Australian Shepherds are friendly, sensitive, energetic, and intelligent. The breed comes in different color combinations like blue merle, red merle, red tricolor, black, black tricolor, and red. Their different coat color combinations & variations provide them a beautiful look, but for an allergic person, it is essential to select hypoallergenic dog breed.
Now the question is, “Are Australian Shepherds hypoallergenic?”
NO, Australian Shepherds are not hypoallergenic. This dog breed sheds all year round. The shedding gets even higher during the spring season. Spring is the time when the Aussies lose their winter coat.
In general, no dog breed is hypoallergenic. So you will not find a completely non-allergic dog breed. It is all about some dog breeds sheds less as compared to others.
So as we have seen Aussies are not ideal for allergic people. If you are allergic to dog shedding, you have two options available:
- Either choose any low-shedding dog breed, or
- Adopt Australian Shepherd and minimize the shedding level
If you are very much allergic to dog shedding, then you should not adopt Aussie and try to minimize the shedding level. In this case, go with any other dog breed that is low-shedding. Because, for highly allergic people, getting high shedding dog like Australian shepherd may create a problem.
If you are less allergic to dog shedding, then you can adopt an Aussie dog. But note that after adopting the high shedding dog like Australian shepherd, you will have to focus on minimizing your dog’s shedding. And, if you can’t manage to take action regarding the Aussie shedding, then go with any low-shedding breed.
In this post, we will consider both options. Here we will explain what type of dogs are hypoallergenic and if you are allergic & you adopt the Aussie dog, then how to deal with shedding. First of all, let’s talk about how to minimize the shedding of your Australian Shepherd dog.
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How to Reduce Australian Shepherd Shedding
As we have seen, Aussies shed all year round and the shedding level gets higher during the spring seasons. In such a situation, if you are allergic to dog shedding and you want to adopt Australian Shepherd, then you will need to take some steps to reduce the shedding of your Aussie dog. Here are some of the best ways to reduce Australian Shepherd shedding:
1. Brushing
One of the best ways to reduce the shedding level of your Aussie dog is by brushing your dog often. Though this method can’t get rid of Aussie shedding completely, it will minimize the shedding level to some extent. There is no tool through which you can completely get rid of the shedding, but using the right brushing comb can reduce the shedding level.
2. Bathe your dog
Another great way to reduce shedding is by providing regular bathe to your dog. Providing a bathe to your dog will make your dog shed more, but the reason why you should do this is to brush your dog after providing. After the bath, dry him and then brush him. This will help to reduce the shedding level.
3. Get a vacuum cleaner
Another good way to deal with your Aussie dog shedding is with the help of a good vacuum cleaner. While getting a vacuum cleaner for shedding, make sure you select the one which has a large container so that you can have enough space for all the dirt and hair. The use of a vacuum cleaner becomes more important during the spring season because this is the time when your Australian shepherd sheds a lot.
4. Keep your Aussie dog outside
Keeping the dog outside will help to release the dander outside. You can’t keep your Aussie dog outside in very cold weather. So consider the weather condition of your location before keeping your dog out.
5. Allergy medication
Taking medication to avoid your allergy toward dog shedding is not recommended, but you may consider this during the time when your Australian shepherd dog sheds a lot, for example, spring season. Never take any allergy medicine without consulting about it with your physician or doctor. Taking consultation with your doctor before taking any medicine ensures your safety. Taking medications is not always recommended, instead, you should try to reduce shedding with the help of different ways mentioned above.
So these are the best ways through which you can reduce your Australian shepherd shedding. There is no tool or method which can help you completely get rid of dog shedding, but by implementing the above-listed methods, you can minimize to some extent.
If you have high allergy with dog shedding, then you should drop the idea of adopting allergenic dog breeds like an Australian shepherd because you can minimize the shedding to some extent, but you can’t avoid it completely. This is when our second option comes in. You can adopt any other dog that sheds less.
Adopt A Low Shedding Dog Breed
For an allergic person, the best thing about adopting a low shedding dog instead of an Aussie is it helps to avoid dealing with reducing the shedding of the Australian Shepherd dog.
