# GSD coat smell and shedding



## Steffanyace

I absolutely love german shepherds! :wub: I've wanted one for a long time. I even had my husband build our house with a GSD size dog door. My delima is we haven't had an indoor pet for a few years now and have gotten used to not having hair and/or animal smell in the house. Not that we kept a dirty house; there would be a litterbox smell from time to time. My husband grew up with a GSD and said she was always stinky and shedded a lot. I've petted some that were pretty darn stinky too.

Now don't get me wrong. I plan on regularly bathing and brushing our dog. I'd like to know if it is possible to keep a GSD groomed in a way that keeps his/her coat clean smelling low shedding? I talked with a guy that trains GSD's. He was trying to tell me that they only blow their coat twice a year and other than that, they don't shed much. I grew up with fox terriers. The smooth haired terriers shed all year.

Are the long haired GSD better or worse about shedding/smell? Are there differences in the different lines or something that would help?

So, can someone give me an honest answer to what to expect in hair and smell in living with a GSD and if it is possible to have a clean smelling dog, what it takes to maintain that?


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## GSDAlphaMom

The trainer was correct, they blow in the late spring and early fall, the rest of the time it is minimal. A furminator is great for getting out the undercoat that is shedding. Also it's a good time to take them to the groomer as they have powerful dryers that will help blow the coat out. Fox terriers and other breeds with short coats tend to shed year round. You shouldn't have any odor unless the dog is wet or if it's been out exercising (just like a person has an 'odor' after exercising). 

They're really an easy breed to maintain...and they are so smart...and beautiful...and loyal,..and on and on!


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## AgileGSD

GSDs shed can like crazy! Really I have owned a Dobe mix, an Irish Setter, a Rough Collie, a Cardigan Corgi, several Belgian Sheepdogs and my GSDs outshed all of them, hands down. Do not get a GSD if shedding is at all a concern of your's. 

And I know a lot of GSD people will claim otherwise but GSDs do tend to have a stronger "doggy smell" than many breeds. Not as strong as some though, such as certain hounds. But again stronger than the other breeds I've lived with (except for the Setter - he had a doggy smell for sure and bad skin on top of it).


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## Bcannie

May be a coincidence, but they seem to shed less when they are raw fed, and no doggie smell!


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## R3C0NWARR10R

To the people whos dogs you have petted in the past and they smelled probobly didnt maintain any grooming or feed their dog very well. Reno smelt like crap when we brought him home but after changing him to a better food he doesnt smell at all. 

If you feed the dog well (a nice grain free or raw diet) then they will shed less and any smells are very minimal.


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## Wolfiesmom

If you feed a good quality food, the smell is minimal. Also plenty of brushing keeps the hair down. Get a furminator. Another grooming tip,after you are finished brushing,if you back brush the fur ( against the growth) and leave it to settle on its own, it will keep the coat from smelling.


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## veeds35

With Bella the only time I notice her having an odor is when she has been out in the rain then yes she smells like wet dog, but other than that she doesnt stink and is in our home full time sleeps on my couch, I do vaccume every day : ) She does shed but not as much as my pug. Legend on the other hand has skin alergies so he does have an odor but its getting better now that we have started giving him supplements and also found a shampoo with tea tree oil and aloe in it so that seems to be clearing up nicely. He really sheds but he is also still loosing his baby coat.


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## VegasResident

Good grooming reduces shedding and good food reduces smell. But GSDs do shed!

Oddly enough, from experience, I can tell you that long coats shed less, but they do require more grooming to avoid matting.

My GSD only ever had a doggy smell when wet from playing outside, but what dog doesn't??? :laugh:

This may sound funny but one of the last things I said to Bink when she passed away in my arms last November was...."I am going to miss the smell of you Little One"...the top of her head had my most favorite scent in the world...I then took one last inhale of the best furry head I ever loved.

