Owning a dog is a lovely thing. Having a furry best friend with whom you will create many amazing memories is something every person should experience. Showing your dog off to your friends, and them falling in love with your dog, too, is such a great feeling.
But, there are also some things that can get either really scary or just a bit unpleasant, like what if you have a smelly dog? This is something that can be a bit of a problem. First of all, having a bad smell in your home constantly is not something that anyone would look forward to.
If you are the type of person who likes to have hangouts with your friends in your home, then a smelly dog will certainly make the party not that pleasant. Don’t worry – we are here to the rescue.
This is one of those problems that can be solved, and it is not that scary, like having a sick dog, for example.
In this article, we will be giving you some home remedies for smelly dog that will help you neutralize and get rid of the smell. We will also be sharing some tips on what you can do to prevent your house from smelling bad.
10 Home Remedies For Smelly Dog
When owning a dog, especially if you live in an apartment, you will have to deal with two things, and those are dog hair and dog smell. Both of these things can be controlled and managed, and they are completely natural.
Some dogs might have a stronger smell than others, so do not feel ashamed if your dog might be a bit smelly. Sometimes, bathing your dog and cleaning your house as you would normally do will not be good enough for eliminating the smell.
There are some home remedies for smelly dogs that might help you solve this problem. As pet owners, we always do our research about what is safe for our dogs and what is not.
Because of that, we decided to make you a list of home remedies that you can use, and that are completely safe. Some remedies might work for some people while for others… not so much. Try out a couple of remedies and see what works best for you.
Here is a list of home remedies for you to try that can eliminate dog odor.
1. Cornstarch
This home remedy is mostly used to eliminate the smell from your home, but you can also use it on your dog. Cornstarch might be a bit under the radar because there are much more popular and known remedies that people use.
It is completely easy to use, and there is not a big hassle. You just take the cornstarch and put it in the area that has the dog odor and leave it overnight to do its magic.
This remedy has the ability to absorb the dog smell, and by that, it will leave the area of your house odorless. The good thing about this is that it is not expensive, and it is completely safe for your dog.
If your dog gets to it and maybe accidentally licks it a bit, nothing will happen to him or her.
2. Baking Soda
Baking soda is one of the most well-known home remedies that is used to clean and take out any bad odor that might occur in your house. The good news is that baking soda is also good for a stinky dog and a house that has a dog odor.
Baking soda is most efficient when it comes to odor that is caused by the dog’s urine. It neutralizes the acidity of the urine. The acid becomes alkaline, and this is how baking soda neutralizes the smell of urine.
The good thing about baking soda is that most homes already have it, but if you do not, it is not expensive. The most important thing is that it is not toxic for your dog, so you can feel at ease when you want to use it to deodorize anything you need.
You can bathe your dog with baking soda and it will not harm him or her.
3. White Vinegar
This might sound strange because white vinegar has an odor itself, and dog owners for sure do not want to get rid of one smell but get another one. Do not worry. The best thing to do is dilute the vinegar with water.
You can put it in a spray bottle and spray everything that you need around the house. It is also not harmful to the dog, and it will get rid of the smell for sure.
4. Apple Cider Vinegar
This is very similar to white vinegar… the only difference is the acetic concentration. You should also dilute apple cider vinegar with water in a 1:1 ratio. You can put it in a spray bottle or you can just pour the mixture on something you need to deodorize.
This is something that you can use on your dog as well, but you need to be careful. You can put it on the dog’s fur, but make sure that it is diluted enough so it does not cause a reaction on your dog’s skin.
You need to be especially careful when you are applying it on your dog’s head because you need to make sure that nothing gets in its eyes or you may have a problem.
At first, your dog might smell a bit like apple cider vinegar, but do not worry – after an hour or so, that smell will go away, along with the dog odor.
5. Fish Or Olive Oil
These two remedies are more for a specific problem, and they will not work for every dog. Just like with humans, dogs can also have dry or oily skin. When it comes to dry skin, it can sometimes cause a dog to smell because of dandruff.
