Solutions for stinky dog season!

“Sniff, sniff… But what is that smell of dirty rags? Yuck, is that smell coming from my dog?!”

With the season of melting snowbanks, wet rugs, and slush, walking outside with a dog is a guarantee of questionable odors… Yet, we can’t (and don’t want to) wash our pooch every two days. But honestly, sometimes it becomes embarrassing to take your stinky dog on outings where things should be clean.

So, what can you do to make your pooch smell good?

Ear cleaning

The one thing every dog owner should do is clean their dog’s ears.

Weekly.

I’m not even kidding. First, ear infections and otitis are common in our canine friends (and cost a fortune at the vet…). Second, three-quarters of the reason why your dog stinks is because their ears aren’t clean (the other quarter is because they need a good brushing to remove old dead hair, I’ll tell you about that below). Unwashed dog ears stink; if you don't believe me, take a whiff of the next Labrador you run into.

You can buy some expensive little product with a cryptic name and a picture of a dog on the bottle at your vet’s office. Or you can open your pantry and not spend a dime.

Uhhhh… 2^nd option please.

Regular brushing

Stinky-dog season goes hand in hand with shedding season (yay). Coincidence? I THINK NOT!

A large part of a dog’s smell comes from dead hair that gets trapped in their coat. Regular, deep brushing helps eliminate dead hair and, at the same time, the dirt left behind by the slush after a walk. It is important to take your time while brushing, to make it a pleasant bonding moment for the dog by petting them, scratching them, and rewarding them. Let them smell the brush so they don’t fear it and hide under the bed as soon as they see you take it out! Haha!

For my Labrador, I do a three-step brushing.

Step 1

I start with the heavy lifting to remove the hair stuck in the coat and the hair that is ready to fall out. You can use a slicker brush (those brushes with metal bristles) or a “Furminator” type brush, the quintessence of shedding brushes, which will get at the thick undercoat of their winter coat.

Step 2

I then use an intermediate brush, with boar bristles and plastic bristles, designed for humans but strong enough for a dog! It will catch the stray little hairs that have stuck to the dog due to static and offers a gentler brushing to gradually recover from the deep brushing.

Step 3

I finish with a polishing brush, 100% boar bristle; it’s the relaxing step for the dog and it eliminates residual dust and spreads the dog’s natural oils across the coat.

Obviously, there are many types of brushes for dogs, and it is important to choose them based on the coat. A Boston Terrier, for example, will need a different brush than a Collie or a Poodle. Ask the shop staff for advice!

Sometimes, despite the most intense brushing, the smell of wet rug remains as an olfactory background and makes us paranoid (is that me who smells that?)… It’s time to chase it away with a spray!

Anti-stink spray