I really will miss that. :wub:


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## JudynRich

Your dog should not smell (unless they are wet-then they have that lovely wet dog smell). I would look at what you are feeding and possibly a vet visit...could be a sign of a skin disorder or other ailment. As for the shedding, I bought a little hand held vacuum made for dog hair (I use it where the hair seems to accumulate) and that seems to help keep it from taking over and I don't have to drag out the big vacuum!


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## Stosh

Same here- good quality food makes all the difference. Honestly our beagle shed more than our two gsds put together.


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## Lucy Dog

I groom Lucy reguraly and feed her high quality foods and she never ever smells. She only gets 2 or 3 baths a year, but that has nothing to do with the way she smells. A healthy dog should not smell.

Shedding really isn't that bad either. I mean, she is a GSD, so she's going to shed. Just groom on a regular basis and it shouldn't be out of control.


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## Jax08

GSDs do shed ALOT. But regular brushing keeps it under control. 

As far as those dogs you've seen that smelled and were oily feeling, they probably weren't groomed, maybe were outside dogs, or maybe had a poor diet.

I was in the vet's office and a groomer was in there. She asked if I had just brushed mine. She said the shepherd's she sees in her shop are a mess. It's really not difficult to keep them groomed. A couple different brushes and a couple minutes.


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## DianaB

Grooming definitely helps move the oils around and get some of the undercoat out. Siena only gets bathed a couple times a year and smell is never a problem (go one... let me hear all the "eeewwweeee's" from her light bathing cycle).

The reasons we bath her is primarily because in summer she swims in the ponds and gets all that 'pond scum' settled on her skin and man, does it stink. I bathed her 2 weeks ago and she's already stinky again (swims all the time at daycare). So she'll probably have a bath again soon. 

Also, if you bathe too often, they can get dry skin as it removes the oils and causes other things. The breeder indicated a couple times a year is enough. We use bedding with cedar chips to help absorb any smells (and makes her smell like a hamster


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## Steffanyace

Okay, so which brands would you consider "high quality" brands? Every brand wants to claim to be high quality. I fed Science Diet for a long time and later found that my cats smelled better eating other brands. And, is an all meat diet healthy? For example, a rabbit's guts are full of veggies and that seems to be the favorite part for a dog.


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## Chicagocanine

Just wanted to add that outdoor dogs are more likely to smell, and if you have a dog door and let your dog go in and out as they please they are more likely to bring odors in with them.


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## lylol

My first GSD had an oily unpleasant smell esp in the spring and summer and over time I realized it was flea allergy and grain related. Since he has been on a grain free dry food and I keep up on his flea meds the coat issue, smell, and unpleasant itchiness for him has gone away for years now. So smell should indicate something "wrong" with his health. He does shed alot. My 1.5 yr old smells lovely and I enjoy putting my face in his coat. Both are what I think is called stock coat or normal length hair. The youngster doesnt shed as much but I have come to accept that with my love of GSDs.


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## Jax08

Steffanyace said:


> Okay, so which brands would you consider "high quality" brands? Every brand wants to claim to be high quality. I fed Science Diet for a long time and later found that my cats smelled better eating other brands.


Science Diet is terrible.



Steffanyace said:


> And, is an all meat diet healthy? For example, a rabbit's guts are full of veggies and that seems to be the favorite part for a dog.


Now..that there is called Tripe in the RAW world. :rofl:


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## VegasResident

go to dogfoodanalysis.com and look at the 5 star and 6 star foods. Plus grab a copy of the Whole Dog Journal Food Edition


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## JKlatsky

Agree with everyone else. And I have 5 in my house. 

A dog that is fed a quality food and regularly brushed is rarely stinky unless they get into something. I only bathe mine 2-3 times a year and that is all that is necessary.

That said, I do feel there are some exceptions.
1. When Anka is in heat, she gets a certain Musk. She's pretty stinky then. She gets a bath when she comes out of heat.

2. Wet dog stinks. That occasionally feels like a part of life here in Florida.

3. Panting dogs stink. I would attribute the majority of the dog stink I have encountered not on the coat, but on the breath. A dog that is given plenty of opportunities to chew and has good oral hygiene also rarely smells.

