2nd dog - not a Cavalier

I rarely post here but I really hope for some suggestions. My Cavalier is an 8-month old puppy named Charlie, he is a very playful and happy little guy. We (me and my 2 boys) love him to death and would love to add another dog to our family. Unfortunately I have allergies and they're worse since we've got Charlie. I handle the allergies with the meds... constant vaccuming... but my Dr. doesn't think I should get another dog - unless it's a non-shedding, "hypoallergenic" variety. Any suggestions on what breeds will mesh well with a Cavalier? In terms of size, temperament, characteristics? I was thinking of mini poodles, Bichons, Malteses, etc... but I don't have any experience with any of them so I cannot visualize their personalities and how they would compare to Charlie's.
Thank you in advance
Julia

Tough question! You can get lots of info on personalities of breeds at www.yourpurebredpuppy.com. Also I'd advise reading some of the breed guides and club pages, though sometimes breed rescue is a better place for info on a breed as rescues tend to also list the breed issues or personality challenges.

There really isn't such thing as a hypoallergenic dog so I'd think very carefully about whether to add to a difficult situation if you are already having a tough time -- it isn't the shed hair but the dander -- shed skin cells -- plus the saliva for example that makes people have an allergic response. Less shed hair does help some people, but the more you overload your allergic response the worse that response can get over time and also you can start to get allergic responses to other things that didn't cause a response before. An allergic response can also deepen into an asthmatic response.

If you are sure you want to risk this (and keep in mind this may also mean risking having to rehome the dog) -- the small breeds you mention are all friendly with poodles particularly bright. However many of these smallies also tend to be sharp yappers and typically won't be as laid back as cavaliers tend to be.

List of dogs:

http://dogs.about.com/od/dogbreeds/qt/hypoallergenic.htm

This is an excellent article, pretty much the informed medical perspective in a nutshell:

http://www.webmd.com/allergies/news/20081112/hypoallergenic-dogs-dog-allergies-faq

NB I had cat allergies at one time so I read a LOT in this area and have seen specialists etc etc. So I know the frustration! Air purifiers also really help as they suck the dander out of the air. Good idea to have one at least in your bedroom and have that a no-go area for the dog.

I did agility this winter with a lady that had a chinese crested (with hair - I had no idea there were hairless and hairy ones). She said it was a non-shedding bred and it was a lovely dog.

I see a lot of cavalier breeders also have Chins. They may well be compatible with cavaliers but they're certainly not hypoallergenic.
Sins

You may want to consider a Havanese. They shed very little and are characterized as hypoallergenic, as dogs go. They're more energetic and more inquisitive than Cavaliers but otherwise very similar temperaments -- not an aggressive bone in their bodies and they love everyone, including other dogs. I know someone who has both Cavaliers and Havanese and she says they get along great.

Jane

I suggest you look at a Shih Tzu. We had one for 16 years, before our Sophie. He was the best dog we ever had. We kept ours clipped short, in the "puppy cut" for easier maintenance.

Shih Tzus do not shed. In fact, all the dog hair generated by our Cavalier puppy, Sophie, has been quite the shock to me.

Shih Tzus are neither hyper nor yappy unless there is bad breeding.
Alex was the most laid back dog! He rarely barked, and got on like a house fire with children, cats, adults, everyone. He was also very intelligent and willing to please, and did very well in his obedience training. He was worthless as a watch dog because he loved everyone.:lotsaluv:

The main reason we didn't get another Shih Tzu, and chose a Cavalier instead, was the weekly bathing. The other breeds you mention, though, will need regular bathing, too. Every seven to fourteen days Shih Tzus must be bathed. At my age, getting down on the floor to bathe a dog in the tub for another 16 years would be an orthopedic nightmare for me, and we don't have a proper sink for the job.

After we lost Alex, I needed a dog with "Teflon fur" and Shih Tzu temperament. The temperaments are quite the same, with Shih Tzus and Cavaliers. In searching for our Cavalier puppy, I found many Cavalier breeders who also breed Shih Tzus.

We had a "pound puppy" that was a female Miniature Poodle. She was smart, easily trained, sweet as pie, and because poodles have "hair" instead of "fur" did not shed a hair. Because of our late Susie, a Miniature Poodle would always be my second choice after my Cavaliers.

Most of my experience with dogs, prior to Cavaliers, was with poodles. We always had one growing up and my first dog (chloe, hence my user name) was a toy apricot poodle, whom I loved dearly.

If you want a poodle to play with a Cavalier, I would look at the "Miniature" variety instead of the "toys". They are a bit larger and more sturdy. They are very intelligent and learn very quickly. They aren't as "laid back" as Cavaliers but indeed great companion dogs.

The big down side to a dog that doesn't shed is the incredible coat maintenance- they need to be brushed constantly so they don't mat, and trimmed professionally every 6 weeks. It is very expensive and time consuming.

I would go with either a miniature poodle or shih tzu. We have had both over the years. I believe that the poodle was one of our brightest easy going dogs while the shih tzu( our daughters dog)was mellow and got along with other dogs.

Stay away from toy poodles as they are very yappy. The bichon is another nice dog but may tend to have skin allergies.

Heather R

try bathing your pup more often with a quality shampoo. My OH is highly allergic, but I bathe Anna every day or every other day and he said that most times it seems like she isn't there, allergy wise. That combined with his meds and my :v*cuum: seem to make it so that he doesn't have any symptoms.

Also i would like to add although bishons do not shed their coats do need regulary maintenance with a trip to the grooming parlour every six weeks.
I think each breed has it good and bad points, id look long and hard, a good breeder or rescue centre would be happy to help you maybe with a trial of a couple of weeks to see how things go, id ring and ask a couple, what you got to lose. di