Why Dogs Smell and What You Can do About it

While you may love your dog unconditionally, putting up with dog smell isn't something many people like dealing with. Luckily, there are easy ways to keep your dog while getting rid of the smell. First, it's a good idea to know where the smell on your dog (or home) is coming from and what is causing it. Once you understand this, it's relatively simple to take care of the problem of dog smell in your home. There are actually a few different things you can try to get dog smell out of various places. After you have your home smelling good, you'll want to see what you can do about keeping it that way.

All of the methods listed may not work exactly the same for you, but looking at the best solutions and coming up with your own mix for your particular problem is sometimes necessary. The safety of your pet (and the other people in your household) should be your number one concern as you attack the problem of animal smell. That said, there are many options that are safe and effective. Keep reading to find out more about why dogs smell, and, perhaps more importantly, what you can do about it.

Why Dogs Smell

It may be simple to just state that dogs smell because they're dirty, but it sometimes goes beyond this. Beyond just being dirty, there are many physical problems that could cause your dog to smell. Here are some of the reasons for dog smells:

Body Odor - If you haven't given your dog a bath in a while - especially if they're outdoors often - normal body odor can start to become a problem.
Sweat - If your dog is active, they're going to sweat just like you would. There's no doggy deodorant that will stop this, but there are things that can be done.
Bodily Functions - Dogs have to remove waste from their bodies just like humans. While it's not a comfortable topic for some, some of the waste "sticks around" and can cause really awful smells.

There are other reasons your dog may smell, but these are the basic and most common reasons. The good news is that taking care of these problems isn't that difficult. In fact, we're going to next take a look at removing dog smells from your household. Then, we'll take a look at removing smells from your dog itself. At that point, you should have a good idea on how to keep your dog (and your house) smelling fresh and clean.

Removing Dog Smells From Your Home

While you most undoubtedly love your dog (or dogs), living with their occasional bad odor doesn't have to be something you put up with. By being proactive after you follow the steps below, you'll be able to keep new bad dog smells from taking over your house. And then you can really enjoy just the positives of having a pet. So here are some tried and true methods for getting rid of dog smells in various places in your home.

Dog Smells in General - The Internet is scattered with remedies and tips for getting rid of dog smells. While some are helpful, many may end up making a bigger mess than you started with. With that in mind, if you stick to tried and true methods (some explained below), you'll have a lot less trouble in the long run. The biggest thing to remember is that a good defense is a strong offense. In other words, by being proactive and going after the problem of dog smell before it becomes too strong, you have a fighting chance of having a pet and a nice smelling house.
Dog Smells in Carpets - For getting dog smells out of carpet, there are various things you can try. Basically, you want something that will get the oil and hair out of the carpet as this is the source of the dog smell. A normal carpet shampooer may not be enough. First, try covering the floor with baking soda, letting it sit for at least 24 hours. Then, carefully sweep up the baking soda. You may have to repeat this process. After one or two applications, use a carpet shampoo machine with special cleaners that will help get rid of the smell for good. For the specific smell of urine in the carpet, you're going to have to get a little more aggressive. Using a mixture of water and vinegar (mostly water), you should drench the area thoroughly. Use a towel to tap the area dry. Then apply the baking soda (once it's dry) and let that sit for a while. After that, follow the procedure above. Rinse and repeat as needed.
Dog Smells in Upholstery - Getting dog smell out of couches, chairs and other upholstery is a little more difficult than getting it out of carpet. This is because of the odd shape of furniture - at least compared to the large, flat surface of the floor. Still, there are some things you can do to get the smell of dogs out of your upholstery. Using a specially formulated mix to get out the smell is usually your best bet. You can still try the baking soda approach, but you'll need a hand vac or a canister vacuum with a long hose. Either way, getting dog smell out of upholstery is difficult but not impossible.
Dog Smells in Vacuum Cleaners -, change the bags, sprinkle baking soda on your carpet and vacuum it up into the new bag. If you live in a temperate climate, leaving the vacuum outdoors for 24 hours will help. Be sure to replace the bag again. You might also try placing a dryer sheet in your vacuum, which may help with the smell. To truly get rid of the smell, you should replace the bag after every use so the dog hair and other smelly bits don't settle and begin to affect the smell of the vacuum. Another idea is to squirt a few puffs of perfume on a couple tissues and suck them up with the vacuum. Using the other methods described, you should have no problems keeping your vacuum smelling great all the time.
Dog Smells in the Garage - Removing dog smell from your garage might be one of the most simple places to get rid of it. You'll still want to be careful about not using harmful chemicals to get rid of the smell, but generally you'll have a little more leeway in working on getting rid of the problem in your garage. That said, most of the suggestions above hold merit. In addition just airing out the garage and keeping it dry and clean of dog hair can help keep the smell at bay.
Dog Smells in Bedding - If the bedding doesn't have sentimental value, sometimes it's easiest to just get rid of the old bedding, replacing it with fresh bedding occasionally. If you are working with something that has a deep odor but you want to keep it for whatever reason, be prepared to spend some money on special soap to help get rid of the smells. Many washes later, if the material holds up, you should be able to get rid of most of the smell. That said, you might want to try having a few sets of bedding on hand and wash it every few days to keep the smell away and stop it from building up over time. Sometimes an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Removing Dog Smells from Your Pet

