How to Make Your Dog Smell Better Between Baths
by dogtoyadvisor | Last updated on November 18, 2020
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Dog smell is probably the one thing that sometimes makes us wonder why we decided to have dogs in the first place.
Nothing compares to being awakened by a sloppy smelly dog tongue and very few things compare to sitting on your couch or getting into bed only for it to reek of dog odor.
But what can we possibly do? Keep them off our bed and sofa? Make them sit on the floor?
Our time together is just too short to miss out on spending quality time with our dogs cuddling under a blanket on a cold winter night.
Why You Can’t Give Your Dog Baths All The Time
Dog’s skins have a very delicate balance of its natural oils that you’re disrupting every time you give your dog a bath.
So, naturally, you’ll need to give it some time before bathing him again to make sure his skin has recovered.
Plus, as far as the smell goes, giving your dog a bath will only make him smellier. Is there anything worst than wet dog smell?
7 Tips to Make Your Dog Smell Better
Here are 7 tips to make your dog smell better between baths and to remove that stinky dog smell from your house.
Tip 1 – Use Dry Shampoo
It may sound like common sense, but you need to do it the right way.
Now that we’ve established why you can’t give your dog frequent wet baths, you still need a way to clean your dog when, for example, he’s been mischievous and decided to take a mud bath at the park on a rainy day (true story).
So our solution to that problem is using a dry dog shampoo.
There are several available options, but the one dry shampoo we use for our dogs has the best scent and is perfectly safe for your dog to lick is Wahl’s No Rinse Shampoo:
Tip 2 – Clean Your Dog’s Mouth
Also, the one thing that can smell worst than your dog’s fur is his mouth, foul dog breath can pretty much suck your will to live.
We can’t stress this enough, dental hygiene is paramount for your dog’s health and smell.
The way to keep your dog’s breath fresh and his teeth healthy is to brush his teeth at least once a day with an enzymatic tooth paste like this one:
Then you need to give him dental chews at least once every two days. Our vet recommended VeggieDent and combining it with the enzymatic toothpaste made all the difference in our dog’s oral hygiene.
Related article: 3 tips to clean your dog’s teeth without brushing
Tip 3 – Use Deorizing Wipes
Aside from baths, there are other small things you can do to keep your dog clean and smelling nicely.
You’ll want to inspect your dog’s ears and make sure they’re clean and odor-free. Get some dog grooming wipes and clean the inside of your dog’s ears to check for dirt.
If you notice that your dog’s ears keep getting wax even when you clean them frequently, you may want to take him to your vet to look for a possible infection.
You can also use these deodorizing wipes to clean their paws and coat.
Tip 4 – Groom Your Dog
And, of course, you need to brush your dog, it’s a staple in dog grooming.
We’ve tried so many different brushes so far, each dog seems to prefer a different one, some won’t last that long, most are so hard to clean after brushing the dogs.
Recently, we bought this one and are very happy with it:
It’s easy to clean, it takes loads of dead fur off the dogs and, as far as dog smell goes, it gets rid of dirt and debris that get stuck in their fur during outdoor playtime.
Tip 5 – Get Your Dog Some Perfume
We found that the right dog cologne goes a long way in keeping our dogs smelling great between baths.
Make sure you pick a pet perfume, one that has a delicate scent (dog noses are very sensitive).
We use a baby powder scented cologne that actually works as a conditioner, leaving their fur soft as well as fragrant.
Tip 6 – Feed Your Dog The Right Way
Dog flatulence is an issue we’re very familiar with (unfortunately).
If your dog is constantly stinking up your home by passing gas, there can be three culprits. One is a gastrointestinal condition you’ll need your vet’s help to sort.
The second possible reason is the food he eats. Buy the best possible food you can afford, make sure to get the dog food with the least possible fillers and byproducts.
Okay so, your dog has no gastrointestinal issues and you’re feeding him prime dog food and he’s still flatulent, what can it be?
Well, it means he’s eating what he shouldn’t.
Your dog may be eating garbage from the sidewalks during his walks, or trash from your can when you’re not looking or maybe you’re feeding him a little treat here and there from your own plate.
Whatever the origin, your dog is eating food that doesn’t agree with him, that dogs aren’t supposed to eat and you need to be more careful.
More importantly than the smell, he can actually get sick from it.
Tip 7 – Keep Your Dog’s Bed Clean
If after all of this your dog still smells bad and your home smells like your stinky pooch, odds are you need to wash his bed and blankets much more often than you’re currently doing.
If you’re worried of washing his belongings using your regular detergent, a simple mix of hot water and vinegar will do the trick.
And, between washes, you’ll probably still need something to keep his bed from smelling.
We found the best enzyme-based cleaner that completely removes all pet smell from our home. We use it on their beds as well as our sofas, carpets, you name it.
It’s completely pet safe and all you need to do is spray the smelly area. Not only does it eliminate the odors, it also helps with stains.
Conclusion
We feel so fortunate to live in a time when it’s just so easy to solve problems that were so complicated to deal with before.
No matter how much you love your dog, it’s undeniable his bad smell can be off-putting. Nobody wants to have a smelly home, or to smell bad because they’ve held their dog for a few minutes.
To be able to live a stress-free life with our pets, to enjoy our time with them without worrying about the little things is our ultimate goal and these easy tips get us one step closer.
Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising and iStock
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