Dogs That Don’t Shed: Small, Medium and Large

Is there a dog that doesn't shed?

No. Dogs Australia, the national body formerly called the Australian National Kennel Council, puts it plainly: “It is a myth that certain breeds of dogs do not shed their coats.” Breeds known as non-shedding simply have a slower-growing coat, so only a few hairs are shed at a time.

The reason is the hair cycle. Every hair grows, rests and then falls out. Dogs Australia explains that in breeds like the Poodle and the Maltese the growing phase is long, which is why their coats seem to keep growing and need regular trimming. In breeds that seem to shed all the time, the growing phase is short and hairs spend longer resting before they drop. In many curly and long silky coats, the loose hair also gets caught in the coat around it instead of falling to the floor.

That is the whole story in one line: a low-shedding dog does not make less hair, it either grows hair slowly or holds on to it. Holding on to it is what turns into matting and grooming bills.

What are the three kinds of low-shedding dog?

Low-shedding breeds fall into three coat groups, and the group decides how much work the dog is. The coat wording below comes from each breed's Dogs Australia breed standard.

Standards checked at dogsaustralia.org.au on 9 November 2026. Grooming frequencies are typical routines, not rules; your groomer will set one for the individual dog.

Both of the first two groups leave little hair on the couch. Only one of them is low effort. That gap is the thing most lists of non-shedding dogs leave out.

Short coats: low shedding with almost no grooming

These breeds rarely appear on non-shedding lists, because those lists are usually written for allergy sufferers. If you simply want less hair and less work, they are the best answer. Their standards call for short, fine coats: the Greyhound “fine and close”, the Whippet “fine, short, close in texture”, the Italian Greyhound “short, fine and glossy”, the Basenji “short, sleek and close, very fine” and the Boston Terrier “short, smooth, bright and fine in texture”.

They do shed a little, all year. Short stiff hairs can weave into fabric, so if your goal is a hair-free couch rather than a low-effort dog, a coat-holding breed does that job better. But nothing on this page is cheaper or easier to keep tidy. A Smooth Coat Chihuahua is close to this group, though its standard permits an undercoat.

Coat-holding breeds: almost no hair, plenty of grooming

These are the dogs most people picture when they search for a dog that doesn't shed. Their hair keeps growing and the loose hair stays in the coat, which is good for your floors. The cost is a grooming routine that never ends. Dogs Australia notes that breeds like Poodles and Maltese “are groomed on a very regular basis”.

• At home: brush right down to the skin several times a week, paying attention to behind the ears, armpits, collar line and tail base, where mats start.
• At the groomer: a full clip about every six to eight weeks. Skip it and the coat felts into mats against the skin, which is painful and usually ends in a full shave-down.
• The budget: groomer prices vary by city, salon, dog size and coat condition, so ask local salons before you choose a breed. It is one of the biggest running costs of these dogs after food and vet care.

Our national Cavoodle grooming guide sets out the routine week by week, and it applies to most Poodle-type coats.

Wire coats: the middle ground

Wire-coated breeds such as the Miniature Schnauzer and Border Terrier shed little day to day because the dead hair stays in the coat until it is removed. Dogs Australia explains that wire hair reaches its genetic length and loosens in the follicle, and that because pet dogs are not out in the scrub pulling it loose, the coat has to be hand-stripped. Many pet owners have the coat clipped instead; ask a groomer which suits the dog.

Read the standard before you assume a terrier is low-shedding. Several, including the West Highland White, Cairn and Scottish Terrier, are described as double-coated, with a soft undercoat under the harsh outer coat, so expect some undercoat around the house.

Small dogs that don't shed

Small is where the choice is widest, because so many companion breeds have coat-holding coats. Sizes below are from each breed's Dogs Australia standard.

If you want the least work, the Italian Greyhound and Boston Terrier are the small dogs to look at. If you want the least hair, it is the coat-holders, with the grooming that comes with them. In Australian rescue, small low-shedding dogs mostly appear as crosses, especially Maltese, Poodle and Shih Tzu crosses. Browse small dogs in Sydney or small dogs in Melbourne.

