breed standards can give a clear indication of what is considered to be the ideal weight. For mixed or designer breeds, you still be able to gain an approximate idea by comparing his weight with that of a purebred dog of similar size and height. The second method is to do a physical examination—the look and feel method.

Look and Feel Obesity Assessment

A healthy dog body should look as if it is in proportion. The normal distribution of fat on a dog’s body includes a thin layer under the skin, other layers between the muscles of abdominal wall, and some deposits in the abdomen.

Ask Yourself These Questions:

Top View

• Does my dog have a visible indention (waist) behind his ribs?
• How easy is it to feel my dog’s ribs and spine?
• Does my dog’s tail look and feel thick?

Side View

• Does my dog have a slight tuck-up-belly between the ribcage and hindquarters?
• Does my dog have a large or wobbly belly?

If your dog does not have a discernible waist, has a large rounded belly, tail looks and feel thick, and you are unable to feel its ribs or spine, your dog is probably obese! Keep in mind that some fit, smooth-coated breeds you probably won’t notice the ribs but nevertheless they should be easily felt; a fat layer of more than 0.5cm over the ribs suggest the start of obesity.

The best way to detect obesity in your dog is to weigh your dog and observe his figure. This method is refer as Body Condition Scoring (BSC).

Preventing obesity is the single most crucial thing you can do to prolong the life of your dog.

If your dog is not overweight but want to know how fit he is, here (coming soon) is the dog fitness assessment chart.

Series Posts on Dog Obesity:

1. Dog Obesity: What Are The Health Risks?
2. Behavioral Consequences Of An Overweight Dog
3. What Causes Obesity In Dogs
4. Dog Obesity Assessment
5. Weight Lose Program For dogs
6. Dog Obesity: Prevention and Maintenance Programs

What I’d like to add to this post is that many potential buyers still hang onto the idea that designer dogs are better for allergic sufferers. This isn’t to say they aren’t—to some extend.

Take President-elect Barack Obama recent statement for example,

Malia is allergic, so it has to hypoallergenic.

He is considering a Goldendoodle for his girls. FYI, Golden Retrievers are heavy shedders.

Simply put, hypoallergenic dogs will still shed allergenic particles (dander or skin and coat shedding), but in smaller quantities, hence they are less likely to trigger an allergic response in human.

Before You Become Fixated On A Hypoallergenic Designer Dog

Just as you would buy a purebred dog, check with the designer dog breeders what medical tests they had done to ensure the puppies are free of any type of diseases.

Spend some time with the puppies to check if you have any allergic reaction—it may trigger immediately or later. Whatever the case may be, just stay long enough to be sure.

It may sound like I’m trashing designer dog breeder, but I am not. It is just the fact that I see how some profit driven designer breeders market their puppies and some poor eager buyers fallen into the trap (thanks to Obama’s recent statement). Some became so emotionally invested in those adorable puppies failed to see other important aspect of health issues the pups may have.

List Of Hypoallergenic Designer Small Dogs

Not all designer dogs are hypoallergenic. To be politically correct, not all designer dog breeders breed for hypoallergenic purposes. As a matter of fact, some of the most popular ones aren’t such as Puggle.

Keep in mind that when you buy a first generation designer puppy with either one of the purebred parent is non-hypoallergenic, there’s a 50% chance the pup is an average to heavy shedder depending on the non-hypoallergenic dog’s shedding pattern.

If you are determined to get a designer dog (no matter what’s the cost) that produces less pet allergens, here is the list of designer small dogs to consider:

• Chihchon  [Chihuahua x Bichon Frisé]
• Cockapoo [Cocker Spaniel x Poodle] (Miniature/Toy/Teacup)
• Labradoodle [Labrador Retriever x Poodle] (Miniature)
• Lhasa Poo [Lhasa Apso x Poodle]
• Maltipoo [Maltese x Poodle]
• Schnoodle [Schnauzer x Poodle] (Miniature/Toy)
• Shihchon [Shih Tzu x Bichon Frisé]
• Shih-Poo [Shih Tzu x Poodle]
• Taco Terrier [Chihuahua x Toy Fox Terrier]
• Wapoo [Chihuahua x Poodle]
• Yorkipoo [Yorkshire Terrier x Poodle]

Check out my small dogs breed ebook for their “precise” size—height and weight, in the ebook download page.

You Aren’t 100% Free From Pet Allergens With A Hypoallergenic Dog

You will still need an allergy management plan. Such as:

• Establish a dog-free zone.
• Bathe your dog weekly to reduce the dander that they shed around the house.
• Be fanatical about cleanliness. Vacuum carpet daily; better option, replace it with rug or none at all.
• Buy Dander-Out, a solution which is used to rub off dander from dog’s bodies.
• If you suffer mild allergic symptoms, get a prescription from your doctor for antihistamines which will help control your allergies.

Suggested Reading

For more information on allergy management, check out these two highly recommended books. Depends on what you are looking for, both are equally informative—the authors did a thorough research on the subject matter.

• Sneeze-free Dog Breeds: Allergy Management and Breed Selection for the Allergic Dog Lover by Diana Morgan. Although it’s a 157-pages book, only the first 37-pages talks about allergy management. The rest goes to detailed description of the 17 hypoallergenic (purebred) breeds.
• Allergic to Pets?: The Breakthrough Guide to Living with the Animals You Love by Shirlee Kalstone.
  Besides dog, this book also covers various preventive measures to minimize cat, bird, rabbit, rodent, ferret, and horse’s allergens.

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.

Origin: Originally bred on Skye, the identity of the Cairn Terrier was at first confused with the island’s other native dog. But whereas the luxurious long coat of the Skye Terrier led to early popularity as a pet, and breeding to further enhance its appearance, the Cairn Terrier retained its rather shaggy and unkempt looks. It was named after the piles of stones left to mark ancient burial sites on Skye, as the little dog was adept at following a fox if it took refuge among these mounds. Although not officially recognized until this century, today the breed has overtaken the Skye Terrier in popularity, both in Britain and America.

Temperament: Lively, intelligent, loyal, pugnacious and voluble. This is not a dog for those seeking serene and quite companionship. They are also very even-tempered and affectionate, making them an ideal choice for a home where there are children.

Grooming: Daily brushing and combing, remove any excess feathering.

Exercise: A moderate amount of exercise keep the Cairn Terriers quite happy.

Training: They will readily take part in ball games and other family activities. They are known to be excellent swimmers. If opportunity presents, Cairn Terriers will instinctively hunt vermin. An advantage trait especially in rural areas. Only drawback of their tendency is their desire to dig and they may have to be taught not to use flowerbeds for this purpose.

Physical Appearance of Cairn Terrier

Head: The skull is broad and the jaw powerful. The nose should be dark.

Ears: Set quite far apart. Small, erect and pointed.

Eyes: Deep set with full eyebrows. Dark hazel in color.

Coat: Hard, weather resistant outer coat and soft undercoat. Hair abundant on head. Colors include red, gray, sandy, and brindle, often with darker muzzle and ears.

Body: Compact with an appearance of strength. Rib-cage well sprung and deep.

Tail: Short and carried erect.

Height: 25 to 30 cm / 10 to 12 in

Weight: 6 to 7.5 kg / 13 to 16 lb