Low/non-shedding dogs

pastelblue

I am looking for some advice before getting a pup. I need a small dog that is low or non-shedding due to asthma. I have been looking at Yorkshire terriers, Maltese, and Bichon Frise. Can anyone point me in the direction of some ethical breeders of these dogs please? I've just had a quick look on donedeal (I know, I know..!) but the majority of the ads on there don't state that the pups are registered (although a lot do say that the parents are available to be seen).

Can anyone advise how much I should expect to pay for one of these pups? Or recommend any other breeds that I haven't mentioned?
TIA!

Latatian

Just to say- it's the dander that usually causes problems with respiratory disease, not the hair itself. I have a friend with asthma which reacts to our dogs, and she seems to react about as much to the less-shedding one as to the more- though the breeds you've mentioned might be better because they're washed more and thus are shedding less dander.

Try an adult dog. Even a Bichon pup could grow up and turn out to set off your asthma- you can't really tell with the pups. With an adult dog at least you know how much it sets off your asthma right now. Then wash it regularly.

Honestly if your asthma is set off by dogs, then I would be cautious (as an asthmatic dog-owner myself) before getting one- asthma can turn very bad, very fast. You don't want to end up endangering yourself. If it's not set off by dogs then don't worry about it and go for whatever breed appeals to you. Sometimes people will tell you 'don't get a dog' etc even if your asthma is unaffected by them, it's a misconception. The only problem my dogs cause my asthma is when they run through the white flowers.

Cherry Blossom

Sterling prices taken from champdogs.

Yorkie 650
Bichon 750
Maltese 2000

Other breeds: toy/miniature/standard poodle, mini/giant schnauzer.

I also agree with the above post, it's not the hair that is the problem generally. Choose a breed, find someone that owns said breed and spend some time with their dog or even better ask if you can borrow their dog for a weekend to see if you react. The other option is maybe foster a dog for a rescue with a view to adopting. If you are not fussy on the breed otherwise this may be the way to go. Waiting lists from reputable breeders can sometimes mean a wait of over a year depending on the breed/breeder. Stay well away from advert sites with the exception of two that are specifically for reputable breeders of pedigree dogs - champdogs and pedigreedogs. One is in the Uk but has a few breeders here and in NI that use it.

When you decide on a breed, the relevant breed club is the best place to begin your search if you want to buy a puppy, but as you are asking about prices you can check those sites to get an idea of any you want to rule out based on price.

Knine

You should probably spend some time with some of the breeds you like. I have low shed wire coated terriers who are good for allergy sufferers. However 1 of mine has a very dense undercoat & he sets me off. Would fostering be an option for you?

SusieBlue

I got my Maltese from a reputable breeder, who has bred generations of great litters. He owns both the bitch and the stud who are family pets. I can PM you his contact details if you like. We paid €550 for our male pup, the females in his litter were €600 if I remember correctly.

tk123

Just to echo it's dander you need to worry about. I have asthma and 2 retrievers - there's hair on everything but it doesn't affect me at all because they swim so much so there's not loads dead skin floating around to cause problems..especially compared to a dog who may not have been groomed in X amount of weeks

Cherry Blossom

Reputable breeders do not charge different prices for dogs and bitches. The reason people do this is because unscrupulous people see bitches as money making machines and assume that is what you are going to do with them. A reputable breeder would not consider selling a dog to anyone for this purpose. Sure why don't you just post the name and website details here if they are above board rather than sending it by pm?

michellie

We have a gorgeous maltichon and my fiances asthma has been fine with her.

SusieBlue

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

Reputable breeders do not charge different prices for dogs and bitches. The reason people do this is because unscrupulous people see bitches as money making machines and assume that is what you are going to do with them. A reputable breeder would not consider selling a dog to anyone for this purpose. Sure why don't you just post the name and website details here if they are above board rather than sending it by pm?

Assuming you post is directed at me, it's because I'm not about to publish this persons name and private contact number online for everyone to see without his permission?

For what it's worth, this breeder was recommended to me by the Maltese Club of Ireland, whose details I got from the IKC website.
I would presume anyone recommended by the IKC is above board and reputable.
We visited the home twice before buying, once at 8 weeks and again at 10 weeks, taking the pup home at 10 weeks. Viewed both parents and one grandparent. They also had 2 male cats that were very cute.
When my puppy got sick with kennel cough some weeks later, I rang and got advice. Very helpful and knowledgable about the breed and of dogs in general.

If your trying to imply that im some ignoramus that paid high cash for a freshly born pup out of a cardboard box on the side of a dual carriageway, your wrong.

