10 Unusual Dog Breeds To Consider If Youre Flipping Your Home

If you're into houses for fun and profit, but also want a dog to live with you in the house that you're looking to sell quickly, you might want to consider dogs that are less likely to leave clumps of hair that require constant vacuuming and the application of delinting brushes.

There are some lesser-known breeds of dog that can be of help to you when you want doggish companionship without the mess and bother of vacuuming every 9 seconds before a house showing.

Most of these breeds require regular grooming and haircutting to remain clean and healthy, so take this into consideration before you go puppy-hunting.

* American Hairless Terrier

Solving the problem of getting pet hair out of the carpet once and for all, this breed will never cause you to do a frantic fur-search before potential buyers start touring. However, it might not be comfortable keeping you company in a house where you're stripping out the insulation. This breed is a variant of the Rat Terrier and shares all the characteristics of that feisty breed.

* Barbet

Not all curly-coated dogs from France are Poodles. The Barbet is one of the ancestors of the Poodle and shares its hunting heritage. A great choice for the waterfowl hunter who also likes to fix up houses, the Barbet makes an engaging and active companion. This breed is still rare in the U.S. and Canada, so you might have a hard time finding one.

* Bedlington Terrier

The first thing that anyone thinks of when they see a Bedlington is a little woolly lamb. However, this terrier is a fierce hunter of badger, fox and other animals, an excellent water dog and ratter. A Bedlington is smart enough to learn to fetch your hammer for you, but is also smart enough to find the one loose plank on the fence you were going to fix.

* Bergamasco

This is an unusual breed in North America, with an unusual felted coat. In adulthood, the coat grows to reach the ground. Despite the dread locked appearance, this sheep herding breed will not leave much coat behind for viewing by prospective home buyers, so if you like the unusual,

* Coton de Tulear

A native of Madagascar, the Coton is a small, white dog breed often mistaken for a Poodle or a Bichon mix. However, it has a soft, fluffy, cotton-like coat that is remarkably similar to human hair, making it a good choice for allergy sufferers and home stagers.

* Dandie Dinmont Terrier

This terrier enjoys the distinction of being the only dog to date named after a character in a novel - a farmer in Sir Walter Scott's "Guy Mannering". It also has a distinctive appearance: a long, low body and a head sporting a topknot of fur. This is an active and engaging breed; just the thing you need to entertain you on breaks from fixer-upping.

* Havanese

This breed hails from Cuba and is related to the Bichon Frise. A sturdy dog for its size, the Havanese possesses a double coat that doesn't shed as much as most other breeds. It does require frequent grooming to remove dead hair, though, so keep this in mind before considering one to grace your tool-strewn floors.

* Lagotto Romagnolo

A medium-sized Italian water dog, the Lagotto is a true retriever, requiring a lot of work to keep it happy. They are natural retrievers, so training a Lagotto to fetch your tools as you need them should be pretty easy to do.

* Peruvian Inca Orchid

A hairless breed originating in, as the name would indicate, Peru, the Orchid is a breed to choose if you want people constantly making comments about your "weird-lookin' dog". It's hairless skin is prone to sunburn and acne, though, so it's not all shedless heaven.

* Xoloitzcuintli

The name itself will stop you dead in your tracks while you try to figure out how to pronounce it. Try "show-low-eats-quint-lee". This breed is frequently confused with the Peruvian Inca Orchid. The two breeds are related but definitely different. The "Xolo" comes from Mexico where it has been happily hairless for thousands of years. Considered a sacred dog by the Aztecs, the Xolo will also be considered sacred by home sellers who just don't need to be on the constant lookout for stray hairs.

There are many other low-shedding dog breeds for you to consider as home-flipping companions, but some of the rarer and unusual breeds can also provide you with hours of shed less entertainment. Unfortunately, other methods of preventing dog-related disasters such as craters in the garden and "accidents" on the new carpet are solely your lookout.