The olive oil or the fish oil will not necessarily take out the odor, but it will help your dog with dry skin. When you solve the problem of dry skin, the odor will be solved as well.
You can also use other oils, but these two are proven to be the safest for dogs because it does not cause any reaction on their skin and coat. Other oils might, especially if your dog is allergic to a certain ingredient.
If you want to use other oils, we suggest you contact your vet first.
6. Laundry Detergent
Laundry detergent might be the most logical thing to use when it comes to cleaning and deodorizing a certain piece of furniture in the house. It has a pleasant smell that eliminates the bad smell of a stinky dog.
An important thing to know is that you should never use laundry detergent on your dog because it can harm its skin, and cause some other problems that are more serious than a bad smell.
7. Tomato Juice
This might seem odd, and we understand why, but tomato juice is used for a very specific problem, and that problem is skunk smell. It is a no-brainer that a lot of dogs will get curious if they see a skunk, and they will probably want to get closer to it.
It is no surprise that the skunk will get scared, and to defend itself, it will spray the dog with the well known skunk smell.
The best thing that has been proven to work in a situation where you need to get rid of the skunk smell is tomato juice.
You will need to soak your pooch in tomato juice. Try to make him stay soaked for at least 15 minutes, and then wash off the juice. Sometimes, you might do it a couple of times depending on how much of the skunk oil got on the dog.
Tomato juice will remove the smell of the skunk oil, and after that, you can bathe your dog with its shampoo.
8. Hydrogen Peroxide
This is also one of the home remedies that you can use to remove bad smells from your dog. The most common way that is used is combining it with essential oils. This combination is the best to clean the ears of your dog.
You can also use it to make apple cider vinegar at home.
9. Coconut Oil
Coconut oil can be used in a dog’s diet to improve the health of the dog, and it is one of the natural remedies that can be used for a couple of things.
Fatty acids in coconut oil help kill bacteria and even fungi in the dog’s gut, which are harmful to the good bacteria that are naturally in the gut.
It is also good for oral hygiene because it can be used as toothpaste. You will need to melt the coconut oil a bit, add some baking soda, and you will get good homemade toothpaste.
Make sure that the coconut oil is not hot. The oil can prevent some bacterial infections from happening.
10. Holistic Essential Oils
Essential oils can sometimes be a controversial topic. Some agree that they are good for the dog while others do not. This is based on your preference, and you can always ask the vet for any advice.
Essential oils are mostly used as an addition to dog food. You can also put some oil on your hand and let the dog lick it off. It will probably like it because of the nice smell and even the nice taste.
It is taught that these oils are beneficial for the dog’s health.
Other Things You Can Do That Will Help You Get Rid Of The Smell
We saw the list of a couple of home remedies that can help you eliminate bad dog smell. Home remedies are good because… well, you probably have them already in your home, but you can also find them easily, and they are not expensive.
There are also some other things that you can do that can prevent and eliminate the bad smell of a dog from your home. Some are logical and easy while others might be things that you should do on a daily basis.
1. Keeping Up With Your Dog’s Hygiene
This is, of course, the most logical and known thing that you can do when it comes to a dog and its bad smell. There are some things that dog owners might forget, and even might think that it can not cause a dog to smell bad.
We got you covered. Here, you will be able to see what the most important things are that you can do when it comes to keeping your dog clean, along with what to keep an eye on.
Bathing Your Dog
When it comes to bathing your dog, some people might get confused as to what the right number of baths per year is. You need to know that too many baths can cause your dog to have skin problems, which can, of course, cause your dog to smell bad.
You may think to yourself: ˝Too many baths can make my dog smell bad?˝ Well, the answer is, yes. If you bathe them too frequently, they might get dry skin, which we already mentioned can cause your dog to smell bad.
Dander build-up can really cause your dog to smell bad. The problem with this is that the smell won’t go away until you solve the problem of dry skin.
Your dog should be bathed once every three months. There will be some situations where your dog might get dirty because it has found some mud and decided to roll in it.
