A cross between the Dachshund and the Yorkie, the Dorkie (or Doxie) is a small, pin-sized ball of silky-soft fur. Fiercely loyal, playful and cute, you can expect your Dorkie to showcase the best traits from both breeds.
However, when you suffer from allergies to fur, it’s essential to know what to expect from a breed before adopting that dog. That’s why we’re finding out: is a Dorkie hypoallergenic?
What kind of fur do they have? How often do you have to brush them? Does the Dorkie Terrier shed? So, with no further ado, let’s look at this question.
What kind of coat does the Dorkie Terrier have?
Being a mix of their Dachshund and Yorkshire Terrier ancestry, a Doxie could have a coat reflecting either parent. Most Dachshund-Yorks have black, brown, blue, and red coats or even a blend of two or three colors.
Their fur can be straight or wavy, always silky soft, and the Yorkie’s potential to get quite long.
This lightly wavy fur is easy to care for, only requiring weekly or so brushing with a standard enough, unspecialized brush. The only thing you have to worry about is tangling.
However, be aware that a Dorkie’s coat does not keep them warm in the winter – the perfect excuse to buy cute outfits for your Doxie!
Are Dorkies hypoallergenic?
Did you know that the Dachs-Yorkie has two types of hair? This is a double coat. The thickest fur type is a Dorkie’s undercoat. This keeps a Doxie nice and warm, though Dorkies typically have thinner coats.
The second fur type is the Dorkie’s topcoat. This is the longer fur that showcases a Dorkie’s unique markings. This coat can be wavy or flat, with black, brown, or even unusual blue markings.
Being a crossbreed, there’s no anticipating how thick a Dorkie puppy’s fur will be. However, their fur does not get thick enough to keep them warm in winter.
A breed is generally seen as hypoallergenic when they don’t shed much. Unfortunately, however, the Dachshund and Yorkie breeds shed significant amounts, guaranteeing the Dorkie isn’t hypoallergenic.
But, of course, every dog and human is different, so there’s no telling whether Dachshund-Yorkie crosses will trigger your allergies.
Your Dorkie will shed more than usual as the seasons shift to hotter temperatures. Blowing their undercoat will help keep a Dorkie cool during summer.
Thankfully, you can prevent your Dorkie from shedding too much hair all over your furniture with a simple, regular grooming regime. Frequent brushing will help remove the hair that needs to come out.
Does my Dorkie need much grooming?
Yes, your Doxie will need a certain amount of grooming, especially if they live with someone who may have an allergic reaction to their fur. However, fortunately, keeping your Springer Spaniel looking stunning is as simple as regular brushing!
The first step in grooming your Doxie is using an essential bristled brush. This is a gentle style of brush. A bristle brush is designed for you to use sparingly and softly on your Doxie’s fur, maybe once a week. Gently brush your Dorkie all over their body, including their ears, tail and legs. This will detangle your Doxie’s coat and get rid of debris.
If your Dorkie’s coat is particularly long or matted, you could use a basic bristle brush or a wire-pin brush to eliminate your pooch’s excess, loose hair. Again, simply brush in the direction of growth and stop to remove mats of hair from the brush as you need to.
Unfortunately, this aspect of owning a Doxie can indeed aggravate your allergies. So, if you have Dorkie, it’s best to leave the act of grooming your Dorkie to someone else. Or, you could wear a mask and long sleeves when you groom your Dorkie.
Will I have an allergic reaction to a Doxie?
There’s no way of knowing whether someone with an allergy to other furs will also react to a Springer Spaniel. As we touched upon earlier, someone with a fur allergy may react to other dog breeds yet have no problem with a Dorkie.
Conversely, it’s likely for a person with no history of fur allergy around other dogs to have trouble with just Doxies suddenly. Plus, there’s also a chance that any person living with a Yorkie Dachshund could abruptly begin having allergic symptoms triggered by the Dachshund Yorkie cross, out of nowhere.
How can I minimize the risk of my Doxie triggering someone’s allergies?
Luckily, you can take a few simple measures to minimize the likelihood of your Doxie’s fur or dander exacerbating your or someone else’s allergies.
One easy yet effective thing you can do is, brush your Dorkie out regularly. If possible, move outside to do this. Regular brushing will decrease the amount of loose hair and dander that would otherwise leave your Doxie’s body and move around in the air, ending up on your furniture and potentially irritating your airways and skin.
Another thing you can do is regularly bathe your Dorkie, to keep them clean and free of other potential allergy triggers, too. Once a month or any time they get dirty is fine; avoid bathing your Doxie too often to prevent excessive dandruff.
You should also limit a person’s access to the Doxie if they have a fur allergy. Playing together in the open air is fine, but don’t let the person sleep with the Dorkie or spend too much time close to them.
As we mentioned earlier, a person with fur allergies should also avoid brushing or grooming the Doxie. If they cannot dodge this, they should wear a mask during grooming.
