# Does dog breed make a difference regarding how 'dirty' a dog is?



## Zeeva (Aug 10, 2010)

Does dog breed make a difference regarding how 'dirty' a dog is?

I constantly read that goldens and labs are oily and seem dirtier. I love labs and goldens but if I were to get another dog I'd definitely make the decision based on how 'clean' the breed is (if breed does matter).

I know for a fact that my husky is much cleaner than my GS. It seems like the dirt just falls off of his coat. And he doesn't like to roll around in gross stuff. I think he instinctually knows that a dirty coat = less insulation and coming from a cold climate, he needs all the insulation he can get. 

Does breed size matter? My brother-in-laws rottie is a slobbery mess (great dog though).

What about little dogs? Is there a dog that is 'cleaner' in that realm? 

Hypoallergenic dogs? 

I only have experience with these breeds so I was wondering, for those of you with other breeds, what do you think? Does it depend more on the individual dog and his personality what his/her hygienic practices are or does breed play a role?


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## Nigel (Jul 10, 2012)

Beagles can be pretty dirty, ours was, she was always hunting for something, very durable and easy to wash though. I don't think you can judge the cleanliness of a breed based on one dog, of my three gsds, Tukes likes to be clean, avoids mud etc... Zoey is in the middle and Ranger loves mud, doesn't help that he's a coatie either. Our lab never felt oily, she had the best coat of any dog I've owned, she looked fantastic even at 14.


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## angelas (Aug 23, 2003)

I cannot imagine how dirty a Komondor or Puli gets between baths.

I think breeds that have naturally oily coats (such as those that are designed to shed water) can developed a rather nasty smell if they are not groomed regularly. Dirt just seems to cling to them too.


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## Darkthunderplotts (Oct 28, 2013)

Hmmm not sure your approaching your search the right way but its your search bounds of any variety and terriers tend to get dirty simply because they hunt go to ground and never give up (I can not get that swamp smell off my male hound Odin) good luck identity the traits you want in your dog and work your breed list off that is my suggestion


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## Zeeva (Aug 10, 2010)

Darkthunderplotts said:


> Hmmm not sure your approaching your search the right way but its your search bounds of any variety and terriers tend to get dirty simply because they hunt go to ground and never give up (I can not get that swamp smell off my male hound Odin) good luck identity the traits you want in your dog and work your breed list off that is my suggestion


Oh no! Hehe. I'm not looking for another dog right now (far from it! I'm already so overwhelmed). Maybe in the far future but this thread was more to increase my knowledge and see what others have experienced.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

I've had a Lab and a Sheltie and the GSD's. I don't know about 'dirt' but I know about smell.

I had to wash my Lab every month or so or the natural oils in her coat would start making that definite 'doggy' smell in house. Particularly if she got wet in the rain. 

I do not have the same issue with the GSD's, though can't say there is no smell it's not near as strong.


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## Kahrg4 (Dec 19, 2012)

It sounds like you already know first hand about huskies. Most of the northern breeds I've lived with have groomed themselves. I've also found their fur more resistant to dirt than some of the more popular breeds like the labs and goldens 

As for hypoallergenic dogs, I usually see the curly coated breeds suggested there.


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## MadLab (Jan 7, 2013)

My lab/boxerxretriever and labxbullmastiff smell pretty good to me. They hit the water pretty much everyday and never have the doggie smell. They also shed very little. 

My friends GSDxMalamut who lives with me smells pretty bad most of the time due to locks in the hair. Also sheds alot. They need to be groomed alot to keep them clean as the hair gets tangled and traps dirt.

And 2 terrierx mongrels in my house smell grand. They also swim every day.


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## Saphire (Apr 1, 2005)

All of my Siberian Huskies were very clean dogs....when they did get muddy, it would dry and fall off and poor they looked spotless again.

My Cairn terrier was a smelly boy with an oily coat that required alot of maintenance ie. stripping.

Samoyed Husky was very clean.

****zu was clean but required tons of grooming.

My last GSD was very clean but shed tons all year round.

Gus my current GSD is also very clean and doesn't shed much at all. He has never had a bath.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

My Dalmatian is a clean puppy, dirt drys up and falls off his fur and he doesn't have a doggy smell.


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## marbury (Apr 3, 2012)

Different types of coats have vastly different 'dirt holding' abilities. I know a woman who breeds cotons and good LORD I cannot imagine the amount of grooming she must go through to keep her kids **** and span! I'm a fan of the herding breeds because they're 'dust off and go' types.
I only really bathe for shows and if somebody takes a rolling dive for a ball into something icky with all the GSDs, but I have a rescue labradoodle (insane) who has clean habits but just seems to be in dire need of a bath every few weeks. They're all on the same diet, coconut oil and ACV, and he doesn't play much outdoors so I have to chalk it up to his weird coat.