In this case, you will give your dog a bath, but we advise you to try using a mixture of shampoo and water, or in other words, dilute the shampoo with water.
You can also use dog odor remedies that we already mentioned, like baking soda, in cases where your dog has a strong scent even when you are regularly bathing it.
There is a thing called aromatherapy shampoo, and it is used when your dog has a really strong smell. It is thought that this shampoo can eliminate the smell more than regular shampoo.
RELATED: How Often Should You Bathe A Golden Retriever?
Brushing Your Dog’s Fur
This is something that is also very well-known for every dog owner who has a dog that has a long coat. Brushing the dog’s coat is important to keep your dog matt free and to make sure that there is nothing stuck there.
It is also good for maintaining the dog’s hair. To be more precise – dogs that shed a lot, like a German Shepherd, for example, need to be brushed regularly, even daily, to prevent hair from going everywhere.
But, what you may not know is that brushing is also a form of bathing a dog. We mentioned that there is such a thing as too many baths when it comes to dogs.
By brushing your dog, you are taking away any extra particles of urine or dandruff, for example. Anything that gets stuck in the dog’s fur can become smelly, and if you do not brush them regularly, you might not find the source of the smell.
This is not something that will help eliminate the already-existing smell, but it can for sure prevent bad odors from occurring.
Cleaning Your Dog’s Ears
This is extremely important – not just for getting rid of a smell, but also for preventing potential ear infections from occurring. Cleaning the ears of a dog might sound scary and overwhelming to some people, but do not worry – it is not that complicated.
The most complicated thing is keeping your dog still. It might be a bit of a problem for the first couple of times, but afterward, they will get used to it.
Getting rid of black gunk and ear wax buildup is very important. Anything that gets stuck in the ear can cause it to smell or to develop an infection.
You need to know that infections can get very smelly, too, and they are also very painful for your dog.
Some dogs will have hairs in their ears that grow rapidly, and you will need to pluck them out. The Lagotto Romagnolo is a good example of this. The hair in its ears grows pretty fast, and if you do not pluck it from time to time, it will develop into a big clunk of hair and ear wax that will have a disgusting smell.
Brushing Your Dog’s Teeth
When it comes to dogs and brushing their teeth, not a lot of people take it seriously. We do not blame them because this is a topic that is not talked about that often, and some people just do not know that it is very important.
You should clean your dog’s teeth on a daily basis, but a couple of times a week is also good enough. If not, then bad breath will for sure be overwhelming.
There are plenty of toothpaste options that you can choose from in a pet store or even online. You should never use human toothpaste on a dog. There are specifically-formulated toothpaste for dogs.
You can also use some home remedies in place of toothpaste.
Our advice is to get them used to teeth cleaning while they are puppies, and make it a part of their routine. This way, your dog will get used to it, and you will not feel overwhelmed later on by having a hard time doing it.
Cleaning Your Dog’s Paws
After you get home from a walk, you should always clean your dog’s paws. This is something that comes naturally to a lot of dog owners, especially those who live in an apartment. This should be done not just for the smell, but also to keep your home clean.
If you do not clean the paws on a daily basis (after every walk), you will have a very smelly dog. Paws can collect different things that can, over time, create a bad odor.
It is also important to clean and dry them well; otherwise, they will have a stale stink to them. It does not take a lot of time, but it will for sure solve the problem of a stinky dog.
2. Dry Your Dog Properly After A Bath
Drying your dog completely after you give it a bath is very important. There is almost no worse of a smell than a wet dog.
If you do not dry your dog completely, it would almost be like you did not give it a bath at all, and that is not something that you want. The wet smell is also very easy to transfer onto your furniture and all over the house.
It can sometimes be difficult to get rid of it if your dog stays like that for a long time.
If you live in a place that has a warm climate, you do not need to worry that much. People who live in colder places should make sure that their dog is dried, and it will for sure take a bit longer to dry the dog, but it is worth the extra time.
3. You Need To Vacuum Frequently
This is something that is very important if you have a dog that sheds, whether they have a long or a short coat. Hair that gets hidden somewhere in the house will for sure make a bad smell.