Medium dogs that don't shed

Medium is the hardest size to fill. Most low-shedding breeds are small, and most medium dogs in Australian rescue are Kelpies, Cattle Dogs and Staffy crosses with short double or close coats that shed.

The Whippet is the medium dog most likely to turn up in rescue, often as a cross. A medium oodle (Spoodle, Groodle or Labradoodle depending on size) is the other common route, with the coat caveat in the next section.

Large dogs that don't shed

Big dog, little hair, almost no grooming: that is the Greyhound. Its standard calls for a coat that is “fine and close”, it never needs clipping, and it stands 69 to 76 cm at the shoulder. It also comes up often in Australian rescue.

The other large low-shedding options all need professional grooming: the Standard Poodle (38 cm and over), the Giant Schnauzer (60 to 70 cm) and the Airedale Terrier (56 to 61 cm, with a hard, wiry coat). Large oodles such as Groodles and Labradoodles can be low-shedding or not, depending on the coat they inherit.

Greyhounds come through both general rescues and Greyhound adoption programs. Browse Greyhounds in Sydney or Greyhounds in Melbourne, and see the Greyhound adoption guide for what living with a retired racer involves.

Do Cavoodles, Groodles and other oodles shed?

Some do, some do not, and you cannot always tell in a puppy. A peer-reviewed study in Science (2009) found that most coat types in the purebred dogs it studied come down to combinations of just three genes, controlling furnishings (the beard and eyebrows), coat length and curl. The UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory adds that shedding is affected by several genes, with two (MC5R and RSPO2) having a significant effect. A Poodle-type coat comes from the low-shedding versions; a cross can inherit the other parent's versions instead.

University of Sydney geneticists writing in The Conversation put the result simply: when oodles are bred together, a puppy that inherits no Poodle versions of the coat genes has a Labrador-type coat. Littermates can differ. That is why one Cavoodle drops almost no hair and another leaves a Cavalier's worth on the couch.

An adult rescue oodle takes the guesswork out: you can see and feel the coat, and a foster carer can tell you what it does around the house. If allergies are part of your reason for wanting an oodle, read our guide to hypoallergenic dogs in Australia first, because a low-shedding coat is not the same as a low-allergy dog.

Which dogs shed the most?

Double-coated breeds, where a dense, soft undercoat sits under the outer coat. Their Dogs Australia standards spell it out: the Siberian Husky's coat is “double” with a soft, dense undercoat, the Labrador has a “weather resistant undercoat”, the Golden Retriever a “dense water-resisting undercoat” and the Kelpie “a double coat with a short dense undercoat”. Dogs Australia adds that shedding follows sunlight and temperature: outdoor dogs usually shed in spring and warmer weather, while indoor dogs shed smaller amounts all year.

These are some of the most common dogs in Australian rescue, and many are wonderful pets. Just budget for a good deshedding brush and a vacuum, not a groomer.

Shedding is not the same as allergies

If someone at home is allergic, coat type is only part of the answer. The Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy says the main source of dog allergen is saliva, spread by dander, and that all dog breeds cause allergies, although some do not shed as much dander and so spread less allergen. A low-shedding dog may help; it does not guarantee anything. Our hypoallergenic dogs guide covers how to test a dog before you commit, and if a cat is an option, see hypoallergenic cats in Australia.

Find a low-shedding dog near you

Each page lists low-shedding rescue dogs in that city, refreshed regularly, with every listing linking through to the rescue. The RSPCA Knowledgebase encourages people to consider adopting first and to think through what a pet needs before they get one, and these listings let you check the coat in person.

• Sydney (also low-maintenance dogs in Sydney)
• Melbourne
• Brisbane
• Perth
• Adelaide

Before you apply, the dog cost calculator helps you price in grooming, and the adoption readiness check covers the questions a rescue will ask.