1: there is NO SUCH THING as a hypoalergenic breed no matter what ANYONE will tell you...
there are breeds less prone to agrivate allergies, but they are NOT hypoalergenic.
heres why: people tend to be alergic to a protein in the saliva of dogs and cats NOT the hair...
its the protein in the saliva that dries with the rest of the dander (skin cells and dirt) that causes the allergic reaction,
dogs with normal coats, the dander builds up in the coat untill it is brushed/cleaned out...
a short coated dog, the dander is closer to the surface of the coat and therefore close to their peoples noses, throats and eyes...
a long coated dog the aner builds up deeper in the coat and is typically released when they shed (theres actually alot of instances of people having less allergies to longer haired cats and dogs who shed seasonally than short haired dogs that shed yr round...this is why)
in LOW ALLERGEN breeds to coats are different, in the likes of the shi-tzu, maltese, yorkie ect, their hair is silkier, its a smooth shafted coat, the dander cant "grip" to the hairshaft neer the skin and build up, these dogs dont shed regularly and need ot be groomed more frequently, the combination of regular grooming and the silky hair shaft keep dander build up to a minimum.
with curly coated breeds like the poodles and bichons, the coat sheds BUT because of the curls it all gets trapped in the coat (theres a reason poodles HAVE to be groomed so regularly) this curling acts 2 ways, the tight curl prevents alot of the saliva from getting to skin level where it can mix with dead skin and dust, and because of the curly coat, any dander that does form is trapped under the curls and its alot harder for those allergens to become airborn.
like wiht the silky coated breeds add to that the VERY frequent grooming requirments that remove dead hairs and dander build up, it makes them much less likely to agrivate allergies.
then theres the hairless dogs, who have NO hair for dander to build up in...
the only breeds that is concseiered hypoalergenic is made of plastic...
in terms fo good for allergy sufferers, hairless breeds should always be the first choice of anyone with bad allergies that wants a dog, hairless breeds like the american hairless terrier, chinese crested peruvian inca orchid and xolo, are all great choices for allergy sufferers, BUT they are an aquired taste and need to be protcted from sunburn and sometimes require a little more skin care.
next in line would be the curly coated breeds, this includs, the bichon, poodles, komondor, irish water spaneil and portugese water dog.
the problem with curly coated breeds is they tend to require VERY frequent grooming, the porti and the irish waterspaneil less so, the poodle and the bichon however...its regular and can be expensive.
DO NOT fall for the *whatever-a-poo* or "doodles"
they are no more hypoalergenic than the other parent.
the labradoodle is a good example, they were origonally bred in hopes of making a "low allergen" lab for a service dog...
the project was abandoned by the origional breeders because they couldnt get the dogs to breed true, even after multiple generations, some puppies had a low/none shedding poodle coat, but MoST of the litter had the lab coat or some combination of lab and poodle that contined to be heavy shedding...
adding poodle does NOT make a dog "hypoalergenic" genetics dont work that way...so dont fall for that scame!
next comes the "silky coated" or "haired" breeds, breeds like the maltese, shi-tzu, lhasa-apso, lowchen, havanese ect. these guys still need regular grooming (keep in "puppy cuts" to keep it more managable) but not neer as muhc as the likes of a poodle or bichon needs.
and finally the wirehaired breeds...
now wirehaired breeds are not considered "low allergen" in most lists, however the wirehaired breeds dont shed much, instead they need to be hand plucked when groomed to remove much of the dead hair, because of this they can work out well for folks who are looking for a low allergen/low shedding breed but not too worried about allergies themselves...
breeds like the airedale, schnauzer, wirehaired doxie, ect...
in terms of what you should do...
1: get an idea of what your looking for in a dog, size, energy level, grooming needs, personality ect...
2: take a look at where the breeds that interest you fall on the "allergy scale" short haired dogs and long haired dogs that shed year round will be the worst for offending allergies, followed by long haired dogs that shed seaosnally, followed by the wirehaired breeds, then the silky coateds, followed by the curly and corded coated breeds and finally the least likely to offend allergies are the hairless breeds...
3: once youve got a better idea of what your looking for in a specific dog either head to the shelter Or find a GOOD local breeder (if you need help ientifying a good breeder id be more than happy to help) and spend some time with each dog that interests you...
if you find a dog that clicks for you and the kids and doesnt seem to bother the little ones allergies on the visit ask if you can do a "trial basis" for 2 weeks...in which you take the dog or puppy home and see if any allergies are bothered...(usually if theres gong to be an allergy problem itll show in the first 2 weeks)
any shelter worth calling itself a rescue will be more than willing to do soemthing like this and any breeder worth your interest would be MORE than happy to do a trial basis (or at the very least allow you to come by multiple times ot play with their dogs to make sure it doesnt bother the allergies)
if in that 2 weeks allergy issues seem to be agrivated cross that breed or mix of breeds off the list.
remember a lab x poodle may agrivate allergies, but a purebred poodle may not so trial and error.
getting a og and crossing your fingers is just going to lead to problems along the way, if your little one does en up being allergic what happens to the dog, are you goign to treat the child for thier alergies for the rest of the life, or does the dog get kicked to the curb ect...
you see it on craigslist all the time, got the og but kid is allergic ect...
so i 100% absolutly suggest taking the time, do your reserch, this is a life long commitment, and find a breeder or shelter whos willing to work with you in terms of foster/trial runs.
good luck
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