Nihon Ken and allergies
I was wondering if the coats are generally the same for these breeds? Do these dogs shed daily? If so how has this affected anyone with dog allergies?. I have a pit-bull and they shed hair a lot which seems to cause allergies for my friends who seem to be allergic.
Comments
The hair type dogs are the ones best for dog allergy sufferers, the double coated ones pontetially being the worse due to the extreme amounts of tumbleweeds they can produce. Though with enough cleaning a house with a single or double coated dog could keep allergy visitors from suffering too much.
Sometimes if it's a really screwy summer, like we are having here in the PNW, they will grow the undercoat back when it's cold again, then shed again once it gets hot.
On another note though, if I weren't using AC in my house, he would have stopped his major shedding and have a pretty thin coat. This would be due to the fact that his coat has adjusted to the heat, remaining thin to keep cool.
"The good news is that Shibas have an outer coat that sheds dirt easily. This can minimize the amount of other allergens that dogs typically bring inside. Shibas are not constant shedders, so for periods of six months or so, you will only have minimal hair in the house. Shibas are very clean dogs, not requiring frequent bathing. This is great for allergy sufferers because in many cases it is not the hair that triggers the allergy, but rather the dander that can result from frequent bathing. The bad news is that Shibas also have a thick undercoat that will shed every six months or so. When a Shiba "blows his/her coat", you will wonder where all the hair came from!"
What really intrigued me is the minimal hair part because from what I've been reading is that double coat dogs shed a lot so this seemed to contradict what I've been reading. If what the Shiba website said is true would those who are allergic to dogs only be really affected during the seasonal shedding period?
Obviously, different people have different reactions, but I find find the quote above about allergy sufferers dubious. While it is true that it is the dander people are allergic to, it also seems that these double coated dogs tend to make people allergic.
Also, my Shibas blow their coats twice a year, but they are losing at least a bit of hair most of the year. Same with my Akita. There's always some dog hair around the house an on my clothes. And one of my Shibas seems to be allergic to his own hair/dander, and so he's sneezing and wheezing terribly when he's blowing his coat.
If allergies are a problem, you really need to meet and spend some time with a Shiba. Hang out for a couple of hours, make sure you pet the dog a lot, let it get up around your face (if the Shiba will tolerate that of course!) and that should give you an idea. And if it's your friends rather than you, well, if they react to your pit, they will probably have at least as much trouble with a Shiba.
Allergies are not a problem for me but those around me. I've been reading that NK's are generally cleaner than most dogs possibly resulting in less dander? I guess it does vary case by case. The massive shedding twice a year I can deal with but it is the everyday situations I am afraid of, not for myself but for others.
I am willing to do what it takes to reduce this, whether it be grooming everyday or weekly baths etc. I would really hate to get an NK and have to sacrifice the company of my friends who are allergic because of it.
I just read an article (think it was in the huffington post) that said that all dogs even dogs with hair have the same allergy irritating properties.
Personally I think it depends more on the individual dog.
Though if you aren't giving your put bull fish oil.you may want to try that. Pitties tend to have dry skin. My Ruby gets a lot of fish oil to help with her allergies and I suspect that may be why I am less allergic to her.
LIES! All lies. I have two shibas and two beagle mixes right now. One of the beagle mixes has "hair type" coat (he's mixed with bichon) and he barely sheds at all. The two shibas and the beagle/shiba mix just seem to shed all the time, but explode with fur in the hotter months.
Where I live there are four seasons:
winter - light shedding and the undercoat builds up
spring - a bit heavier shedding, the undercoat stays pretty thick
summer - all hell breaks loose with the shedding and undercoat, usually our vacuum dies and i find tufts of fur where theoretically fur shouldn't be (like the basement)
fall - heavy shedding until maybe october, then light shedding
they never EVER stop shedding. Now, I do have allergies to some dogs and most cats. I've never had an issue with the shibas, maybe its the lack of heavy dander or the fact that I feed them food that doesn't cause the "dog smell". Whatever it is, I'm OK with the shibas.
My advice to you is get a dog that *YOU* are going to be comfortable with and manage the potential allergy effects on your friends. If you are concerned about visitors to your house, create "dog free zones" where your guests will be less likely to come in contact with your dogs or any allergens they leave behind. Guest bedrooms, parlors, etc. are good places for this. When you're going to have a guest over, clean well in advance! I've made this mistake before. One side effect of vacuuming up dog fur is that some of the potential allergens that have been resting peacefully on the floor, couch, etc. get stirred up and become airborne. It's quite common in my house for visitors to do better if I don't clean shortly before they arrive because of this.
A lot of things can minimalize reactions. Feeding the dog a good diet low on fillers really helps. Raw diets seem to produce dogs with good skin and coat quality that shed less and have less dander. Frequent grooming, and frequent cleaning of the house help, too. Also, letting the dog spend a significant amount of time outside. Firstly, because the less time they spend indoors, the less time they spend shedding indoors. Secondly, because the more time they spend outside, the more their coat adjusts to the weather and in my experience, this makes them hold onto their coat more.
My sister does well with silky coats like berners and border collies have. In my personal experience with this coat, I had a border who was easy cause he blew his coat twice a year; I did a preventative wash/brush twice a year that took care of everything.
My daughter has a boston terrier, a breed she chose by the reputation of its hypoallergenicness. I live with a bulldog, and she sheds all the time (you should see my car!!), so I think they have different coats. My daughter is very allergic to the bully.
I cannot comment on the nipon breads cause 1. even though I met one, I am not allergic to dogs so wouldn't know 2. I am still a kai wannabe so my family has not been exposed to these breeds.
I imagine if you hardly ever vacuumed and never brushed the dog then there would be an issue. But if you keep the hair under control with plenty of cleaning, brushing and rinsing (not a full on bath with soap, those are only needed once or twice a year) then it shouldn't be much of a problem.
Conker does the seasonal explosions then has little bits of fur that comes off in-between. Juneau and Sasha are Border Collie/Labrador Retriever mixes and they shed constantly, both under and overcoat. So all the fur in the house is almost all from them, not Conker.