Dog Grooming Hints

Dog lovers with allergies are always looking for that special breed of dog that will not cause an allergic reaction. Unfortunately, there are NO non-allergic dogs. All dogs can cause an allergic reaction; it has little to do with how much hair they have and more to do with their diet and how they are groomed. However, there are some breeds (in general, the female of the breed is better) which come close to being hypoallergenic and there are some breeds that are hairless or naturally don’t shed hair or shed very little. What they all have in common is they require regular grooming all year round.

ABOUT DANDER AND ALLERGIES:

Allergies are not a direct result of too much hair and even dogs with fur like human hair can cause allergies. The sebaceous glands are the culprit. Dogs, like other animals and humans, secrete an oily lubricant (sebum) through their sebaceous glands, which keeps their skin supple and their coat (hair) shiny. The allergen in the secretion causes the allergic reaction and is present in dog’s saliva and dander. As the dog ages and the skin dries, more sebum is produced and the scaly bits of dried skin are released, resulting in dander (or dandruff in humans). Be careful when buying a puppy because you might not have an immediate allergic reaction. Puppy’s skin is supple and sebum isn’t released so they have no dander, but you might eventually get an allergic reaction as they age and dander forms.

A FEW SUGGESTED BREEDS FOR ALLERGY SUFFERERS:

Basenji

Shed little or no hair, have no doggy smell and they groom themselves like cats; however, they do not do well with non-canine pets. They are energetic and easily trainable.

Bichon Frise

Shed little or no hair but must be groomed once a month. They are affectionate, intelligent and independent. They love people and children and are easily trainable.

Chinese Crested

Shed little or no hair, have no doggy odor and are not prone to ticks or fleas. They are affectionate, lovable, energetic and easily trainable. They are not barkers.

Poodle

Shed little or no hair and are intelligent and easily trainable. They have a good temperament, but if untrained, they tend to bark a lot. Also, be careful with the mixed breeds.

Schnauzer

Shed little or no hair, are great house pets and love children. They will bark and make good watchdogs and mouse catchers.

Shih Tzu

Shed little or no hair and is alert and spunky. They make good watchdogs even though they are small.

Yorkshire Terrier

Shed little or no hair, but their temperament is that of the Terrier breed. They are good watchdogs but tend to be snappish if teased or surprised. They are easy to train, but a little stubborn.

Xoloitzcuintle

Hairless breed sheds no hair and the coated breed sheds very little. They come in three sizes and are very intelligent and easily trainable.

COST:

It is difficult to find a price range for any of them without going to each breeder’s site and requesting information, but suffice it to say that pure-bred dogs will cost you several hundred to several thousand dollars, depending on the breed. You can, however, check with the Humane Society and other dog adoption shelters because it is estimated that about forty percent of all dogs in those shelters are pure-bred dogs.

Resources:

www.consumerhealthreviews.com

www.dogchannel.com

www.dog-abc.com

www.dogs.about.com

www.angelfire.com

www.dogbreedinfo.com

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FOR THE PUPPY SEARCHER

My most exciting thrill is connecting a new pet with a new owner! In the last 25 years, I have worked professionally as a pet groomer/shop owner. My customers have become my friends; and if I had any advice I would say,”Do your homework!”.

For example an Old English Sheepdog is one of the fluffiest, cutest pups-in its first 2 months before size, hair, chewing begins. The breed is wonderful, but not for everyone. It seems there is a pattern when a movie portrays a dog that that breed becomes the “popular” breed. A great example is “Shiloh”. Suddenly I was inundated with beagles! Now I love beagles as I have a great appreciation for almost all breeds. I say the average family hasn’t a clue on the training needed for a beagle. This breed is very hyper outdoors: a one-minded dog, especially when he is “on the scent”. There is no reasoning with a beagle who is “on the scent” of anything! And having him return to you before he finds his scent…Good Luck!