Daily vacuuming is almost a must… every other day will do the job as well. The vacuum can also suck in some odor if there is any, and it will remove all the hair that can collect around the house.
4. You Should Mop The Floors Regularly
Moping is very important. Dogs can bring a lot of things in the house, even when you clean their paws and clean them regularly. Some of these things might not be that visible, but they are there, and can make a bad smell.
Saliva from your dog can really create a smell, and if you do not mop the floors regularly, the stains will get even smellier over time. Saliva can also get on your bed and linens, so you need to think about that as well.
You can mop with vinegar from time to time just to make sure that everything is super clean, and that there is nothing left that can create any type of dog smell. It is advised to do this once a week.
5. You Need To Let Fresh Air In
Every dog will have a specific smell to it, even when it is not actually stinky. For some people who do not have dogs, but they come into your house and smell, it can be overwhelming. You might get used to it, but others may not.
You should let good air in your home at least once a day to make sure that the stale air is out, and that new, fresh air continues to come in.
Stale air that has a dog smell to it can overpower the house, and it can actually become a problem that can also be bad for your health.
Try opening all the windows in the house. Also, try doing this every time you and your family members go out of the house.
6. Clean The Dog’s Bed Regularly
This is super important because the dog bed can be one of the biggest causes of dog smell. When a dog stinks, it will leave that smell on its bed. The best thing you can do is wash the bed at least every time you bathe your dog.
We advise that this is done more frequently because even dogs that are not smelly can make their bed smell. The hairs, saliva, and anything that they bring in will stay on the bed, and over time, this will create a very bad smell.
The easiest beds to clean are the ones with a metal base and a softer spot where the dog lies. This way, you only take out the soft and spongy part and wash it.
Make sure that if you put any toys or blankets on the bed, you need to wash them as well because they, too, can get very smelly. If you wash only the bed, and put the smelly toys and blankets back on, it will seem like you did nothing, unfortunately.
RELATED: Top 16 Best Dog Beds For Doberman Pinschers + Buyer’s Guide
7. Change The Dog’s Diet
Sometimes, pet odor can actually come from the inside of the dog, and the best thing you can do is change the dog’s food. This might be something that you will need some help with from the vet. You can, of course, do the research, but if you have any doubt, you should call the vet to help you out.
Home-cooked dog food is something that is considered to be the best when it comes to keeping your dog healthy, and trying to overcome any potential health issue. But, this is not the option that a lot of people choose because it is really time-consuming.
You also need a lot of knowledge on ingredients. You should know whether a dog can eat spicy food or brussels sprouts, for example.
Don’t worry, and don’t feel ashamed if you did not choose this option – there are plenty of others that you can choose from. You can buy dog food in a pet store that is of better quality or that is specifically formulated to take care of a certain problem.
A raw diet is also something that you can take into consideration. It is important to keep the meat properly because it can go bad very quickly.
You should probably stay away from high-grain foods because they can cause your dog to bloat, and that can cause some smelly accidents.
8. You Can Use A Dog Deodorizer
This is an option if you do not want to use any of the home remedies – and if you find it easier and safer to buy a solution in a pet store, then dog deodorizers are certainly for you.
There are plenty of options that you can choose from. You can also find something called dog cologne. This is more for dogs that are already fresh and clean.
This improves the smell, but it can cause the dog to smell even worse if you put it on a dog with a smelly odor.
To Sum It Up
A smelly dog can become a big problem if the smell is not neutralized or removed in time. It can also be bad for your health.
In this article, you were able to see all the home remedies for smelly dogs that can help you with the dog’s bad smell. We hope that you found it helpful. You probably were surprised by some of them.
If you are not sure about home remedies, you can always get the store-bought version. Home remedies are frequently used because most of the time, you already have them at home, and they can be much cheaper than the store-bought option.
Some remedies might not be efficient for some people, but do not get discouraged… just try out other ones. We are sure that one of them will be very helpful.