Smell of Dog Urine on Pets

The best way to make sure your pet doesn't smell like urine is to groom them so there isn't too much hair around the area of their genitals. Then, just make sure you bathe them at regular intervals, using a mild shampoo to make them smell great and also help with their skin and coat. Basic dog grooming should keep the smell of urine off your dog.

Mange Smell on Dogs

To rid your dog of the smells of mange, you'll want to make sure they're taking the appropriate medication. Then, after checking with your vet, make sure you keep them bathed as often as possible. Keeping them clean and using mildly scented shampoos can help keep the smell of mange at bay, making it a bit more manageable for all involved. With something serious like mange, you will want to consult a veterinarian to get specific instructions on what you should do.

Wet Dog Fish Smell

When dogs get wet, they can take on a "fishy" smell. To get rid of this, make sure you clean and wash your dog (use shampoo) if they've spent a lot of time in a pond, lake or creek. This not only helps with removing the fish smell, it also leaves them smelling great. Dogs are naturally attracted to water most of the time so if you live near a source of water, be prepared to keep your dog bathed often if you don't want to deal with the "wet dog" smell.

Skunk Smell on Dogs

If you need to remove the skunk smell from a dog, first of all - good luck! Seriously, this may be one of the most difficult things you have to deal with as a pet owner. Fortunately, there are many methods you can use to deal with the problem. Whatever you do, don't bring the dog into your house, as the smell can seep into many surfaces in your home. The basics constitute of giving the dog a bath. What you use for soap will determine if you get rid of the smell or not.

You don't want to use something that harms your pet, so use a mixture of hydrogen peroxide, a small amount of mild dish soap, a quarter cup of baking soda, and water. This mixture should foam right away which is when you want to use it on ONLY the affected area on your dog. Rinse with normal tap water, pat dry and repeat. It's good to mention that you should be wearing old, disposable clothes and gloves when doing this so you don't get exposed to the smell yourself.

Keeping Dog Smells Away

The easiest way to keep your dog from smelling may be to keep them indoors all the time and away from things that might make them smell, but this just isn't possible. Still, there are things you can do to keep the dog smells out of your home.

Brush Your Pet Often - By making brushing your pet a daily or nightly part of your routine, you can help control the spread of hair in your home, which is one of the biggest causes of dog smell permeating homes.
Frequent Baths - While this one seems obvious, pet owners sometimes will let their pet slide a few days on their bath. This may not be a problem at first, but the more you get into this habit, the harder it is going to be for you to control the bad dog smells in your home.
Carpet Deodorizer - While vacuuming daily is important, adding a carpet deodorizer occasionally will help keep the dog smell at bay. There are many great products that are made for this, but occasionally using baking soda alone will help suck up the smell as well.

There you have it - a pretty in depth look at getting rid of dog smells on your pet and in your home. By continuing (or starting) to be proactive about bad dog smells, it's easy to stay one step ahead of the smell and keep your house smelling great - no matter how many pets you have.