Any suggestions for getting rid of the dog smell?

[Vicki Holst]

Our 4 and one-half month old fi miniature golden doodle constantly has the doggie smell.  He has a wavy coat red coat.  We can bath him and by the next day he smells.  A friend told me that it was a golden retriever type smell.  Does anyone have suggestions for diminishing the smell?  I can't bath him all the time as that's not good for his skin and coat.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[ej]

What type of food are you feeding him? I remember Koda used to smell rather doggie (beefy at times) when we were feeding him homecook food -- ground beef & rice. As we slowly switched him to kibble, the smell went away.

I'm not sure what is a golden retriever type smell. I have a GR and she is odorless except for the dorito corn chip smell on her paws.

Does he itch, scratch or chew on his feet? I notice dogs with skin conditions often have doggie smell.

I think it is good to find out the root of the "problem". Like you said it is not good bathing him too often. I hope someone would chime in and provide you with some insights and/or suggestions.

[Vicki Holst]

He does chew on his feet....so that is a sign of a skin condition. Any suggestions for that? We feed him Blue lamb and rice puppy food (buy it at Petsmart). It doesn't have any fillers. I switched him to that in hopes that he would stop eating his poop, which has seemed to work.

[Melissa & Porter]

I believe that there is also a puppy-smell to dogs which goes away as they get older...no scientific info here, just what a woman who is allergic to dogs like me once told me.

She was explaining that she is more allergic to puppies than adult dogs because of the smell thing. She has had multiple dogs all her life and gets shots and uses asthma inhalers...what we do for the love of these dogs :-)

[Eva (Lilo and Rocky)]

Have you discussed this with your vet? If your pup has a skin condition, you may want to see a canine dermatologist asap for a proper diagnosis and treatment. You could also try and post in one of the groups here on DK created for owners with dogs that have health issues (or try contacting Karen & Jack who knows a lot about dog allergies and skin conditions).

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Here is the Allergy Group Eva is referring to (Atopic Dermatitis - this is not about food allergies, which your pup probably doesn't have if the food is working for him): http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/atopicdermatitissupportgroup
Here are also some quick overviews in Health & Medical issues (read last comment from Karen & Jack- it lists different discussions):
http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/healthandmedicalissues/forum/topi...

Is your pup constantly chewing and itchy? Peri licks her paws in the morning - it is like a morning bath, but I don't think she has any serious allergies at this point (knock on wood).

Instead of bathing so often, how about brushing and combing him more often? Sometimes Peri will get a dingy smell (or dorrito/frito lay smell! as Julie says above) - combing her out does the trick.

[Paul & Michele]

We purchased Top Performance fresh scent shampoo and conditoner from Petedge.com I had purchased my clippers from them and asked the lady what kind of shampoo they suggested that would smell good for a long time this is the one they suggested. I bought a small bottle of each and will never use anything else again. It's great, the smell lasts 2 weeks and theyare soft and shiney and if they get wet the shampoo scent really comes back. I ordered a gallon of each over Christmas when I had put an order in for toys. I highly recommend it.

[Mommy2Max]

*If* the smell is caused by bacteria or fungi, try Zymox shampoo.A shampoo that helps destroy bacteria and fungi that cause skin infections.It smells nice. People on Amazon gave it VERY good reviews for their allergic dogs.

Zymox Facts:

100% safe if ingested
Pure and gentle enough for all breeds, sizes, puppies and kittens
Contains natural milk derived enzymes
Contains no harsh detergents, pesticides, colorings or residual petroleum products
Helps maintain a healthy skin and coat.

If not - I also suggest petedge.com.

You can also purchase shampoo dilution bottles at petedge.com. I found that using the diluted shampoo made bathing SO much easier - and Max isn't a bad bather either.

[Noble Vestal Labradoodles]

Some goldens just have a musky smell~ but more than likely you are bathing too frequently. try brushing your dog out rather than bathing to see if that helps. When you wash too frequently you wash away the natural oils that protect their skin and keep them clean.

[Nugget's Family]

Please check out the atopic dermatitis page that Alyson recommended. Our Aus. labradoodle had the same "funky smell" until we began treatments for skin problems with a vet dermatologist.

Susan

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Check the ears!

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Let me add, check ears, lungs, bladder. Just get a physical. I don't know how many times I said out loud, " Gee, she smells bad" Starlit has an upper respiratory infection. She just did not smell right to me. Ears at first were 'okay' --not bad but not good, but something else just was not right. She just had a really strange, hard to describe odor. In plain terms, she was slowly getting 'SICK'.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

and since you are bathing him so much....................... check his ears again. Water in doodle ears truly does not mix!