About Dog Hair Allergies
It's a pretty widely held belief that dog allergies are caused by dog hair, but this is not completely true, because the proteins in dog dander (dead skin cells) and dog saliva also trigger allergies. These allergens themselves are very tiny, and not normally visible to the human eye. They float through the air and they're 'sticky', which is why dog allergy sufferers often experience itchy eyes and noses. The amount of dog dander a particular dog breed produces is often linked to the type of coat it has. The more a dog sheds his hair, the higher the likelihood is that he'll also shed his dander.
So if you, or someone else in your home, has pet allergies your best bet is to stay away from the heavy shedders (that includes popular breeds such as Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers and German Shepherds).
The type of hair your dog has is linked to allergies in too, and it's not the length of the hair that's the biggest problem but the thickness. Particularly heavy, dense, thick or 'double' coated breeds (even if they're not necessarily heavy shedders) can cause problems for allergy sufferers. This is because their coats collect lots of dust, pollen, grass etc. and then redistribute it every time they shake, scratch or groom themselves.
Also bear in mind that if you're looking for hypoallergenic dogs, you should steer clear of Mastiffs and other slobber-prone dogs due to the allergens in dog saliva.
