Dogs that Do Not Shed

Many of you must be fond of owning a cute puppy as your family member. Dog can be a reliable, playful companion. However, you have to pay a careful attention to its care and grooming. As most dog breeds regularly shed fur, you need to keep aside some time for their frequent grooming. Many people find it difficult to take out the time for the dog grooming. Some people are allergic to the dog’s fur. Good news for such people is that there are some dogs that do not shed or shed minimum. Non-shedding dogs means they lose very little or negligible hair.

Why Dogs Shed?

In fact, every dog daily sheds some amount of hair. Shedding is a natural process, which makes the dead hairs to release from the skin, so that they are replaced by new ones. A dog’s coat comprises of two types of hair. The outer coat is made up of coarser hair and the inner coat contains shorter, softer hair. The hairs on dog’s coat grow to a pre-determined length. When they stop growing, they are pushed out by new hairs growing in. Double-coated dogs shed their soft undercoats twice a year and lose the guard hair once a year. Some dog breeds such as Dalmatian shed moderately throughout the year. Heavy shedding dog breeds possess thick, heavy, double coats. Some of the heavy shedding dog breeds are Akita, German Shepherd, Great Pyrenees, Pomeranian, Siberian Husky, Samoyed, Collie, Keeshonden, Saint Bernard and Belgian Sheepdog. Single-coated dog breeds generally shed small amount of hair. Non-shedding dogs are considered as hypoallergenic. That means they don’t produce the allergens through flaky, dead skin and dander, which triggers the allergies.

Dogs that Do Not Shed

A non-shedding dog doesn’t mean that it does not shed at all. Every dog sheds at least lose a little hair, just like human beings. Only difference is that some shed more, while some shed very little. Some of the dog breeds that don’t shed are Affenpinscher, Airedale Terrier, American Hairless Terrier, Bichon/Yorkie, Bolognese, Chacy Ranior, Chi-Poo, Doodleman Pinscher, Shih Tzu, Maltese, Italian Greyhound, Cairn Terrier, Havanese, Welsh Terrier, Chinese Crested, Irish Water Spaniel, Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, Basenji, Standard Poodle, etc.

• Affenpinscher: It belongs to the toy breed family. It is lovingly called as ‘monkey dog’. It is a perfect choice for those who want a non-shedding breed.
• Bichon Frise: This little cute dog is a toy breed. It possesses a thick coat of wavy hair. It has no undercoat. It has also very few inherent health problems.
• Cairn Terrier: It is a small to medium-sized breed from the Terrier dog breed. Cairns are known for minimum grooming and being great with children.
• American Hairless Terrier: This hairless breed is good for the people to own who have severe allergies to pet dander. This dog is totally free of body hair, except eyebrows and whiskers. It comes in three size varieties such as miniature, toy and standard.
• Havanese: Many non-shedding dogs release at least a small amount of hair. But Havanese doesn’t shed a mess of fur on the furniture. Those who are allergic to even a small amount of dander can own this dog breed without any worries.
• Maltese: This little, cuddly dog requires high maintenance and grooming. But still it is very little shedding. It is a toy breed and very fragile. Hence, it is not suitable for every household.
• Chinese Crested: There are two varieties of Chinese Crested dogs such as powderpuff and hairless. Both these varieties shed very little or no hair. They have very few health problems and excellent temperament. You can surely plan to make this dog breed a part of your family.
• Yorkshire Terrier: This dog belongs to the toy family of breeds. They have long fur and their coat needs an extreme maintenance. However, they lose a very small amount of hair and are hypoallergenic.

You can own any of these non-shedding dog breeds and enjoy its wonderful, amusing company.