Chase Bad Smells from Your Dog

Written by Doris Donnerman (last updated February 17, 2009)

Most dogs go a lot of places, and those places are often filled with a myriad of smells, not all of which are pleasant. If you think about it, there are countless smells we end up smelling every day: flowers, hot dogs, chimney smoke, cigarette smoke, exhaust, animals, perfume, books. Some of those smells are very pleasant (I'm a fan of the book smell myself), but not all of them are, and regardless of the agreeableness of the smell, dogs can pick up those smells almost wherever they go. It's just a fact of life and fortunately if those smells are too bad, there are measures you can take to chase those bad smells away.

The first, and naturally obvious, way to get those smells off your dog is to wash your dog. This may not be the most enjoyable task for either party involved, but it is necessary. After washing a bad-smelling dog, add lemon juice, vinegar, or baking soda to the rinse water. And for a dog with long, thick fur, add a cream rinse with a conditioner to keep their hair tangle free.

There are other smells to take note of, however; dogs can just smell like dog, and that's not always a pleasant odor. There are fortunately, a couple of things you can do to prevent the natural dog smell from becoming too potent. High quality diet will improve the overall aroma of your dog—avoid cheap dog food, consider raw feeding.

Frequent washing will damage his coat and skin and can cause a dog to smell worse. Only bath when absolutely necessary, only use soaps/conditioners in dire emergencies. Also, frequent grooming using suitable brushes will help keep your dog smelling good. See? There are ways to make your dog smell good! Just because you have a dog doesn't mean you have to suffer through nasty smells.

Author Bio

Doris Donnerman

Doris is a jack of all trades, writing on a variety of topics. Her articles have helped enlighten and entertain thousands over the years. ...

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