American Kennel Club Article

Your HouseDoesn�t Have to Be Covered in Dog Hair

Good news! If you are someone who lives in a place where you have to keep your dog inside the house, there is now a way to have an indoor dog and not have to constantly battle pet hair. There are many breeds of dogs that supposedly don�t shed at all, but you should know, that all dogs, no matter what breeders claim, do shed some hair at some point. The thing that matters is how much they shed, and how long the hair they shed will be. Hopefully, you can find a dog that won�t fill your clothes and furniture with hair, but it is impossible to find a breed of dog that will never lose any hair!

Even dogs that are supposed to be hairless will eventually shed. You may see the evidence of this, and even if you find a dog that doesn�t lose its hair, it still loses dead skin scales and dander, which is not a very pleasant thing to think about floating in the air in your home. People who are allergic to dogs often have more reactions to these lost skin cells than they do to massive amounts of dog hair. So, if you have allergies to dogs, then odds are pretty high, you won�t be able to find a dog that doesn�t cause you to experience symptoms.

If you want an indoor canine friend, even though you have allergies, then your best bet is to choose a dog that doesn�t really shed much at all, a light shedder. These are the dogs that typically are claimed to be non-shedders, but we now know that those dogs don�t exist. While these dogs still lose hair and dead skin cells, it won�t be as bothersome to someone with allergies as other breeds may be.

Some of the more popular breeds of light shedding dogs are the Basenji, the Hairless Khala, and the Miniature Poodle. The Basenji is a relatively small dog, which also makes it an ideal inside pet. These dogs still shed somewhat, but since they are single coated, it isn�t as bad as many of the more common breeds. The Basenji does have a lot of energy and will keep you on your toes, so be prepared.

The Hairless Khala doesn�t really have any hair to shed, but you can still expect them to lose those dead skin cells. While the skin cells can pose a problem, especially for someone with allergies, you won�t have to worry about constantly cleaning dog hair off of your clothing and your furniture, which is definitely a bonus!

The Miniature Poodle doesn�t lose a lot of hair, and is a very popular dog due to its loving nature and keen intellect. This is a great indoor dog, especially for someone who has children in the home.

While it is impossible to find a dog that won�t shed, you can find a canine friend who won�t constantly clog up your vacuum cleaner with hair!