We are considering getting a hypoallergenic dog since we have dog allergies in our house. Here are the breeds the American Kennel Club lists as the dogs that allergy sufferers generally do well with:

Bedlington Terrier
Bichon Frise
Chinese Crested
Irish Water Spaniel
Kerry Blue Terrier
Maltese
Poodles (Toy, Miniature or Standard)
Portuguese Water Dog
Schnauzer (Miniature, Standard or Giant)
Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier
Xoloitzcuintli

These dogs don’t shed – so they don’t produce a lot of dander (which is what most allergy sufferers are allergic to). The AKC recommends against the mixed breeds of poodles that are so popular these days for allergy sufferers… you won’t know for sure if the dog’s coat with be shedding or not in these dogs.

We’re considering getting a Bichon Frise or a Schnauzer. Both seem to be good with kids. Though Schnauzers are better with older kids. I need to find out how old they mean. My son is 15, so presumably he’s old enough. My daughter is 8. Would she grow with a puppy and be old enough by the time it’s mature to play actively with it? Some people say Schnauzers can be snappy. The Bichon Frise seems to be a gentle dog for kids of all ages. I wonder if it would bark at strangers on my property (which we would like). Next I hope to visit a breeder of both types of dogs with my family to see how we like the dogs’ temperament and see what the owners have to say about each type of dog.

If you’re getting a dog it’s a good idea to research the different breeds to make sure you choose one that’s right for your family.

If you’d like to share any personal experiences with any of the breeds above, we’d love to hear about it.

If you’d like to learn about different dog breeds, you can look them up at the American Kennel Club‘s site.

UPDATE: We’ve added Standard Poodles to the dogs we’re considering – they’re supposed to be very smart and good with kids – though they can grow to be 70 pounds. Also, some people love Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers. Though you need to make sure the temperament is good with children. They require a lot of grooming.

Here’s a list of the Hypoallergenic Dogs in size order by weight (at the end are the 3 dogs with three size variations):

Hypoallergenic Dogs in Size Order…

Maltese (under 7 lbs.)
Chinese Crested (under 10 lbs.)
Bichon Frise (7 to 12 lbs.)
Bedlington Terrier (17 to 23 lbs.)
Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier (30 to 40 lbs.)
Kerry Blue Terrier (33 to 40 lbs.)
Portuguese Water Dog (35 to 60 lbs.)
Irish Water Spaniel (45 to 65 lbs.)

***
Poodles (Toy 6 to 9 lbs., Miniature 15 to 17 lbs. or Standard 45 to 70 lbs.)
Schnauzer (Miniature 10 to 15 lbs., Standard 30 to 45 lbs. or Giant 55 to 80 lbs.)
Xoloitzcuintli (Toy 5 to 15 lbs., Miniature 15 to 30 lbs. or Standard 25 to 40 lbs.)