4. Dogs that spend too much time outside smell.

As far as the shedding goes. It seems to depend on the coat of the dog. Not so much in terms of length, but rather density. My shortest coated dogs are also my thickest coated dogs (incidentally also the softest) and they shed like crazy when they blow their coats. However, I have met some thick longer coated dogs that are a disaster. I also have a fairly short coated dog with a coarser coat who sheds very little unless he is blowing his coat. 

However, any German Shepherd will probably be a shock to you when they blow their coat. Because you will brush every day, 2x a day, and regularly pull out enough to stuff a small pillow for your sofa, and there will still be more.

However. I also agree. When they are not blowing their coat the shedding is not particularly bad, however that is not to say that there is NO shedding. There is always some. 

Irregardless, their brilliant personalities more than make up for the hair...And in the event there is another oil leak in your neighborhood you will have enough hair to sop it up.


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## katieliz

oh yea, science diet is a terrible food. 

i feed a food made by breeder's choice called pinnacle, in particular i use the trout and sweet potato. it's a very high quality kibble. my dogs smell wonderful. seriously. and have coats that are luxurious. and i know it's the food 'cause when i rescued my shepster (bless his heart, gone now), he was in terrible shape, with a skin condition, sparse, brittle coat, and a horrible smell. sixty days later after having been on a diet of pinnacle, along with solid gold seameal, prozyme (enzyme supplement to aid digestion), he was a different dog. his coat even changed color and became much more rich and deep. 

good nutrition is just about everything when it comes to a dog's health and condition. but it's not economical, i can tell you that.

if you'd like to see before and after, the shepster has a blog...if you keep clicking on "older posts" you can go all the way back to when he came from the shelter.

shep goes home


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## JakodaCD OA

I have had 8 gsd's over the years, and none of them 'smelled' unless they decided to roll in something stinky

They DO SHED ALOT, yes you get a couple of big 'blows' twice a year, but they are constantly losing 'some' fur. They don't call them German Shedders for nothing


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## kiya

I have had long coats aka plush and regular short coat GSD's over the years. IMO long coats shed less than short. In my picture the 2 big dogs are Shiloh Shepherds and the little white is a GSD there is a lot more little white hairs around than black or brown.
If you have wall to wall carpet you will have more problems with the "doggy smell" when it rains or after baths. We took out the wall to wall years ago and put down pergo floors. You will find "tumble weeds" in the corners of the floors. You can't expect to have no hair around, it just comes with the territory. I probably give them a bath once a month and brush, brush, brush and more brushing. I don't think my house smells but I guarantee you will find lots of hair, but I have 3 dogs & 2 cats in my house and I wouldn't give it up for anything in the world.


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## VegasResident

kiya said:


> IYou will find "tumble weeds" in the corners of the floors.


and behind fridges and TVs and beds, and chairs...and.....LOL

This is how I picture it. Sure they smell doggy when they are wet. Yeah they blow their coats, etc.

But years down the road when they go to the Rainbow Bridge, you look back and realize all that didn't matter and you would do anything to get it back :wub:


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## Caledon

I feed my dog Origen fish and can honesly say that I do not notice a stinky smell to her, unless she is wet. Even when wet the smell is not that bad. Our English Setter smelled really bad just before grooming time, and I groomed her once a month. I think this could have been because of the food. I feed her what I thought was a good food but now I know it was not.

Shedding. Constantly. I brush her three to five times a week. My sister wanted to get a GSD and changed her mind when she saw the dog fur. I just vacuum more often and up the brushing when I notice more hair than normal.


