Ew! The only thing worse than cleaning up doggy drool is loose dog hair. In a perfect world, your next four-legged friend would be both a low shedder and a moderate drooler.
Which dogs out there don’t drool or shed much? Here’s the list:
- Poodle
- Havanese
- Bichon Frise
- Chihuahua
- Italian Greyhound
- Basenji
- Maltese
- Affenpinscher
- Pomeranian
- Papillon
- Bolognese Dog
- Kerry Blue Terrier
Although all dogs drool and shed to an extent, these dogs do both to such a minimal degree that cleanup is barely necessary. Keep reading for information on grooming and caring for these clean canines!
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1. Poodle
Starting this list is the Poodle, a curly-haired, beautiful dog breed that sheds little whether yours is a Toy Poodle, a Miniature Poodle, or a Standard Poodle.
That same low-shedding wiry coat is a pain to maintain, but it’s something you must do anyway.
Clipping the Poodle’s fur makes brushing it easier and less time-consuming, as longer fur can become tangled and knotted. Bathe your Poodle about twice a month to keep the dog clean.
Grooming your Poodle regularly also prevents them from drooling, especially when there’s not long hair dangling around their lips and mouth.
2. Havanese
The cuddly Havanese might not have wiry fur, but its hair cycle is long enough that frequent shedding cleanup won’t be on your to-do list. Seasonal shedding habits are not those that the Havanese follows either.
Since they’re double-coated though, like the Poodle, you’ll have to put a lot of time into the upkeep of your Havanese dog’s coat. Brush both coat layers regularly to prevent knots. Bathe the dog monthly to remove loose fur as well.
Your Havanese will reward you by drooling very little. That’s just not this breed’s MO!
3. Bichon Frise
The Bichon Frise doesn’t drool much, except maybe when it starts salivating at mealtime.
As you wanted, this adorable fluffball of a dog is also a low shedder. What fur the Bichon Frise usually loses doesn’t end up on the floor.
Although this can be nice, it’s also a double-edged sword. You see, most hair that the Bichon Frise releases will stick to its own coat. That’s why you must brush your pup regularly or else that dead fur will just keep accumulating.
Since the Bichon Frise is double-coated, grooming is more difficult than some other dogs. The never-ending growth of the dog’s coat also requires your attention, as you can’t go more than a few months without trimming.
4. Chihuahua
Did you know Chihuahuas come in both short-haired and long-haired varieties? The miraculous thing is that despite which variety you prefer more, neither sheds to excess.
The long-haired Chi will shed more since it has an undercoat and an overcoat, but not by a huge margin.
Brushing your Chi regularly throughout the week will manage its shedding and rid its fur of mats, which is a must for long-haired Chihuahuas. Occasional bathing is necessary too, but make it more frequent if your Chi is outside a lot.
As for drooling, the Chihuahua will salivate as expected, but since this is a small dog, the amount of drool isn’t disgusting.
5. Italian Greyhound
If you want a break from all the grooming and you’d prefer your dog to be low-shedding, look no further than the Italian Greyhound.
The Iggy is not a double-coated dog, which is part of why it’s so low-shedding. Its close-cropped coat is another reason this dog loses little fur.
The length of that coat will make grooming your Iggy easy, breezy. Brush the coat often but expect this to only take a few minutes of your day. It’s not like the Italian Greyhound’s fur is going to get knotted or matted.
Despite its large size, the Iggy is not going to cover your clothes or furniture in drool if your dog wants to cuddle with you, which is nice!
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6. Basenji
Some have said the Basenji does not drool at all, which is impossible, of course. That sterling reputation just goes to show how little saliva this dog slings out of its mouth.
Here’s another area of Basenji care that requires almost no effort: grooming. Like the Iggy, the Basenji has a close-cropped coat. Brush its fur about weekly.
The rest of the time, the Basenji will groom itself. No, it’s not a cat, but don’t tell him that.
Basenjis are double-coated, but due to their own coat maintenance and yours, they shed little. You might see some tan-colored or white tufts of fur on occasion, but nothing that you can’t quickly clean up.
7. Maltese
Like the Poodle and Bichon Frise, the Maltese is beloved for its lack of shedding.
