One of the reasons why people are hesitant to have a four-legged friend in their home is the smell. It is this that often becomes the “cornerstone” over which animal lovers stumble. Yes, dogs really do smell like dogs. But is it always? And where does this “aroma” come from? Are there any means to mitigate this problem? Is this possible after all? Only by answering these questions can you decide for yourself unambiguously whether the dog should live in your home.
Maintaining good dog hygiene to get rid of odor
The most common sources of unpleasant pet odor are the mouth and fur. If your dog has an unpleasant odor from its fur, it is most likely necessary to pay attention to the pet’s hygiene.
The dog should be washed as needed, but at least once a week. Be sure to purchase a special shampoo for dogs.
After bathing, you can wipe your pet's fur with a solution of vinegar and water in a 1:1 ratio.
Do not under any circumstances spray your dog with toilet water. Remember that animals have a very keen sense of smell. A procedure like this can cost your pet a sniff.
An unpleasant odor from a dog's mouth is also a consequence of improper care. You should brush your pet's teeth every other day. Use a special paste for the procedure.
Be sure to treat your dog's ears. Experts say that often the unpleasant smell of dog emanates from the ears.
After walks, do not forget to wash your dog's paws, belly and area around the tail.
Odor Control Measures
- The first and perhaps most important method: wash the dog. You need to purchase a special shampoo. Some dog breeders also buy coat conditioner. But it all depends on the pet’s coat. Before washing your pet, you need to consult a veterinarian about what shampoo to use. The product should not only mask the odor, but completely eliminate it. Your pet needs to be bathed at least once a month.
- Does your pet often smell like dog? What can I do to avoid this? Carry out hygiene measures. For example, clean your ears. Do you know that dirty ears are a common cause of bad odor? By the way, unkempt ears can lead to various diseases, inflammation of the auricle and canal.
- It is not necessary to wash your dog once every six months and assume that it will not smell like a dog. Additionally, you need to comb the coat every day. Dirt and debris found on the wool will be removed, and, accordingly, there will be no odor.
- Brushing your pet's teeth will help prevent bad odors. The ideal option would be if cleaning was done every day. But this hygiene procedure should definitely be carried out several times a week.
- It is not recommended to spray perfumes, deodorizing and scented products on your pet. This will only mask the odor for a short time and will not eliminate it permanently.
If you didn’t smell a specific aroma from your pet before, but now this smell has appeared, then you need to reconsider the dog’s diet. Some additives found in cheap food can cause digestive problems. If the food is suspicious, it needs to be replaced with an expensive and high-quality one. It is advisable, at a minimum, to purchase granules that at least will not harm the body. Ideally, it is better to buy premium food.
There is no clear answer to the question of what to do to prevent your beloved dog from stinking. All activities must be carried out as a complex. Otherwise, it will be difficult to achieve success in this difficult task.
What else to do, what actions to take to prevent the dog from stinking? It is necessary to wash all of your pet's bedspreads. A dog's bed, by definition, must be clean and free of fleas. It is best to wash your pet's pillows, blankets, and bedspreads in cold water. It is highly not recommended to use fabric softener. You should wash your dog's bed using non-aggressive detergents or white vinegar.
Cleaning the house against unpleasant odors
How to remove dog smell from an apartment? Pay special attention to cleaning.
If your pet tends to leave puddles in the house, they should not only be wiped with a paper towel, but also treated with a disinfectant.
Our online store offers a wide range of disinfectants that will help get rid of unpleasant odors and marks.
Alternatively, wet stains on the carpet can be treated with lemon juice or vinegar. It is very important to wipe the carpet not only from the front side, but also from the back side.
Vacuum and wet clean regularly. Pay special attention to the cleanliness of the dog’s bedding and bed. Very often this place is the main epicenter of the unpleasant odor in the house.
Eliminating dog smell from an apartment or house
It so happened that the pet leaves its smell (quite unpleasant) on the territory of the house or apartment. What to do to get rid of the obsessive odor? First you need to wash your dog so that it doesn’t smell like a dog.
There are only two reasons why a corresponding smell appears in an apartment or house:
- The dog goes to the toilet more often in the house than outside.
- The pet is washed extremely rarely, which is why the ambergris is absorbed into furniture and clothing.
Proper dog nutrition
On our resource you will find a large number of articles devoted to proper dog nutrition. We will not dwell on this topic in detail, we will only touch on the obvious things:
- The pet should not be fed from the common table
- The dog's diet must be designed in such a way that it receives all the necessary proteins, fats, carbohydrates and vitamins for normal functioning.
- Do not offer your pet raw meat. Otherwise, you risk infecting your dog with helminths.
