# Why does my dog stink?



## Thorny

Gunnar is 5 months old and he's had more baths in his 3 months at my home than my previous dog (lab) had in her whole life. This guys just stinks! Is it genetics or environment?

Home is a wire crate with a plastic liner floor. He spends time in there when he's not traveling in my truck with me or following me around the house. He gets about 1-2 hours of activity a day in the yard or at the local parks (he has not been to a dog park since his last bath 2 weeks ago) point being I dont think its his environment that is making him stinky.

Food is Blue Buffalo - native, puppy variety. He also eats milk bone dog treats, the original flavor. And I let him snack on unflavored raw hide, as much as he wants which equals 1-2 consumed per day, average size is about the same as a smart phone. No other food.

He's not peeing on his legs, so I don't think that is the problem. But he just stinks like a dirty dog. Is this part of the breed? Does some aspect of his food contribute to this? I literally bathed my lab about once per year and she never smelled. And she ate blue buffalo too (albeit the salmon and sweet potato variety).

My next course of action will be to bath him with a deeper cleaning type of soap and see if that is part of the issue. I've been using puppy shampoo and following with a high quality human hair conditioner. Maybe I'm just not getting him clean enough at each bath?


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## marshies

Are you drying your dog properly after you bathe?
Maybe there is an ingredient in blue buffalo that doesn't agree with her?
I bathe Puppy maybe twice a year, and only when she gets really muddly, never for smells. 

Also, slightly off topic, but please reconsider feeding raw hide. Many dogs have died from them. Google for more info.


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## doggiedad

i think you should use dog products on dogs.
that human conditioner maybe the problem.


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## NancyJ

No....I have not given my 18 month old a bath since he was about 12 weeks old. He does not have an odor about him. The only GSD I had with an unpleasant odor had allergy problems. The last bath my old guy had was in 2011 but it was a quick cleanup outside with dawn dish soap and a garden hose.

I don't know about the rawhide...I don't give that. I give another food but would not thnk blue buffalo would cause problems (unless allergies)


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## RowdyDogs

How often are you bathing him? Too much bathing can trigger excessive oil production in skin and fur, which can lead to stink.

Blue Buffalo is a good quality food, but are you sure he's not allergic to anything in it? A diet that isn't working for the dog can also cause excessive odor.

1-2 rawhide chews is a lot to me. Rawhide is a bit controversial as a snack. I know in dogs I have given it to, it has caused gas and diarrhea in some. I think cutting back might be worth a try. Give him non-consumable chew toys instead.

Milkbones are also a poor-quality treat. If he doesn't have a sensitivity, he's fine, but if he does have a corn sensitivity or something like that, just one or two small milkbones a day can make him stinky (or at least that's what happened with my corn-sensitive dog).

Usually, strong odor is diet-based. As a first step I'd probably set up a vet visit and talk about an age-appropriate way to do an elimination diet, to see if that helps.


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## doggiedad

maybe it's me. "reconsider feeding raw. "many dogs have died from them".
umm, what's wrong this statement? :laugh:



marshies said:


> Are you drying your dog properly after you bathe?
> Maybe there is an ingredient in blue buffalo that doesn't agree with her?
> I bathe Puppy maybe twice a year, and only when she gets really muddly, never for smells.
> 
> >>>>> Also, slightly off topic, but please reconsider feeding raw hide. Many dogs have died from them.<<<<<
> 
> Google for more info.


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## onyx'girl

Thorny said:


> Gunnar is 5 months old and he's had more baths in his 3 months at my home than my previous dog (lab) had in her whole life. This guys just stinks! Is it genetics or environment?
> 
> Home is a wire crate with a plastic liner floor. He spends time in there when he's not traveling in my truck with me or following me around the house. He gets about 1-2 hours of activity a day in the yard or at the local parks (he has not been to a dog park since his last bath 2 weeks ago) point being I dont think its his environment that is making him stinky.
> 
> Food is Blue Buffalo - native, puppy variety. He also eats milk bone dog treats, the original flavor.* And I let him snack on unflavored raw hide, as much as he wants which equals 1-2 consumed per day, average size is about the same as a smart phone*. No other food.
> 
> He's not peeing on his legs, so I don't think that is the problem. But he just stinks like a dirty dog. Is this part of the breed? Does some aspect of his food contribute to this? I literally bathed my lab about once per year and she never smelled. And she ate blue buffalo too (albeit the salmon and sweet potato variety).
> 
> My next course of action will be to bath him with a deeper cleaning type of soap and see if that is part of the issue. I've been using puppy shampoo and following with a high quality human hair conditioner. Maybe I'm just not getting him clean enough at each bath?


I would quit the rawhides and switch to a fresh raw beef knucklebone(not daily however!)....add in some probiotic/digestive enzymes to his daily meal and I bet you'll see a change. I would also not use the conditioner....dogs coats are different than human hair/scalp. I use Mane n Tail when I bathe my dogs(very seldom) it is a bit too fragrant for my tastes, and my dogs probably don't like it either with their sensitive olfactories.