This small, white dog has a slow-moving hair growth cycle. By the time it loses fur, enough time has passed from the last shedding period. The fur also doesn’t come out in large amounts since the Maltese is single-coated.
As if that wasn’t great enough, this toy group member drools little as well.
The one area where you’ll be busiest with your Maltese is grooming the dog. The silky texture of the coat, combined with its length, means that you can’t go more than a day or two without brushing. That will combat knots and mats that can be painful for your dog!
8. Affenpinscher
Despite its status as a Wookie dog (well, figuratively speaking, of course), the small, adorable Affenpinscher sheds minimally.
You’re bound to spot some of its dark hair floating about in your home sometimes, especially seasonally, but with a quick sweep of the perimeter with your vacuum cleaner, voila, your home is dog hair-free again.
The Affen doesn’t even need much in the way of grooming. Twice a week, brush its long, unruly fur; do it more often if it’s shedding seasonally. If you trim your Affenpinscher, cut its facial fur into an inverted V.
No drool here! The Affen isn’t much of a slobbery dog. That’s good news considering how long this breed’s facial fur can be.
9. Pomeranian
Alright, so Pomeranians shed a bit more than some of the other dogs I’ve covered, but due to their small size, you don’t have to worry about cleaning up mountains of fur.
Be ready to tidy up a bit more frequently in the autumn and spring though, when the Pom sheds seasonally for winter and summer respectively.
At least you won’t have to worry about much drool. Poms do drool on occasion, but anything frequent could be a sign of a health issue.
To maintain the double coat of a Pomeranian, commit to brushing this dog every other day or so, perhaps even daily during seasonal shifts. Plunk your Pom in the tub every week and its rate of shedding can decrease further.
10. Papillon
The long, majestic ear fur of the Papillon can blow around and sometimes get in its face, so it’s a good thing this breed doesn’t drool much.
The Papillon is a single-coated dog, which means that, unlike the Pom, you don’t need to beware the start of winter and summer. Papillons will lose fur throughout the year as their hair cycle resets, but not to an insane degree.
The long, soft fur of a Papillon benefits most from brushing with a slicker brush. Check for tangles and knots in the dog’s fur when you brush him and be sure to remove these. You don’t have to bathe the Papillon often, typically every few months.
11. Bolognese Dog
Great things come in small packages, proves the Bolognese dog.
Known also as the Bichon Bolognese, the Bolo sheds little. You can thank its Bichon roots for that. The dog’s single coat also helps matters.
Another trait the Bolo shares with Bichons is that he doesn’t drool much!
The Bolo’s fur can get crazy if it’s allowed to grow long, so grooming is a must. Brush the dog several times a week with a pin brush for removing mats, then switch to a slicker brush to collect dead fur.
12. Kerry Blue Terrier
The dog with the captivating blue coat, the Kerry Blue Terrier is the last canine on my list of low-shedding, low-drooling dogs. Hailing from Ireland, the Kerry Blue won’t leave puddles of saliva everywhere it goes.
The dog’s wiry coat plays a major role in how little the breed sheds. Rough-coated dogs are known for being low shedders, and the Kerry Blue is right up there with them.
You will have to brush your Kerry Blue nearly daily. Maintaining the fluffy fur around the legs and its beard-like facial fur will require time and upkeep as well. This breed is prone to matting; trimming out the mats is usually better than brushing them.
Bottom Line
There you have it, 12 dogs that are low-shedding and won’t drool much either. I do want to reinforce two points before we wrap this article up, though.
First, every dog will shed at least a little, whether that’s seasonally or throughout the year. And second, all dogs drool to some extent.
Also worth mentioning is that any one of these breeds could drool more frequently, and depending on the amount they're drooling, it may be worth taking them to a vet, as excessive drooling can be indicative of a health issue.
With that said, the 12 dogs we've discussed in this article generally don't drool excessively and are considered low-shedders. So if you're looking for a dog that won't leave a bunch of hair and saliva around your home, any one of the breeds on this list could be your next fur baby.
I’m surprised to see Papillon on this list, and don’t think it’s accurate to say they don’t shed much. They actually shed a lot – to the extent that you’re constantly pulling out their ‘floating’ hair from your clothing, eyelashes, food etc.