By Heidi Clayton
Don’t believe the hype that doodle or poo mixed breed dogs are hypoallergenic. At some point, people marketing these designer dogs have made the word “hypoallergenic” synonymous with “low-shedding.” Mixing anything with a poodle may or may not result in a low-shedding coat, but it does nothing to reduce the amount of hair they grow nor the amount of dander and saliva. A 2012 study showed that the primary allergy that people allergic to dogs react to is “canis familiaris allergen 1” or the “can-f-1 allergen.” The study revealed that there was no significant difference in the presence of can-f-1 in homes that have hypoallergenic dogs and those that do not. Mixing a Golden Retriever or a Husky with a Poodle doesn’t mean your dog will inherit the low-shedding hair genes of the Poodle. Mixing breeds is a genetic roll of the dice where coat and temperament are highly unpredictable.
If you are looking for a low-shedding pet, there are several purebred dogs that will have predictable coats from birth, where low shedding is a guarantee. One of my favorite low-shedding breeds is the unique and adorable Bedlington Terrier. The Bedlington is known as the graceful terrier in sheep’s clothing with a scimitar-shaped tail. People often confuse them for lambs because of their coats and the unique shape of their heads. Their coat is a mix of coarse and soft hair that tends to curl, particularly around their face. Bedlington Terriers come in the colors blue (which is a silvery bluish shade), sandy, and liver (which is a shade of dark brown).
Bedlingtons are light-boned athletic dogs that originated in the early 1800s in the Northumberland mining area of England. Miners needed a dog to do the tough job of going down into coal mines to kill rats and vermin. To fit in the tight area of the coal mine, a light-boned and stealthy vermin killer with a long powerful jaw to catch rats was bred. One of the first documented Bedlingtons was a male named Piper who hunted badgers in the mines until the ripe old age of 14. Eventually, Bedlingtons caught the eye of the wealthy who loved their unique look as well as their lovable and devoted temperaments. The Bedlington became an official breed when the Bedlington Terrier Club was formed in England in 1877.
Unlike designer dogs that are being overbred, the Bedlington Terrier will have generations of solid genetics behind them. Just like with mixed doodle breeds, you will have to brush them at least once a week and get them groomed semi-monthly, but their coat from generation to generation is guaranteed to be low-shedding.
What is also consistent is their lovely and solid temperaments. While they are true ratters at heart, they are easily trained. They have mild and gentle temperaments and are never shy or anxious.
The Bedlington will also breed true to size. Breeding a Lab to a Poodle could result in a litter of questionable sizes at maturity. Bedlington terriers are never bigger than 17 to 23 pounds.
They also have very few health issues. Every Bedlington breeder I know tests their dogs’ hearts and patellas. These breeders also conduct eye tests. They also do the genetic test for copper toxicosis, which is a disorder that causes too much copper in the body, resulting in liver damage.
Remember there is no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog. If you are looking for a low-shedding dog, read up on the Bedlington Terrier by visiting https://www.bedlingtonamerica.com/. They are great little family dogs with a long, rich history behind them.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at heidi@fouronthefloordogtraining.net.
Heidi Clayton started Four On the Floor Dog Training to provide positive, reward-based dog training in South Jersey. She breeds, trains and shows bull terriers under the SoraBully’s Bull Terriers kennel name. Email questions to heidi@fouronthefloordogtraining.net or learn more at https://fouronthefloordogtraining.net
