25 Adorable Dogs That Don’t Shed (That Much)

Poodle

If you love both dogs and topiary, the poodle is your dream dog that doesn’t shed. The poster dog of sculpted hair-dos, the poodle has a curly coat that grows and grows and grows. In the 1800s, poodles were shown with cords dragging the ground, but today the coifs are a little shorter. They won’t shed, but they need professional clipping every six weeks. If they’re not combed out, they can mat into a solid rug of fur. The great thing about poodles, besides their super-smarts, is that they come in three official sizes: toy, miniature and standard.

Bichon frisé

If you’ve dreamed of a dog that looks just like a giant cotton ball, the bichon is your pick. This breed’s poofy coat is long, soft and curly, so it looks like a fluffy white cloud—or a cotton ball. It’s one of several breeds that are always white. It takes regular combing to make sure the coat doesn’t mat, so most people elect to have their bichon professionally groomed every month or two, so it’s more like a cotton swab than a ball. Bichons are smart and happy and love to perform tricks, but one trick some have a problem with is housebreaking.

Bedlington terrier

Want your neighbors to talk about you? Try walking your pet lamb around the block. At least, that’s what they’ll think if you keep your Bedlington in its show groom. It is covered with long, plush curly hair and traditionally scissored all over to look like a little sheep—and to feel amazingly poofy. Petting this pup is like putting your hands into a pillow filled with down. You do have to comb the hair diligently to keep mats away, and scissoring is an art form, so you may prefer to have a professional groomer clip the coat short. They come in two colors: gray or light liver.

Don’t be fooled by that lambie pie sweet face; while gentle to people, they are ferocious ratters who aren’t afraid to get down and dirty in pursuit of prey.

Portuguese water dog

You might think this is a poodle with another weird hairdo or even a doodle, but the Porty is an entirely separate (and stockier) breed. They were bred to help fisherman with their nets and other wet jobs. They can have long, curly poodle-like hair or long, wavy hair, but both coat types need regular grooming. They’re traditionally clipped so the front half is long and the back half is shaved short. These are super-smart dogs that love to swim and retrieve, so a short haircut all over may be easier to keep dry and tangle-free. If they look familiar, it’s probably because one lived in the White House with the Obamas.

Spanish water dog

This ancient breed was a jack of all trades in Spain, serving as a herding dog, guardian and fisherman’s helper. These days, they are used as search-and-rescue dogs and drug-detection dogs, though they do countless other tasks. They’ve even been trained as circus dogs. They were traditionally sheared once a year, then allowed to grow out all year, and many people still follow that tradition. The coat tends to curl and form cords. This breed is one of those undiscovered gems of the dog world with a great personality, handy size and non-shedding coat.

Lagotto Romagnolo

While your neighbors might assume your new dog is a doodle-mix, the Lagotto is an ancient breed developed in Italy to sniff out truffles in the wild. Of course, the hardest part of owning one is pronouncing the name: Low-got-tow Ro-man-yow-low. They’re covered with woolly curls from head to toe, giving them a teddy bear appearance. Lagottos started life as retrievers back in the Renaissance, and they still love to swim and fetch. And this bouncy bundle of curls will fetch your heart in no time if you give it a chance.

Coton de Tulear

Its name means “cotton of Tulear,” and it’s one of the more underrated dogs that don’t shed. Allow its fluffy coat to grow out, and it’ll billow around the dog like soft clouds—or perhaps more appropriately, like cotton. The downside is that long, cottony coats like to mat, so this non-shedding dog breed is best for people who love to sit on the sofa and groom their dog to keep it free of grass and sticks … or have the coat professionally trimmed to a cuter, more manageable length. The always-white coton de Tulear is friendly, affectionate and fun-loving, a perfect apartment dog or companion for the elderly as well as considerate children.

Yorkshire terrier

The Yorkie has long, straight, silky hair that’s a combination of gunmetal blue with rust color. If you take good care of it, the coat can drag on the ground. If you’re more practical, you’ll have it professionally clipped every six weeks or so into a pixie look, which really fits this breed’s loving but mischievous personality better anyway. This toy dog breed doesn’t mind chasing a mouse when it has a chance—it is a terrier, after all. That’s also why they can be feisty and fun.

Check out the silky terrier for a similar breed with a bit shorter coat or the Biewer terrier for a similar breed with a multicolored coat.

Shih tzu

The shih tzu is a perennial favorite when it comes to companion dogs. They’re small and smart, lively and loving—and their hair doesn’t shed much. If you let the coat grow out and take good care of it, it will trail the ground. But for a more practical lifestyle, most people prefer to have it trimmed, giving the dog a cute stuffed animal appearance. They make great apartment dogs and love to go shopping or to restaurants. They are gentle and great with kids too.