Today a popular characteristic in a dog is whether its fur is hypo-allergenic or rather your “non=shedding” type. Breeds such as Maltese, Poodles, Lhasa Apso , Tibetan Terriers, Wheaton Terriers, Portuguese Water Dogs, Shih – tzus , etc are a few examples of non-shedders . Obviously these breeds are popular due to people not having an allergic reaction to their coat.

Now these breeds may not shed (“shed” being defined as having hair fall onto your floor); but they do have a cotton “undercoat” that loosens itself and gets tangled or “matted” in the longer outer coat. Thus you are in for a lifetime of having your pet

groomed every 1-2 months at a cost ranging from $35-$70 or more. If this procedure doesn’t take place, your loving pet with be a walking cast of matts (tangles) that tighten every time they move or get moist.

I can hear some customers say,”I don’t spend that much on my own hair!”. To which my response is like a knee jerk reaction,” When’s the last time your hair dresser expressed your anal glands, cleaned your ears, clipped your nails, brushed all your matts out ‘all’ over your body-as in ..everywhere?!” Think of all the grooming our bodies need (some more than others) ..well so does our furry friends.

It may sound trite, but having a pet is more than food, shelter, and grooming. Most dogs can have an incredible intelligence level, a huge vocabulary, and are a social pack animal -as are we. The responsibility for social interaction with owners is all the more important because dogs are a social animal. This pet’s intelligence is to be compared with a child- some only 1-2 years old; yet some have higher IQ’s than some teenagers I’ve met. So don’t neglect interaction: play, time spent, and acknowledging them.

Alas, pet lovers just need to be aware of what they are getting into before they make the 10-15 year commitment. Let it be known that smaller dogs tend to live the longest. Although my client does have a 19 year old labrador, so you never really know how long the commitment will be.

Please don’t make the decision lightly! Be committed!

The Hypo-Allergenic Dog Myth!

If you are looking to buy or adopt a dog but have a dog allergy, please be aware despite popular uneducated belief, there is no such thing as a hypoallergnic dog.

The dog allergy is triggered by dander. Dander is made up of dead skin, saliva, and urine. Guess what – all dogs have all 3 of those things. Hence, no hypo-allergenic dog.

Fortunately, some dogs have dander that isn’t strewn around as easily as others. For example, a poodle doesn’t shed it’s hair like the majority of dogs. Poodles have fur like human hair – it grows. Yes, it falls out, as does mine, but the poodle doesn’t shed it’s coat yearly or biyearly (or constantly like one of my pups!). Plus, poodles are often groomed. All of this grooming plus not shedding gives their dander little opportunity to get all over your house and trigger your allergy. If this dog wasn’t groomed properly or if you had very severe allergies, you would definitely have an allergic reaction to this supposedly “hypoallergenic” dog.

Even hairless dogs have hair, skin, saliva, and urine. These dogs can trigger even more allergies because the hair is too fine to trap any of the dander.

I have a very mild allergy to dogs and I also have 6 dogs. Some of them do aggravate my allergies more than the others – especially as puppies. I was moderately allergic to one of my dogs when he was a puppy – I would even break out into hives where my more sensitive skin (inner arm, neck, face, etc) touched his fur. Now that he’s an adult dog, he doesn’t trigger my allergies at all.

My point, basically, is that if you are severly allergic to dogs, you may need to consider another pet. You won’t be happy when you are constantly having a severe allergy attack and you’ll be even more upset when you have to find your beloved pet a new home. Please don’t adopt or buy a dog unless you know it won’t trigger your allergies (some people may be able to find a breed or particular dog that doesn’t trigger so many allergies) or unless you know you can live the next 10-20 years suffering with your allergic reaction to the dog, even if it worsens.

There are millions of dogs that need great homes, yes. But, adopting a dog and later needing to find it another home because it’s triggering your allergies is contributing to the problem of homeless pets. Please do your research before adopting or buying any dog. If you have allergies, you may need to find another pet that will better suit your needs. Getting a dog just because you want one is not only selfish but it’s also very unfair to the dog.