Smelly dog - any ideas?

[petitez]

Hi,
I brush my dog daily but he still smells. He smells okay after a bath but only for a few days and then that 'doggy' smell comes back.
I have been told it is dangerous to bath him a lot, can anyone please shed any light on this;
How often can I safely bath him because the smell is getting me down?

[Snappy]

Its not really dangerous but bathing your dog too much will strip his coat of natural oils and ruin it. I work in a dog creche and grooming salon and we sell a range of grooming products such as coat sprays which smell good enough to eat! I cant remember the brand name but one of the main brands is Dezyna Dog. There website is
http://www.dezynadog.co.uk Unfortunately there website is under construction at the minute but you could email them with your problem and they might be able to help!

[apricot2]

My male dog also pongs a bit at times.  I bathe him in Infacare which is kind on his eyes and smells nice.  My female dog doesn't seem to pong at all but she has a bath anyway.  Seems to be a male dog thing.  I have friends who think the same.

[natalie_1982]

The only dogs I've had were short course haired so rarely needed brushing and didn't smell, thus maybe I don't know what I'm talking about.  But, do you think perhaps it's the fact that you brush him daily that is making him smell? 

 

My logic being that the more a human brishes it's hair the greasier it gets, grease making it dirty and smelly.  Maybe if you didn't brush your dog as often then the hair follicles wouldn't be stimulated into producing  the natural oils so quickly and his coat wouldn't get smelly?  It's worth a try anyway.  Also, maybe if his food is too rich that may make his coat oily.  Like I say, I'm just guessing, but it's a though anyway.  Good luck :)

[Dark Angel]

Put some talcum powder on his coat before you brush him.

[woofgang]

some dog foods make the dog smell. We used to feed our dog a tripe mix that came in fat plastic sausages. He adored it, and the food didn't smell too bad but it did used to make him smell, not just his breath, but all over like when a hunman eats garlic.

[woofgang]

sorry, pressed the post button by mistake.If  your dog has a long or woolly coat, are you sure that you are actually getting down to his skin when you bath him as it may be that the skin is not being cleaned and after a few days, that spreads to his fur again...also he could have probs with his anal glands as this can make male dogs whiffy too

[doghandler]

Not too often - it can strip the oils from his hair which will stop his coat from repelling water and can cause skin conditions. There may be a need to change his food if his coat gets that smelly.
Another item I have tried recently is a grooming spray, these are a mixture of herbs and things that make the coat smell nice, you spray them into the coat when brushing between bathtimes and they deodorise the coat. I have just tried the woody spray from www.sprayandgroom.co.uk and it smells good, also appears to have improved his coat as well - more shiny!

[petitez]

Thanks doghandler, I looked at the spray and groom site and they sell shampoo as well, it says that it is aromatic so that might help? i have ordered some anyway - see if that helps - might go for the grooming sprays as well depending on what the shampoo is like.

 

[bizzylizzy]

Hi
What kind of brush are you using?
A dog usually only smells if it's not brushed. We have two brushes for our retriever, one is a standard brush that will just give her the once over, the second is one of those brushes made up of tiny almost pin sized metal 'bristles'. If I use the first brush on her I'll get a handful of fur, if I use the second, it'll get out three or four times as much fur.
Also, has your dog been neutered? If not, that might be why he smells. Good luck.
bizzylizzy

[chickenwoman]

 

        If grooming and bathing don't help then I'm afraid congested anal glands may well be the problem.I beleive they are quite easy to empty (involves some rather intimate squeezing  which I wouldn't want to try!) and your vet could sort him out in a minute or two.Good luck.