Are Standard Poodles an Allergy Unicorn?

18 Instagram-submitted testimonials from the "dog-allergy affected" about how Standard Poodles jive (or not) with their lives. And no, I didn't leave any of them out.

Quick disclosure: this is not a scientific-based research article. And further, we understand that individuals can experience the same things differently. Hypoallergenic is a word that gets thrown around and while poodles do have hair vs fur, there is always various factors that can come into play with an allergy. With that being said, if you're curious how a Standard Poodle could/would effect you or your loved ones with dog allergies, go meet some! We recently ran through a special encounter/exposure with our guardian home family for Harry. The dad of the household has a long history of bad dog allergies but they have been dying to bring a dog into the family. Which led me to ask our @kettlecovecurls.poodle IG followers...."what's been your allergy experience X poodles?"

Here's what they said.

@aseasister	​"I am extremely allergic to dogs and cats, itchy eyes... not allergic to my spoo"
@chidithemutt	"my friend is allergic to basically all animals, but was okay with her doodle and my poodle."
@archieandlilytheroyalpoodles	"We got our first standard poodle almost 30 years ago because one of my kids was very allergic. Never had a problem, in fact I think having a dog helped him grow out of his allergies somehow"
@chidithemutt	"My aunt is allergic to dogs. She's had poodles forever with no issues.
@goldengategibbs	"My husband is allergic to dander, and is fine with our spoo!"
@amybethcupp	"If they roll in my environmental allergencs outside I can get a rash. Baths every 14 days!"
@amybethcupp	"I am level 5/5 level allergic to dogs 4/5 cats. I have 2 standard poodles. No problem.
@tola.rose	"My son is pretty allergic to most dogs. He has never had issues with poodles."
@zoom_orlandogs	"Allergic to moms labs, not allergic to Lucy poodle after her adult coat came in"
@ja_net8758	​"Allergies and asthma, <3 dogs my mom got my first poodle when I was 2. No problems."
@camasprairiesheepadoodles	"So I have allergies and have never had any problems with my poodles!"
@giothestandard	"husband is mildly allergic but fine with poodles. He will react if hair is dirty/has lots of pollen in it"
@elicia.m199	"I have dog allergies. Had them with my spoo as a puppy and then now I am totally fine"
@allietheprettypitty	"High quality food & fish oil definitely helps! Fed raw is best for allergies with humans."
@victoriajones8252	"My husband has allergies but no problems with our standard poodles who he hugs & cuddles!"
@emmawalks	"Very asthmatic around dogs, requiring steroids and inhalers. Fine with 2 poodles."
@queen_xosha	"I developed allergies later in life but I've never been bothered by Xosha! Unless she licks me too much lol"
@shemajor_ki	"Super bad allergies any dog I've ever been around. W/my SPoo only when it's bath time."

If you're looking for alternative views or additional information regarding non-shedding dogs and their hypoallergenic tendencies (or lack thereof) Here are some additional resources to check out:

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/lifestyle/dog-breeds-that-dont-shed/

https://www.theatlantic.com/.../hypoallergenic.../671439/

https://lifehacker.com/hypoallergenic-dogs-dont-exist-but-these-breeds-are-th-1849494147

https://poodlesinfo.com/are-poodles-hypoallergenic/

How did we do our allergy-test encounter? I did a fresh groom, cleaned any blankets that she would sit on in the car to remove as much trace of Charli (our golden retriever) as possible and kept her isolated after her groom until our meeting time and went to their location. Once we got there we spent about 30 minutes together where they gave abby good pets, put their faces close-to and at times on her coat. He also took pictures of his eyes periodically to see if there was any swelling. Afterward we waited through the night to see if there were any delayed effects.

Spoiler alert: "symptoms were comparatively virtually non-existent..." was in our guardian family's feedback 👏.

So what do we think? Are Standard Poodles some sort of unicorn to the dog allergy world?? Consensus is 🥁....MAYBE 🦄! While our argument may or may not have 100% scientific backing, there are plentiful real-life examples to show that indeed, Standard Poodles can be a potential good match for those who have allergies but want that puppy-dog life. We did see some people comment or message us that puppy coat was a little more likely to stir something within but that adult coated poodles were never an issue. And meanwhile others said, puppy coat or adult coat made no difference and both were great! One connection even credited Standard Poodles with helping their child evolve to have lesser symptoms of dog allergies as they grew up. Regular bathing, grooming and maintenance seemed like a common theme to reduce dander build-up and lessen the chances of reaction due to "environmental allergens/pollen" from being too plentiful on the coat. On the other hand, some folks might be allergic to saliva or another component of a dog, so it's always responsible to get some exposures to a Standard Poodle before jumping right in.

On the brightside, since purebred Poodles are bred to a consistent standard, the likelihood of having a similar reaction to other members of the same breed are highly likely. The more drastic variability that can come with doodle mixes doesn't exist. So anyway, no hate, just another reason poodles reign supreme here at Kettle Cove.

Looking for a poodle pup? We're in Wisconsin!

Current Puppies at Kettle Cove

Thanks for stopping by! Talk soon, Corrie