If you’ve already got a furry friend in your family, you’re going to have to just refer to the best ways to pick up pet hair in order to keep your home looking clean and tidy!
However, if you’re currently looking for a four-legged addition to the family, maybe you’re concerned that your vacuum might not be up to the task. First check if your dream dog will be leaving a hairy trail of hairs on your carpet, sofa and clothes…
Golden Retriever
The epitome of man’s best friend, who doesn’t love a golden retriever? Loveable bundles of fluff, they actually have two coats, one is short and keeps them warm, one is the longer, luscious hair that end up all over your black jeans. These guys shed a LOT. They shed hair year-round and ramp it up seasonally when they ‘blow their coats’. (Expect hairballs rolling around your house like tumbleweed).
Of course, they’re still brilliant dogs and we all love them but if malting is an issue, for allergy or cleanliness reasons, a retriever might not be the pup for you.
German Shepherd
One of the world’s most popular dogs, these beautiful boys will also ‘blow’ their coat like a Retriever two to four times in the year. Get yourself prepared for a lot of shedding in between. With regular brushing, it’s manageable (and so worth it for the big brown eyes!) Unfortunately, anyone with a pet hair allergy might end up non-stop sneezing with a German Shepherd around.
Saint Bernard
Known for being slobbery dogs, if you can deal with the drool you can probably deal with the hair! Large dogs often mean more work, but with a Saint Bernard you’ll need to think about brushing them weekly. This will help to minimise balls of fluff tumbling around the house, and help them maintain their furry coats. You can get short-haired and long-haired Saint Bernards, so you might have a choice in the type of hair that coats your living room!
Siberian Husky
It’s in the name, really. Originating from the snowy landscapes of Siberia, one of the coldest places on Earth, it’s no wonder that these fluff balls grow a thick undercoat so they can thrive in Arctic weather. You guessed it, they then ‘blow’ this undercoat, more frequently if you’re living in a warm climate. Watch out for sensitive skin in these dogs, so be careful when brushing out all their undercoat to be gentle!
Akita
Similar in theme to the Siberian Husky, the Akita is a breed that originally came from the mountains in Japan. Their thick coats helped them to endure colder temperatures. An Akita actually has a ‘double coat’ like many of these other hairy breeds. Another pretty heavy shedder year-round, with the typical ‘blow’ of their undercoat at seasonal changes. Worth it for the cute face! (Unless you haven’t got the time to vacuum daily, in which case you’ll have a very Akita-coloured carpet…)
Lots of other breeds are big culprits when it comes to shedding hair all over the sofa. Chow Chow, Corgi, Shiba Inu, Bernese Mountain Dog and Alaskan Malamute are all big shedders! If you can deal with the extra fluff, consider getting yourself a manual sweeper to tidy up the floors in between vacuuming. This will save you time in the week which you might need to use brushing your pup!
