smelly dogs!

cat64

Hi everyone we have two dogs, a lakeland and a westie. Problem is our house is getting a bit smelly - how do you manage to keep your home fragrant when you have two smelly pooches! Must admit I don't bathe them very often as we have to use our own bath and drains etc have got blocked with greasy hair before now.

Bit expensive to send frequently to dog groomer just for a bath though.

How do all you other dog owners keep on top of things - any tips?:D

bargainbird

Hi,

We've got three dogs, and we do have wash them frequently also their bedding gets washed once a week.

I can only suggest bathing them and perhaps get one of those things that sits over the plug hole to collect the hair......

x

elsien

I don't think my house smells ( unless my friends and family are unusually polite!), at least if it does, its not overpowering.
The dog gets bathed once every couple of months, depending on how often she rolls in something disgusting - if I can get away with it, I just wash the smelly bit. I use the plug hole cover, as above, but when its warm enough, I take a bucket outside and wash her in the back yard. ( She can lie in the sun to dry off then.)
The bedding gets washed about once a month (I'm a slob) but I put disinfectant in the rinse, so she's very fragrant when she lies on it, for a while after.
She's not allowed on the furniture, so that's not a problem, and I've made a homemade carpet sprinkler (courtesy of the OS board) to freshen the carpets when they need it - you can use your choice of essential oils, which are much nicer than the horrible shake n vac type things
My dad has also been known to cover the dog in talc when he's been looking after her and she's rolled in something. Doesn't work on fox poo, but covers a multitude of other sins.
That's it for us - perhaps it also depends on the type of dog and how much fur they have. Ellie is very smooth coated, so there's not much for the grime to land on.

cat64

Thanks both, probably more washing of both dogs and bedding is needed then:rotfl:.Just seems to be so many jobs to do in a day - another one to add to the list

pboae

IMHO it's more the bedding, hair and dander in the house, than the actual dog. So I concentrate on washing bedding/throws and hoovering. I brush him frequently to get the dead hair off, and I do it outside if I can. Regular grooming makes a big difference. I do use talc on my him sometimes too, when he is a bit greasy and grimy. I get him washed 3 or 4 times a year as well.

ali-t

I try to only have hard surfaces downstairs where the dog mainly is. I have leather sofas, and tiles or karndean flooring. I have recently invested in a faux leather bean slab for the dogs bed and have a single duvet and fleece on top of it. All of the top layers can be washed at high temps so hopefully this keeps the smell down. I find having things that don't absorb smells is the easiest way to stop any nasty whiffs. I don't like having windows open so this is the easiest way for me to sort it.