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## Rio&Vytas

I agree with all. My 2 shephards do not smell, even after a wash or swim, it's not bad. The food is very important, since I switched to Orijen we see less shedding and no stinks at all. I have 1 short hair and 1 longish hair. I have noticed that their shedded fur tends to clump and marginate along the walls and corners so it is really easy to clean up. My dogs have a dog door and free access to their yard and no smells. Our breeder said they wet their dogs down very often but don't use soap more often then once every couple of months. My dogs get wet down almost every day in the summer while I'm out spraying the orchids, they love it, they shake off the excess water and off they go. Again, no smell. Now my hound dogs were very odiferous and if one didn't love them to death, there could have been a problem. Our short hair gets brushed once a week and the long hair, 2-3 times a week. I only need to vacumm once a week with my 2 dogs and I'm a clean freak so it can't be too bad. LOL


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## janisinsc

I was snuggled in bed last night with my head on Gustav's shoulder (he snuggles every night at bedtime for about 15 minutes before he retires to his bed lol) and he has no bad smell. Good dog food is definitely the key; however, I also think it depends on how much your dog stays inside. Our dogs are inside unless we are home even then they are inside mostly with us. But shredding...omg..I live in the south and within two days of vacumming I have tumble weeds. But my house does not smell, its just hairy! My GSD is only one two shredders and I have 4 dogs in the house total..


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## Stogey

DJ sheds year round and in the spring and early summer it seems like he sheds in clumps. I've checked his skin and find no disorder, but I can stuff a twin sized mattress with what he sheds in a week


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## DnP

I have to agree with the posts that say german shedders, I mean shepherds shed a lot. Compared to most breeds, they shed a lot. They shed year round, but blow their coats twice a year (as previously stated). By a lot...it depends on what you are used to. Regular brushing keeps the shedding under control. Or as I say, the hair I get on the brush is the hair that won't be on my floor blowing around.

The stinky smell...as stated previously, diet, activity and the amount of time they spend outdoors can be factors in smell. Also, if you are petting your dog w/ dirty hands all the time, that can be a factor as well. I have to bath Phoenix every month or two because of his environmental allergies. I use a colloidal oatmeal shampoo. With the regular brushing, that help distribute the oils in the coat and reduce build-up.

But let's face it...a wet dog, unless bathed recently, smells like wet dog.


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## AgileGSD

My GSDs have all been raw fed but they still smell more doggy than the Belgians. Go to any conformation show and hang out where they are grooming GSDs - they have a kind of distinct smell, even when clean. Obviously they shouldn't* stink *unless there is something else going on such as an outdoor dog, dog with skin or ear issues, etc. But sorry, they do tend to have a stronger natural dog smell than some dogs. 

And again if shedding bothers you, GSDs are one of the worst breeds you could get. I think only the Northern breeds are worse.


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## VegasResident

AgileGSD said:


> Go to any conformation show and hang out where they are grooming GSDs - they have a kind of distinct smell, even when clean.
> 
> And again if shedding bothers you, GSDs are one of the worst breeds you could get. I think only the Northern breeds are worse.


Distinct is a good word. I loved the way my shepherd smelled. Okay makes me odd. :laugh: I definitely agree that you have to be agreeable to their coat blowing!


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## JakodaCD OA

I should have added, if you don't like fur in your food, a gsd might not be the best dog for you))


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## kidkhmer

I know quite a few guys over here who smell worse than any dog could ever smell.


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## katieliz

there's that sense of humor again kid!


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## MaggieRoseLee

I've had Labrador Retrievers, and GSD's and sheddingwise, the GSD is probably worse but the Lab was no picnic.

Smellwise, handsdown the Labs have WAY more of an odor. I had to bathe her at least every other month to keep it down. The GSD's hardly ever need a bath and I rarely even smell them, maybe more when they are wet...


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## bellamia

when we got our Mia she was 3mnths old and she was healthy and all but she STANK! . i didn't realize this until my sis and family came to visit from NJ and they entered and apprantly 'smelt' dog!. she came back this year after 1 yr and u wouldn't know we had a pet unless u saw some hair here and there! so so many people are absolutely right. i changed her diet and she doesn't smell at all!!! really at all. so much so that we are selling the house and the realtor didn't know we had a pet in here, leave alone a gsd! i really think diet makes the diff. ofcus if they are wet then its a diff story!


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