Why does the apartment smell like dog - probable reasons
An unpleasant odor from a dog appears in most cases due to the laziness of the owners, when not enough attention is paid to the pet’s hygiene. But there are other factors that affect the body aroma of your four-legged friend.
Seasonal factors
Although dogs don’t sweat, they still start to smell when it’s hot in the summer. This is due to the fact that because the weather is too hot, the animal looks for any source of moisture - puddles, ponds. Wool that remains wet for a long time begins to emit an unpleasant, sour odor.
Attention! If the wool is not dried in a timely manner, pathogenic microorganisms develop in it, which only intensifies the unpleasant aroma.
Breed Predisposition
How intensely a dog will smell like a dog depends not only on proper care, but also on the breed. There are varieties of dogs in which, due to their innate characteristics, the smell of a dog is felt much stronger:
- Beagles - by their nature, emit a rather intense, pronounced aroma.
- Bloodhound - dirt accumulates between the skin and drooping ears, which often causes skin diseases and, as a result, a stink.
- Boxer - suffers from excessive gas production and should not be bathed or shampooed too often.
- Pug - the smell occurs due to dirt in the folds and a tendency to flatulence.
- Yorkshire Terrier - prone to tooth decay, which causes an unpleasant smell from the mouth. In addition, the Yorkie's coat requires careful and regular care.
Other breeds that have long hair - Spitz, Chihuahua, retriever, husky, shepherd, Labrador - also have a predisposition to smell like a dog if the owners neglect proper and regular care for them.
In the summer, if the breed allows it, it is recommended that the pet have short haircuts, and it will be easier for the dog to endure the heat, and it will be easier to care for the coat.
Even with the predisposition of the breed, the main condition for minimizing the smell is regularity and proper care of the pet.
Additional Information! The record holder for gas production and, accordingly, the production of an unpleasant aroma is the French bulldog.
The thicker and longer a dog's coat is, the more difficult it is to maintain its frequency and pleasant smell.
Errors in diet
Ridding your pet of dog odor must begin by identifying the cause. And one of them is an incorrectly composed diet. Main errors:
- the dog often eats food from the human table;
- imbalance of fats, proteins and carbohydrates, which leads to disruption of the digestive system;
- Eating raw meat by animals increases the risk of helminth infection.
Poor nutrition can cause obesity in a dog, which can lead to hormonal imbalance. This will only intensify the aroma.
Dog stress and bad odor
It is known that smell is a kind of protective reaction of the body. Your dog may be under serious stress, afraid of something, or very anxious. This can cause the sebaceous glands to release an unpleasant odor.
Try to provide your pet with a normal emotional background.
Very often, a dog, experiencing excitement or fear, leaves puddles in the house. Don’t swear, it’s best to contact a zoopsychologist.
And remember, if the pet is well-groomed, properly fed, healthy, and grows up in care and love, you are unlikely to be bothered by the problem of an unpleasant odor from the dog.
How to wash a dog so it doesn't smell like dog
Let's start with what you shouldn't wash your dog with - shampoo for the whole family. It is better to use real dog shampoo (good quality) or laundry soap. If you are the lucky owner of a particularly smelly breed, you can get a special shampoo that eliminates the unpleasant odor. After washing, it is recommended to rinse the wool with acidified water. Apple cider vinegar works great for this. To dry the wool, try not to use a hair dryer; let it dry on its own. If it’s still difficult to do without a hairdryer, turn on only the cold mode.
How to get rid of it with home remedies?
Proper care of your dog eliminates the possibility of a specific aroma appearing in the room. If you still feel it, the means at hand will help eliminate it:
Baking soda and hydrogen peroxide .
The components must be mixed in a 1:1 ratio, no more than 2 tbsp. spoons until smooth, leave for 60 minutes. Add 1 tbsp. spoon of detergent, wipe the surfaces with it and rinse with clean water.- Potassium permanganate . Prepare a weak solution of potassium permanganate and use it for wet cleaning indoors.
- Essential oils . Pour clean water into a spray bottle and add a few aromatic drops. It is better to give preference to citrus oils; they block extraneous aromas well.
- Table vinegar and alcohol . Mix 5 liters of water with 200 ml of each component; use the resulting solution for wet surface treatment.
- Absorbents. Salt, soda, and corn starch neutralize and eliminate odors. You can pour the powders into small containers and place them indoors or apply them to a problem area and leave for 3-4 hours. Residues must be removed with a brush or vacuum cleaner.
To neutralize the specific aroma of dog marks, solutions of acetic acid, sodium carbonate and hydrogen peroxide are suitable.
Peroxide has the ability to discolor, it should be used with caution on hard colored and textile surfaces.
If your pet produces a strong odor when properly cared for, it’s time to consult a veterinarian. The cause may be a serious illness that must be treated immediately.
This video will tell you why your dog smells bad:
