About the Breed
(Skip this section) While today Fox Terriers are primarily family or show dogs, they were originally bred to bolt foxes out of their clever hiding spots. With a tapering, flat skull and a chiseled, wedge-shaped head, this breed is certainly unique in appearance! The eyes are dark and small and deep-set into the skull. They are sturdy dogs with a strong neck. The tail stands upwards and is traditionally docked to about ¾ in length. Their hair looks broken, wiry and wavy on their dense double-layered hypoallergenic coat. Wire Hair Fox Terriers shed very little, but their coat needs to be regularly stripped of old hair or trimmed. They may be small, but they sure are muscular. The Fox Terrier is very hypoallergenic if the coat is well maintained with proper grooming. Their coat is normally white with either black, tan, or slate-blue markings.
Hair Versus Fur: How To Spot The Differences
If you want to know if your dog has hair or fur, there are a few ways to tell the differences by touch and sight.
First, hair tends to be longer in length than fur. It goes through a longer growth cycle, and the longer the growth cycle, the less frequently the hair sheds.
Hair generally feels smoother and finer to the touch than fur. It can be straight, wavy, or curly, and the curly hair is the most likely to trap hair that sheds, which can give the appearance that the dog is shedding less than they actually are because hair doesn’t float out into the environment as much.
Hair usually grows in a single layer, so the top of the hair won’t feel much different than it would closer to the skin.
Fur, on the other hand, is usually shorter and denser. It tends to have short growth cycles so that it can shed and grow in thicker during the cold months.
Fur usually sheds more easily than hair for that reason, and the coat doesn’t trap the fur that sheds as much as a coat of hair would. So you’ll probably be cleaning more of it off of your clothes and furniture, especially during seasonal changes when a new coat comes in.
Dogs with fur often — but not always — have a double coat, meaning they have a coarser overcoat and a soft, fine undercoat that helps them regulate their body temperature.
Many people want to know the difference between dog hair and fur so they can find out if their pooches are hypoallergenic. However, it’s not usually the hair or fur, itself, that causes allergies.
Dander and compounds in the skin and saliva of dogs are often the main factors that cause allergic reactions in humans. It doesn’t matter if dogs have hair or fur in that sense. Dogs essentially produce the same amount of allergens regardless of which kind of coats they have.
So why are some dogs considered hypoallergenic?
Well, while dogs produce allergens no matter which type of coats they have, the way their coats trap allergens can be quite different.
Curly hair, for example, tends to trap dander and skin cells more than fur. And because it usually sheds less frequently, those allergens stay on the dog and close to the skin rather than dispersing into the environment.
Fur, on the other hand, doesn’t trap these allergens as well. It also sheds more easily, which can spread dander around your home and on your clothing.
No dog is completely hypoallergenic. They all produce compounds that cause allergic reactions in humans. However, dogs who have curly hair may be the best choice for allergy sufferers, as their coats tend to trap the allergens rather than spreading them around.
Some find the difference in coats to be negligible when it comes to preventing allergies, but others notice a big difference in their symptoms when spending time with dogs who have different coats.
If you’re basing an adoption decision on whether you’ll be allergic to a dog or not, you should always spend some time with a dog before bringing them home so you know what to expect.
1 Poodle (Toy, Miniature and Standard)
Poodles have a dense, curly single layer coat thats considered hair, not fur, and sheds very little. Their coat also catches dead hair and dander until being brushed out, which reduces the spread of allergens. For these reasons, Poodles are considered hypoallergenic. They do need regular grooming, but you can choose a low maintenance cut for easy care. If you dont brush or clip your poodles coat, it may start cording (forming of dreadlocks), which is also a common style for them. Cording, however, needs its own kind of care to maintain the look. Bonus perk – poodles are virtually odor free!
The Portuguese Water Dog has a single, thick curly or wavy coat made of hair, not fur. Due to its lack of undercoat and coat of hair, this is a low-shedding breed that produces less dander and so its considered hypoallergenic. But the Portuguese Water Dogs coat needs regular grooming to keep it in top condition and from growing too long. Its important to note that although the Portuguese Water Dog sheds minimally, it does still shed.
Pro Tip: Some Portuguese Water Dogs are born with an “improper coat.” This means that their coat is not consistent with the breed standard curly or wavy single coat, but is rather smooth-coated or flat-coated. In these cases, the Portuguese Water Dog is likely not hypoallergenic as they typically have a double coat that sheds more.
The Samoyed has an eye-catching appearance thanks to their long, bushy, light-colored fur. They have a medium-length double coat with a soft, warm undercoat and a tough outer coat that protrudes out from the body. They are considered hypoallergenic because they produce less dander than other breeds. But people with more sensitive dog allergies should beware, as its near impossible to eliminate all dander from the Samoyeds fur. Daily brushing and regular grooming or bathing will help keep them clean and reduce the chances of triggering allergies.
Are Dachshunds Hypoallergenic Dogs? (Short, Long Haired, Wirehaired)
Is there a truly hypoallergenic dog breed? Well, the short answer is – sort of. There are allergy-friendly dog breeds. No dog is totally allergy-proof. Even breeds that don’t shed, or at least shed very little, can still trigger allergies. That’s because dog hair isn’t what’s triggering your allergies. The flakes of dead skin, or dander, that’s lying under all that hair is what causes most allergies. Dog saliva and urine also contribute to your dog allergy symptoms.
Choose a breed of dog that sheds less. Not because of the hair so much as their ease of maintenance. These allergy-friendly dog breeds generally don’t have dense undercoats that trap dander and other allergens. They’re easier to bathe and that may also contribute to getting rid of that annoying dander. Regular baths also rid the coat of saliva, pollen, and other allergy triggers.
According to the Dog Allergies Online website, an ‘allergy-friendly’ dog tends to have almost human-like hair that doesn’t shed as much as typical dog hair. They frequently have short coats (or even no coat – like the Chinese Crested or Mexican Hairless). Other breeds sport curly coats, such as the Poodle’s or Irish Water Spaniel’s, or the wiry coats that are typical of many terriers.