[JustinRobertTaylor]

I was raised around dobermans my whole life and parents still have them so wife and I bought one few years ago which is our baby. My parents have raised 7 kids and have 18 grandkids and even though Some people have negative opinions of dobies they have raised all of us. So back to where I started, my daughter has been around my dog and parents dogs and never had an issue. I have always hunted and have brothers who have labs for hunting nd I talked my wife into letting me get one but wanted to also get involved in Field Trials and or hunt test and so I have spent last several weekends going to watch some event to get some knowledge of the sport. My neighbor who has a lab had a family emergency and asked if we could please watch his girl overnight which was no problem since our dogs play together. My daughter hasn't really been around the lab very long and she has been sneezing and itching and has a rash. Can people be allergic to specific breeds of dogs and not others? I sure hope not because this may end us adding a lab to our family.

 

[Lady Hunter]

There are other breeds of retrievers that might be a better match for your daughter. Curly-Coats and Irish Water Spaniels are two that might work.

 

[luvalab]

Labs pick up a lot of dust, and they shed A LOT. Even if they seem clean, they can be filthy.

Perhaps give the dog a bath and a good brushing, vacuum the house, and start "fresh" and see if it makes a difference?

 

[Kenneth Niles Bora]

Labs pick up a lot of dust

and it could be that, from the friends home. and not the dog.


.

 

[Jeannie Greenlee]

I could be coincidence too. Have you check the pollen and mold reports for the day the dog came to your house? Maybe some kind of pollen or mold was really high that day. I was at a field trial this past weekend and there were several people I ran into that were suffering with allergies.

 

[HiRollerlabs]

My sister is allergic to some of our labs, and not others. In the '90's we only had one labrador, and she was terribly allergic to him. After he passed, she wasn't allergic to the other labs we had and isn't allergic to any that we have right now.

 

[Matt McKenzie]

My wife will have an allergic reaction to my labs if we aren't meticulous about keeping up the hair, but has no issues with our doberman.

 

[Hunt'EmUp]

I'd say it's more likely your daughter is allergic to something the lab has rolled in, or the shampoo the neighbor uses. It's pretty rare to be allergic to dog hair by itself, especially if she is not allergic to your Dobbies. Some people are allergic to dander-saliva of a particular dog, which can be determined by doing a skin scratch test with different dog saliva. They do this when matching guide dogs, to owners. I've had a friend who's daughter was allergic to one litter mate and not another, so they were able to swap. But most of the time an allergic reaction to a dog, is something on the dog, pollen grass etc. Labs have longer coats than a dobbie so they are more likely to trap and hold allergens, in their coats. I will become allergic to my own dogs, red-rash,eyes and nose, if they've been running in certain fields, they have to be bathed before they get to come in the house.

My recommendation would be to thoroughly bath and groom the dog, be sure to use a shampoo that your daughter is not allergic to. Those anti-bacterial, just for dog shampoos, are the some of the worst when in comes to allergies. I often times cannot be around any dog, who has been bathed in them, as my throat tries to close. Also the dog has probably brought the allergen in and contaminated the whole area. So any testing you do in that area might be for not, even if you bathe the dog.

 

[RookieTrainer]

Per my allergy doctor, Hunt Em Up is correct. It is rare to have a significant dog allergy; much more likely that someone is allergic to cats.

I guess what this means is that you should eliminate everything else before deciding she is allergic to dogs. Good luck.