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## BellaLuna (Jan 27, 2013)

Not to sure but for Thanksgiving I was around 3 labs and they were very clean. Not oily at all and had no smell to them at all and they our outside dogs. I was very surprised to see how clean they were considering they are out all day and night.. 



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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

My two goldens have great coats and don't smell. The puppy gets dirty and a half hour later he is spotless. My oldest, the Samoyed Mix has very white paws and I have never seen them dirty. The goldens shed more then the GSD's and it isn't bad at all.


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

I'm an expert in dirty dogs.  Terriers tend to get dirty because they're always digging and rolling around outdoors; their coats tend to be oily, and so hold dirt. If grooming is neglected, it can get really nasty. 

Not sure why, but Airedales in particular tend to produce a bizarre ammonia-like smell when you put shampoo on them, and the dirt that is released in the bath water is unbelievable--it's like the dog has been carrying around 5 pounds of dirt!

Shorthaired, double-coated dogs seem to shed dirt fairly well as long as the guard coat is nice and hard and healthy. 

Labs and Retrievers can have a funk about them, especially if they go in the water a lot, and Newfoundlands are possibly one of the smelliest breeds out there--between the hair, the drool, the water they're always wallowing in, and the skin folds, they're constantly damp, and that is some FUNK. It's not uncommon for these breeds to have fungal infections in their skin folds, particularly on the throat.


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## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

Bassets can be smelly. Everyone that I've been around, and that we groom, have been sort of oily, and houndy smelling. 


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

Oh yeah--Basset Hounds, Bloodhounds, and Cocker Spaniels can be really smelly too. A lot of it is the ears--these breeds tend to get ear infections because their ears are so long and heavy, the ear canal doesn't get much airflow. They produce a good deal of earwax, which creates a nice warm moist dark environment for yeast and bacteria to thrive.


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## Vagus (Oct 7, 2012)

Freestep said:


> Oh yeah--Basset Hounds, Bloodhounds, and Cocker Spaniels can be really smelly too. A lot of it is the ears--these breeds tend to get ear infections because their ears are so long and heavy, the ear canal doesn't get much airflow. They produce a good deal of earwax, which creates a nice warm moist dark environment for yeast and bacteria to thrive.


Since you get to work so closely with different breeds on a regular basis, I'd be really curious to know which of them stand out as the least offensive as far as smell goes?


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

Vagus said:


> Since you get to work so closely with different breeds on a regular basis, I'd be really curious to know which of them stand out as the least offensive as far as smell goes?


It seems that short double coats have the least odor-retaining properties. A good, harsh guard coat allows dirt and debris to slide right off without penetrating to the undercoat. GSDs, Huskies, sighthounds, and a good many of the Spitz-type breeds seem to have less of an odor. 

My Akbash Dog, in fact, lived outdoors in the goat pasture and never really had an odor unless an ear infection was brewing. He'd get a bath once or twice a year.


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## brembo (Jun 30, 2009)

A friend apologized to me recently, "Dan, I'm sorry but I won't be getting a German Shepherd this go around". I was kinda taken back a second, wondering why she was apologizing to me for not getting a dog, and also WHY she would not want a GSD.

She said that GSDs have a scent that she does not care for and they are just too big for her home. She was apologizing to me because she knows how much I adore the breed. I asked if my dogs were stinky, she said no but others she has been around were. I don't bathe them much, groom them when coat blowing season comes around and that's about it really. Wash and Wear dogs.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

Hondo (GSD) is a LH. He loves water. He isn't afraid to lay in the mud. I'm always having to groom him. Although there isn't a smell about him unless he's been in the pond and not completely dried off. He always has debris he has picked up from the pasture stuck in his butt puffs. 

My Lacy also loves water and will force his crack butt into a bucket of water if he feels too hot. He'll run in the mud. He'll roll in the dirt. But he is rarely dirty and never stinks. He even has white paws and they never appear dirty. Nothing sticks to him. 

I bathe both dogs at least once a month (sometimes more if we've had a lot of rain) because they come into the house. But it's Hondo that gets groomed almost daily.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

Once at a show I cold smell the Newfoundlands and Bassets from a "mile" away.
The oily-odor-prone types smell better when they get lots of exercise in fresh air. Dogs on a raw diet also tend to smell OK.
The short haired sight hounds I had in the past never smelled. They hated everything muddy, cold and wet and wold always avoid puddles if they could.


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