How to Prevent Your Dog from Smelling Bad

Whether it's the infamous wet dog smell or just your typical stinky dog, preventing your dog from smelling bad is an important aspect of dog ownership. You want to be able to hug and cuddle your pets and love on your dog, but when he stinks, cuddling is an unpleasant task. Some dogs smell especially awful while other dogs just have a typical dog smell that just doesn’t smell good.

If you want to enjoy your time around your dog and not feel the embarrassment of having a dog who smells when you have company, there are things you can do to prevent your dog from smelling horribly bad. No one wants to love on a stinky dog. Understanding what makes your dog smell can help you prevent bad odor from your dog in the future.

Finding and Tackling the Source

Wet Dog

Dogs can smell for various reasons. If your dog is a swimmer, either in a pool or in a local water source, you may smell wet dog often. Bathing your dog every day may not be an option and is also harsh for your dog’s skin, but if you have a dog who is a swimmer, giving them a daily bath might prevent the awful smell of wet dog. After your dog swims or after your dog bathes, try to blow their fur dry with a hair dryer. This will help prevent the wet dog smell coming from their skin, which stays moist underneath their thick coat. 

If you are unable to bathe your dog every day, you can wipe them down with scented baby wipes or spritz them with a fresh scented spray bottle with water, white vinegar, and a few of drops of your favorite smelling essential oil. Also, if you're unable to bathe your dog each day, an easy way to prevent your dog from smelling and bringing smells into your home is to wipe their paws when they come in from outside. This will eliminate odors they are bringing into your home from their paws.

Funky Ears

Your dog's ears are a haven for things like yeast or mites to grow and thrive. There might be bacteria growing in your dog's ear before it becomes irritating enough for you or your dog to notice it. These conditions could cause a stench to emanate from the ears that you might mistake for coming from somewhere else on your dog.

Preventing this bacterial yeast or mite growth in your dog's ears is easy to do by simply cleaning out your dog's ears on a regular basis. You can purchase ear flushes through your veterinarian, or you can use something as simple as apple cider vinegar and water on a thin wet cloth, cleaning the outside and the inner ear gently. Mites and yeast in your dog’s ears can also cause discomfort and ear infections. If your dog is scratching his ears or shaking his head a lot, he might have ear troubles that may cause an odor as well as pain. Until his ears are cleared, avoid water in his ears, and keep them flushed every day to rid his ears of the stinky bacterial growth.

Stinky Skin

Your dog's skin may also be causing an unpleasant odor. Changing your dog's diet can help with skin issues as well as internal gastrointestinal troubles that could be causing an odor from your dog. Dry and flaky skin can become itchy and irritated easily, causing your dog to scratch incessantly. This can cause bacterial growth, which could also produce a foul odor. Diet changes in dogs are very often an easy fix for multiple problems. Your dog’s diet could be causing stinky skin issues as well as tummy problems, which could produce a smell too. 

Keep your dog on a healthy diet with high-quality foods to ensure he does not have food allergies that could cause itchy skin or gastrointestinal problems. Keeping your dog well-groomed, bathed, brushed, wiped down, and clean is imperative to how they look as well as how they smell. But taking care of your dog internally is just as important for their overall health, and can help address odors that may come from their skin and their gut.

Benefits of Preventing Smelly Dog Troubles

Stopping your dog from smelling can certainly improve quality time spent with your dog. You're less likely to want to hug and pet your dog if you're going to pull away with your hands and clothes stinking as much as your dog does. Friends and family who come into your home are more likely to enjoy their time with you and your dog as well if your dog does not stink up your entire house. Not all smells are health-related, but because many odors coming from your dog are caused by health issues, dealing with these matters will provide your dog with an overall healthier life. Dealing with bacterial skin infections that stink can make your dog feel better with less itching and of course with healthier skin.

Less Stinky, More Happy

Your dog wants to spend time with you as much as you would like to spend time with your dog. If your dog is in an environment where he will come inside your house stinking, you’ll constantly have to clean up not only your home, carpets, and upholsteries, but also work to rid your home of the dog smells. Preventing your dog from smelling so bad is one of the best ways to prevent smells from coming into your home. A healthy dog is a happy dog. And a dog that smells like dog but does not smell like a swamp, a wet dog, or a bacterial infection will make you a happy dog owner. Keep your dog happy and healthy and prevent smells from growing and continuing on your dog, in his bedding, and within your home.

A high-quality diet is essential for keeping your dog happy and healthy. Digestive problems can contribute towards bad doggy odor. Compare pet health insurance plans to save more than $270 a year on vet care.