Knine

On the rare occasion I have puppies & that is because I want to keep one for myself I don't charge different prices for my puppies. Show/Pet quality or dog/Bitch are all the same price. It does not cost more to rear bitch puppies so why charge more?

I certainly don't want buyers to think bitch puppies are going to make them money! I grill any potential owners to make sure they are getting a bitch for the right reasons.

The IKC does not do checks on the Breeders so it is yp to the buyer to make sure the Breeder is reputable.

Cherry Blossom

Apologies if I have it wrong whiteroses, I have been referred to classified sites by someone who should know a lot better than that so it does happen. Reputable breeders don't breed dogs that are just pets generally so the use of the word 'pet' in your post put me on guard. There are no shortage of pets, its not an efficient use of time and effort for a breeder. Also the price you stated is very low. Some puppy farmers are charging over €1000 and are getting it for very badly bred dogs. I don't know why anyone would charge that price for maltese pups.

pastelblue

Since posting yesterday, I have emailed a couple of breeders that the IKC put me in contact with. So far, a breeder of Bichons has gotten back to me and quoted me €450 for females and €400 for males. I didn't think anything of it until I came back and read this thread. Should I steer clear?

I'm not purchasing right this minute anyway, but good knowledge to have for future reference.

adrenalinjunkie wrote: »

Reputable breeders don't breed dogs that are just pets generally

Pardon my ignorance, but what are they breeding them for? Shows? I have no interest in that. In which case, is there any need to go to one of these breeders? I want to purchase from an ethical breeder but without spending thousands. Is that even possible?!

tk123

Maybe it's just me but if I was looking for homes for pups I'd want to talk to people and suss them out - email doesn't seem right?!... And I work in IT so not like I'm not a tech nerd lol!

Knine

pastelblue wrote: »

Pardon my ignorance, but what are they breeding them for? Shows? I have no interest in that. In which case, is there any need to go to one of these breeders? I want to purchase from an ethical breeder but without spending thousands. Is that even possible?!

They are breeding them to keep one for themselves & continue their line. The rest of the puppies then go to pet homes or to start off someone new to the breed for showing, established show people etc.

It is not ethical breeding imo if you are not keeping one & just breeding to sell. The exception to this is breeding a bitch before she is too old for a first litter so you may keep one from a later litter from her or breeding for family and friends.

To get a decent quality puppy that looks like the breed it is supposed to be & is from healthy tested quality stock will cost a lot of money but I would not pay thousands for a pet Maltese unless there was huge stud fee outlay for a fantastic dog.

pastelblue

tk123 wrote: »

Maybe it's just me but if I was looking for homes for pups I'd want to talk to people and suss them out - email doesn't seem right?!... And I work in IT so not like I'm not a tech nerd lol!

Personal preference thing I suppose. I didn't think there was any "sussing" to do anyway as they'd been recommended to me by the IKC. When the time comes, I will be phoning breeders but for the moment I'm just trying to get an idea of who has litters at the moment and how much they're going for.

Latatian

Again- if your asthma is set off by dogs then you are taking a gamble with any puppy, regardless of breed, because not all dogs of a breed will be as allergenic to you. Not all bichons are alike in terms of asthma, for example.

You might want to have a talk with your doctor about it, or look for an adult dog for sale, and spend time in homes where those dogs live to see how your asthma is. Other things that can help are regular washing, not letting the dog in your room, keeping hard coverings on the floor (carpet will hold your allergens more) and not letting the dog on furniture, taking your preventative medications etc.

But asthma can kill, can turn very bad very quickly, and it is something that needs great caution. I've been hospitalized for asthma, I've had friends hospitalized for asthma who thought they had 'mild' asthma. It is not something to be taken lightly, it can kill. It is possible that the pup wouldn't set off your asthma and the dog would, when grown up- and then you might end up having to rehome it.

DBB

I agree entirely with Latatian... It's not that you shouldn't get a dog, but you do need to tread with caution. As someone who runs a rescue for a breed that's often falsely claimed to be "hypoallergenic", I take in a big chunk of dogs every year due to allergy issues the dog has apparently caused. In fact, I've just taken in one today!

Nody

DBB wrote: »

I agree entirely with Latatian... It's not that you shouldn't get a dog, but you do need to tread with caution. As someone who runs a rescue for a breed that's often falsely claimed to be "hypoallergenic", I take in a big chunk of dogs every year due to allergy issues the dog has apparently caused. In fact, I've just taken in one today!

Clearly they did not show they where the Alpha pack leader to the dog so it caused allergies as a way to try to usurp the leader position in the pack.*



*Yes that is a joke based on last year's debate here.