Basically, no dog breed is hypoallergenic. Depending on the coat, the shedding level differs from one dog breed to another. Some breeds shed a lot, while some shed comparatively less.
Here are some low shedding dog breeds you can consider adopting if you don’t want to deal with the shedding of an Aussie dog:
1. Bichon Frise
Bichon Frise is considered one of the best hypoallergenic dog breeds. The breed is very loving and friendly. Bichons are affectionate towards families, kids, dogs, and strangers. It means the breed is great with everyone. Bichons are sociable and they can’t tolerate being alone. If you leave your Bichon alone at your home for longer periods, it is likely to create negative and destructive behavior in him. So make sure you always have someone to take care of your bichon dog whenever you are out or busy at work.
2. Australian Silky Terrier
Australian Silky Terrier is a cute, friendly, energetic, smart, and easy to train dog breed. Their smartness and intelligence help you with the training process. The breed is highly energetic. When it comes to energetic dog breeds, it is essential to provide them enough exercise; hence the exercise needs of this breed are pretty high. Their high energy level needs to be used wisely. Not helping Australian silky terriers to burn their energy may lead to destructive behavior in them. If you do not provide your dog enough exercise, he will find his way to burn energy like barking for long, chewing for long, etc.
3. Irish Terrier
Irish Terrier is a medium-sized dog breed that sheds less. The breed is very loving and friendly. Irish Terriers do great with families as well as with kids. So if you are a family person finding a low-shedding dog, this one can be great for you. The breed is playful and energetic, and it also has high exercise needs. To keep the Irish Terrier stay fit and happy, you need to provide him with regular exercise. The major problem with this breed is it is not at all easy to train. It can be challenging for you to train your Irish terrier.
4. Schnauzer (Mini, Standard, or Giant)
All three mini, standard and giant are the low shedding dogs. Though there are many similarities between these three, here we will talk about Standard Schnauzers. They are energetic, intelligent, playful, and loving to their owners. Schnauzers can’t tolerate when they are left alone for longer periods. So if you are busy at work or out for some reason for a longer time, make sure you have someone with your Schnauzer to spend time with. The energy level of this breed is great and its exercise requirements are also very high. You will need to take him out daily and provide high-energy exercise.
5. Black Russian Terrier
Black Russian Terriers are also known as Chornyi Terrier. The breed is energetic, intelligent, playful, and loving. Black Russian terriers are very friendly with kids as well as families. They might not do well with other dog breeds. The breed is smart enough and easy to train. Apart from this, it also has pretty high exercise needs. To avoid this breed from creating destructive behavior, it is important to provide it with proper training and enough exercise. This will keep them busy and you would be able to burn your dog’s energy in the right way.
6. Afghan Hound
Afghan Hounds are popular for their ability to run faster. It is also very popular for its high prey drive. The breed is energetic, playful, and loving. Afghan Hounds come in the category of below-average shedder dogs. So this breed can be a good choice if you are allergic to dog shedding. It is loving and affectionate toward families, kids as well as other dogs, but they might not do well with strangers. You can’t leave this dog breed alone for a long time from its owner or its people. Doing so may build separation anxiety and boredom in them.
Can I Shave My Dog To Stop Shedding?
The answer to this question is based on the type of hair coat your dog has. There can be single-coated dogs or double-coated dogs. Talking about Australian Shepherds, they are double-coated dogs. You can consider shaving a single-coated dog, but you must not shave a double-coated one. Single coat dogs have short hair and safely shaving them will avoid damage to their skin or coats.
As Australian Shepherds are double-coated dog breeds, shaving them will not help them with shedding. In fact, it will result in damaged coats, sunburn, clipper injuries, and other skin issues. So if we talk about Australian shepherd dogs, it is not advisable to shave for the purpose of stopping shedding.
Conclusion
So the answer to your question, “Are Australian Shepherds Hypoallergenic?” is NO. The breed is not hypoallergenic. Basically, there is no breed out there that is 100% hypoallergenic. It is just that the shedding level varies from one dog breed to another. Some breeds have high shedding levels, on the other hand, some have low shedding levels. Depending on whether you are allergic or not, you will need to choose the right dog breed.
In this post, we have talked about different low-shedding dog breeds that you can consider getting if you are allergic to Aussies.