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## Capone22

The only dogs I know that stink have allergy issues and usually some kind of staph infection or yeast from the allergies. Any allergy symptoms? Itchiness? Redness? Flaky skin? Missing hair anywhere? Even if tiny spots.


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## Thorny

Thanks ya'll. I'll quit the raw hides and see if that helps. His stool, skin and gas production would not indicate an allergy, but if these dogs are naturally non-oderous and its not environment then it would likely be food.

As for the conditioner on the coat, I do it to help reduce static electricity shocks that can be terrible in the dry environment where we live here in Colorado. The hair conditioner really helps but may also contribute to junk sticking in his coat.


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## Sunflowers

How are you drying him? It could be fungus.


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## onyx'girl

Get a humidifier for your home, and add in some fish oil supplements (1000mg per day). I run a console humidifier and usually go through 4+ gallons of water every other day. I have parrots so keep it around 30% if possible. Added humidity(as long as it's not too much) is healthy for our skin and keeps the house feeling warmer.


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## shepherdmom

Try doggies conditioner don't use human. 

I fed dogs rawhides for many years before I knew they were bad. Never made any of them stink.

Maybe the food doesn't agree with him, have you tried switching to a different brand?


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## Jag

Grim has a stinky problem, too. He smells like his kibble, though.


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## KZoppa

Thorny said:


> Thanks ya'll. I'll quit the raw hides and see if that helps. His stool, skin and gas production would not indicate an allergy, but if these dogs are naturally non-oderous and its not environment then it would likely be food.
> 
> As for the conditioner on the coat, I do it to help reduce static electricity shocks that can be terrible in the dry environment where we live here in Colorado. The hair conditioner really helps but may also contribute to junk sticking in his coat.


 
I'm in Colorado Springs and my dogs and even my cats dont have problems with static. I honestly had more problems with static on the east coast than I have here at home... I was born and raised here. 

Shasta JUST got a bath, literally less than an hour ago as I type this. She didn't have an odor before I bathed her. For me, bathing helps reduce some of the shedding and loose fur I missed when brushing. GSDs are basically a rinse and wear dog. They have coats that were essentially designed for their outside jobs of herding. Get muddy? Let them dry and brush them out. Viola! clean again. Check to see if the food is a problem by switching the food.


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## volcano

My young pup eats raw chicken, she has to wrestle legs for about ten minutes/salmonella city. thankfully, the only chicken stink is coming from the wrappers/ I think. I may start feeding outdoors, currently its in the cage for legs and out of my hand for necks/yogurt/pumpkin/beef. I am a germophobe and dont like the salmonella but ive seen the adults eat chiken and they dont touch it with their feet.


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## Thorny

Sunflowers said:


> How are you drying him? It could be fungus.


Towel, then air dry. But like I said its pretty dry air here so he dries completely in a few hours.

What do I look for if its fungus?


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## Neko

The only human shampoo I was told is ok is baby shampoo and Maine n tail. Conditioners have many chemicals that can be toxic to dogs, same with shampoo. I saw some bottles even state not to use on animals. 

Also conditioner sticks to hair and we wash hair every 1-3 days, so you could be making him sticky and he is dirty faster with all the conditioner soaking in everything including his oil. fur should be dry without lingering products in it. 

I could be wrong, but my advice is less is more! =)


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## Thorny

KZoppa said:


> I'm in Colorado Springs and my dogs and even my cats dont have problems with static. I honestly had more problems with static on the east coast than I have here at home... I was born and raised here.
> 
> Shasta JUST got a bath, literally less than an hour ago as I type this. She didn't have an odor before I bathed her. For me, bathing helps reduce some of the shedding and loose fur I missed when brushing. GSDs are basically a rinse and wear dog. They have coats that were essentially designed for their outside jobs of herding. Get muddy? Let them dry and brush them out. Viola! clean again. Check to see if the food is a problem by switching the food.


You must run a humidifier, right? Winter is always so staticky and dry here. I did bring home a big humidifier a few months back for my sons allergies, and we go through as much as 5 gallons a day depending on how much the doors are left open. But I still conditioned his fur based on past experience.

I can definately feel that his undercoat is oily right now. One more bath and we'll see what happens.


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## DollBaby

Get EQyss Micro-Tek medicated pet shampoo. Good stuff. If you can't find it in your area, try alternating between a tar & sulfur shampoo and tea tree shampoo. Once you get a handle on it, don't bathe as often as to much is not good at all on their skin


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## Bear GSD

I'm in Colorado also and I've not had any problems with static at all. I've only bathed Bear about 2 times in his time with me (he's 15 months). I brush him 2 times a week and occasionally I will use a spray conditioner on his coat when I think it's a little dry. I would, as others have mentioned cut back on the rawhides and also cut back on the baths. I do think the human conditioner is probably atttracting extra dirt.


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## wolfy dog

When WD was that age he too smelled like a pound pup. Nothing worked but he outgrew it thank goodness. He is one year old now and is fine. He is on a raw / kibble diet and even gets rawhide once in a while. Maybe that smell is hormonal. (WD is intact).


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