How often do you wash your dog?

cheepskate_2

My darling hubby has just recently given up smoking...Yah:j:j, so no more smelly house.

BUT now i can smell the doggy smell, yuck:eek::eek::eek:. Its always been there but as the smoke is smellier i've never smelt her much before.

She is a long haired breed and have always kept her in full show coat, but have cropped that quite a bit recently, but still have the doggy smell.

I know I am probably a bit tuned to any smell now since the house is a bit fresher and since it is now winter, the smell of the dog is worse with her getting wet etc.

How do others keep the smell down?

lostinrates

Have you washed her bedding?

Mine are washed different amounts, but washing the bedding makes a lot of difference. ( more than cleaning the dogs) A dry shampoo or a ' dog cologne' or perfume can help too....

catkins

Can't really help I'm afraid. I too have a longhaired dog but he really doesn't smell. I bath him about every 6 weeks.

I know if he did smell my oh so helpful mother in law would tell me

Better_Days

I've never washed my dogs, although they are both short haired. I have wiped them with wet cloths and finished off with wipes after 'fox poo' episodes.

As LIR says the important thing is to make sure the bedding is clean, try washing once a week in bio powder and see if that improves the doggy smell. Also brushing your dog regularly may help.

Carpets may need a clean too. You could try sprinkling with bicarb of soda overnight, and then vacuming up first thing in the morning.

And well done Mr cheepskate :T:T:T

krlyr

I only ever wash mine when they're so dirty that a wipe over with a damp cloth won't do the trick. Usually when they've rolled in something horrific!

lostinrates wrote: »

Have you washed her bedding?

Mine are washed different amounts, but washing the bedding makes a lot of difference. ( more than cleaning the dogs) A dry shampoo or a ' dog cologne' or perfume can help too....

I agree, I think the bedding often smells more than the dog. My nan dogsits for me..if the blanket I take over is on the brink of needing a wash, she definately notices the eau de dog when I pick them up. Whereas if it's freshly cleaned, you could barely tell the dogs had been there.

Also, soft furnishings. Even if dogs aren't allowed on sofas, things like them brushing past floor length curtains, sleeping on rugs, etc. can require a bit of extra care. I made up a lemon juice and water solution (or sometimes vinegar and water - the smell would linger for 5 mins or so but did dissipate) in a spray bottle to spritz curtains, cushions and rugs inbetween washing, to deodourise. We've gone for a leather sofa and blinds instead of curtains in the new house, and every so often I sprinkle the rugs with bicarb to absorb odours before hoovering.

Diet can also play a part in smell, dogs on a lower quality diet can often be a bit smellier. I think the general doggy smell did decrease when I switched to raw feeding with mine, a few people have commented on how little my house smells of dog considering I own two large breeds.

And in this weather - damp dog! Certainly smells more than a dry dog, so I've got a collection of old towels at the ready and dogs get dried off after pee breaks and wet walks to minimise the time they're sitting around damp.

System

I washed my dog and can't do a thing with it

zaksmum

My female dog goes to the groomer every 8-10 weeks and has a bath there, while my male dog is a short haired whippet/labrador cross so doesn't need the groomer.

He gets a frequent bath outside in summer, with the hosepipe, which he likes. In winter though it's the bath in the house which he hates, so about every 10 weeks.

I'm reliably assured there's no doggy smell in the house.

danih

I wash my older dog maybe every couple months.

So far longest gap between big washes for new dog is about a week - sometimes its every day. He is a big fan of other dogs poo. Little horror is thrilled with himself after a good roll. Does anybody use cloths for this instead of a shower ? He's a westie. Great skin so far but all these showers can't be good for him.

krlyr

I use a damp cloth (I have a small microfibre hand towel, a bit bigger than a flannel) and some Pet Head 'dry clean' spray shampoo I use for things like mud stains, but I have to say, poo is often a bath job. Casper does sometimes manage to get a little patch on an easy to reach area on his legs and I'll absolutely soak it with the spray shampoo and wipe with several pieces of damp kitchen towel (to save getting the cloth pooey) but for rolling, it's almost always a thorough wash, as I don't like the thought of having missed a bit and it getting spread around the house!

Perhaps a longline that you can leave trailing behind would help - you can grab it and redirect him when his body language hints a poo-rolling session is about to occur?

GwylimT

Ours has a bath every Sunday, he is a bulldog and they are particularly smelly, every day he gets some doggy cologne, sometimes it is more often when he decides to dig up the garden or roll in his own poo.

danih

Might try the trailing lead. He had had yet another shower since last post! Dirty rascal. Good job he's a cutie.