For a similar-looking but just slightly larger low-shedding breed, consider the Lhasa apso.

Affenpinscher

This little gremlin is a toy-sized terrier with all the spunk and spirit of the big guys, shrunk down into a smaller body. Its wiry coat is medium length and always looks disheveled—probably because its mischievous personality has it mussing its hair like a whirling dervish.

For other small wiry breeds, consider the Brussels griffon or miniature wirehaired dachshund.

Afghan hound

The king of dogs wears a robe of spun silk. Upkeep is not for the lazy, but with regular brushing and combing, the long, straight coat can reach almost to the ground. The Afghan hound is part courtesan, part court jester, so be ready to be entertained! Just don’t expect to be obeyed—Afghan hounds are free spirits. But you may forgive them because they’re so beautiful as they gallop across a field with their coat flowing.

If you like the general look (and are interested in a similarly fast breed) but don’t want quite as much hair, there’s the saluki. It looks like an Afghan hound but has long hair only on its ears, tail and feet. Just know that you’re probably in for a bit more shedding.

Havanese

This Cuban cutey has a long, fluffy coat that’s always slightly disheveled (on purpose), adding to its impish charm. It has a slightly coarser texture and just the slightest bit of frizz that gives it extra body, but that body also makes it both less likely to shed hair and more likely to tangle. The Havanese coat can also be corded; that is, trained to gather together in long mop-like tresses. The Havanese is a happy-go-lucky toy dog with a jaunty gait, and it’s quickly becoming one of the most popular dog breeds.

For a larger, whiter version, check out the coton de Tulear. It’s just as cute, but its coat takes way more work.

Puli

The Puli, a dog breed that comes in black or white, looks like a Disney cartoon mop that has come to life. It has a corded coat in which the hairs wrap around one another to form long, yarn-like strings of hair. Cording takes a lot of work to get right and a lot of time to bathe, but corded dogs don’t shed a bit since all their hair is tied up.

Other corded breeds include the komondor and Bergamasco sheepdog—even the poodle and Havanese can be corded.

Schnauzer

Not all dogs with non-shedding coats are silky or curly. The schnauzer is one of several breeds with a medium-length, wiry coat. This German dog breed‘s hair is typically professionally groomed so that it’s short on the back and part of the way down the sides but long on the legs. The face has long eyebrows and a beard, giving it a rakish look. Schnauzers come in three sizes: miniature, which is the size you see most often; standard, which is a little bigger; and giant, which is a lot bigger (think Doberman-sized). The hair of any size needs to be combed out at least weekly, but it doesn’t mat as easily as dogs with softer coats.

Border terrier

Terriers have a reputation for being active and feisty, but the border terrier is known as the mellow fellow of the terrier group. Created to run with the hounds on foxhunts, they had to get along with other dogs—but they were still tough enough to get the fox at the end. Their coat is medium length, straight and wiry. If you let it grow out, the dog will look kind of like a tumbleweed, but at least they won’t shed or mat. The longer hairs eventually die, but you have to pull them out by hand, a process called plucking or stripping. Clipping them ruins the texture, but you can have a groomer do that too.

Dandy Dinmont terrier

The Dandy is the only breed of dog named for a character in a book, in this case, the book Guy Mannering. With its big dandelion head, sad eyes, long curved back and short legs, it looks like a cartoon character. Its coat is traditionally groomed to be poofy on the head and stripped short on the body, with the sides and legs longer. The Dandy Dinmont is so rare that it’s in danger of becoming an extinct breed, so if you add one of these to your family, you’ll do your part to save a breed!

Airedale terrier

The largest terrier breed, the Airedale was once used as a police dog. It used to be a very popular breed, but as people favored the smaller terriers, it became less so. Its coat is long, wiry and wavy. Most Airedales are professionally groomed every month or two. From the standpoint of the official breed standard, the coat on the back should be plucked or stripped out (the longer, dead hairs are removed). But while you’ll lose the correct harsh texture by clipping the coat short, it’s much easier. The hair on the legs is scissored and brushed out to have a stovepipe appearance, and the head has a beard and brows for a studious vibe. Don’t let that serious look fool you, though; Airedales can be clowns!

Smaller terriers with a similar look include the Welsh terrier, Lakeland terrier and Irish terrier.

Cesky terrier

Here’s one you never heard of: the Cesky (say “CHESS-key”) terrier was developed in the mid-1900s to produce a Scottish-terrier-like dog that got along better with other terriers so it could hunt in packs and that had an easier coat to care for. The breed has been in the American Kennel Club’s Terrier group only since 2011 and still remains obscure. But it shouldn’t be: these dogs that don’t shed are fun-loving, mellow and non-aggressive. Unlike most terriers with a harsh coat, their coat is supposed to be clipped, not hand-stripped, every six weeks. This is another rare breed that needs more people—you can do your part to help it survive.

