What Does Hypo-allergenic REALLY Mean?

unsplash-image-M-svG1XYiHs.jpg

Hypo-allergenic means less allergenic. A person is usually allergic to dander (the more shedding, the more dander) or saliva, and sometimes urine. We can’t get rid of saliva, of course, but as shedding produces dander, we can help with dander by producing the non- and low-shedding dogs.

 Some people cannot be around even the lowest amount of dander that the non-shedding dogs produce without triggering allergies.  Others are comfortable with smaller dogs; due to less amount of dander because of less body mass.

 People are falsely told that if a puppy is part poodle, it won’t shed. They are also told falsely that curly coats are less shedding (or more hypo-allergenic) than straight or wavy coats.  The coat texture does not determine how “sheddable” or hypo-allergenic the puppy is.  However, genetics tells us that a dog that is part of a no- or low-shedding breed would be more hypo-allergenic than a fully sheddable dog.

 There is a little test to do, if the breeder hasn’t brushed the pup in the last 24 hours,  to predict how the pup is presently shedding. Wet your hand and just shake off the excess water. With your wet hand, stroke the pup from neck to tail three times using a gentle pressure. There will most always be some hair because dead hair does have to go somewhere, but this is a count to give a general idea of how much shedding to expect:

 1-6 hairs - no shed

7-15 hairs - very light shed

16-25 hairs - light shed

26-35 hairs - moderate shed

36 or more hairs - heavy shedder    

 

Important:

Though we refer to some dogs as “non-shedding,” in reality, every creature including canines and humans - sheds. Hair goes through a four stage life cycle. How long the shed cycle is in a dog determines if and how much they shed. A creature with a short shed cycle is considered “non-shedding.”

The following purebreds that I use as parent dogs are considered no-shedding and hypo-allergenic:

  • Poodles

  • Shih-tzus

  • Bichons

  • Schnauzers

  • Yorkies

When any of these breeds are crossed with a poodle, the offspring is considered to be hypo-allergenic.