Scottish deerhound

If you’re looking for a really big dog that doesn’t shed that much, the Scottish deerhound fits the bill. With a wiry, medium to long coat, these dogs don’t need any fancy grooming but will look tidier if you pluck out the dead hairs as needed and comb them occasionally. The deerhound is super laid back and one of the most regal of breeds. Like most sighthounds, they’re not into following commands and like to give chase, but they’re no troublemakers.

Want an even bigger version with the same coat? Check out the Irish wolfhound.

Curly-coated retriever

Those curls! With one of the most tightly curled coats of all breeds, this retriever looks like it just stepped out of the beauty salon with a new perm. But it’s all-natural, and the short- to medium-length coat really takes little grooming at all. Best of all, the breed comes with that great retriever personality, always eager to learn new things and ready to swim, retrieve and play.

If you like other curly breeds, also check the Irish water spaniel and American water spaniel.

American hairless terrier

These smooth operators take sleek and svelte to a whole other level! American hairless terriers don’t have any hair at all except for their whiskers. Unlike other hairless breeds, the gene responsible for their hair-challenged bodies doesn’t leave a mane or tail and doesn’t affect the teeth, so they are truly hairless. They resemble their rat terrier ancestors, which means they’re full of vim and vigor.

This is a hardy breed that’s pretty rough and tumble and great for kids. But you do have to take some precautions. They need a coat in cold weather and proper skin care year-round to prevent dry skin, sunburn and even acne. Your vet will be able to specify exactly what you’ll need to do to keep your dog’s skin healthy.

Chinese crested dog

With a flowing mane and tail, the crested looks like a tiny pony prancing around the house. It comes in two coat types: the hairless, which has bare skin on its body but long hair on the top of its head, ankles and tail; and the powderpuff, which has long hair all over. Obviously, the hairless doesn’t have much hair to shed, but even the powderpuff sheds very little. Cresteds are agile and smart, and they excel at agility and doing tricks—and love to cuddle.

Keep in mind that while hairless breeds don’t require much brushing, they do require extra skin care. So be sure to check with your vet for the best way to ensure your Chinese crested’s skin stays healthy. And while you’re at it, buy your little guy a jacket for the colder seasons.

Xoloitzcuintli

Big, bald and beautiful! That’s the Xoloitzcuitli (Xolo for short), another hairless dog breed. With their well-defined muscles and sleek physique, they look like living onyx statues. But remember, just because they’re hairless doesn’t mean they’re care-less. The skin needs to be kept clean, moisturized, checked for acne or blackheads and protected from sunburn. And when temps drop, it should be covered with a coat to ward off chills.

But they won’t shed! They actually have very short, hard hair on the top of their head, feet and tail tip, but good luck finding a single hair in your house. They come in three sizes, from very small to pretty big, and there’s also a coated version, with normal short hair all over, that sheds.

For a similar but more slender (and even rarer) hairless breed, check out the Peruvian Inca orchid.

Italian greyhound

True, the I.G. (Iggy to friends) doesn’t really belong here because its short coat does indeed shed. But the toy-sized, leggy Iggy has super-short hair and a small body, so there isn’t a ton of shedding happening. That short coat doesn’t give this Italian dog breed much warmth, so this breed needs to wear a sweater in cool weather. These dogs like to sunbathe and, unlike with the hairless breeds, you don’t have to worry about caring for their bald skin. Italian greyhounds make elegant, loving dogs that do well in apartments and make great bed buddies for older adults.

Miniature pinscher

The MinPin makes our list for the same reason as the Italian greyhound: Its coat, while of the shedding type, is super short, and there’s just not that much on its toy-sized body to shed a lot. The MinPin is dogdom’s answer to the perpetual motion machine. It does well in apartments, but be prepared to have a dog in constant motion. These dogs are very active and playful but can bark a lot. MinPins are tough characters, totally unaware that they don’t weigh 80 pounds. But they’re gentle to their people and very sweet, loving and playful.

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At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. For this piece on dogs that dont shed, Caroline Coile, PhD, tapped her experience as an award-winning journalist specializing in canine breeds, health and science. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.

Sources:

• Esmeralda Krop, PhD, immunologist at Utrecht University in the Netherlands
• Jennifer Bishop-Jenkins, National Certified Master Groomer
• Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: “Can f1 levels in hair and homes of different dog breeds: Lack of evidence to describe any dog breed as hypoallergenic”