Dogs, like all other mammals, have their natural smell. And it‘s probably not one of people‘s most beloved smells. In fact, the smell of a dog is the factor that makes people think carefully about whether it is worth buying a dog or not, keep him at home or outside and so on. The smell that dogs emit can be of all sorts, such as bad breath, intestinal gas, the smell of poorly maintained fur, and the smell he carries when he come back home after having fun in the mud. However, no matter how cute your dog is, if it stinks, it will be difficult to spend time with him. therefore, it is very important to make sure that the dog smells good again.
Find Out The Reason Why Your Australian Shepherd Smell
- Visual inspection
First, make visual inspection youself and check if your dog is not dirty. For example, if your dog hasn‘t been bathed for more than a month, even though he‘s been rolling in the mud of your backyard all the time, it‘s probably enough to simply bathe him. Dogs like to roll in something, simply because it is fun and also by doing this they try to suppress their own smell. The reality is that some dogs like to do it more than others. If you didn‘t notice anything after the preliminary check, try bathing the dog (make sure that soap or water won‘t get into your dog‘s ears).
- Smell Due To Health Reasons
If your Australian Shepherd‘s nostrils smell bad or he has problems with bowel gas – it is time to visit a veterinarian. It is likely that you are visiting veterinarian regularly, but this time you will need to visit him for a specific reason, so that the doctor can check if the bad smell is spreading for any serious medical reason.
Possible causes:
- kidney disease: persistent smell of urine
- diabetes: sweet smell
- liver disease: strong smell, yellowing of the whites of the eyes and teeths, sollen belly and frequent vomiting
- broken teeth or damaged gums
- ear infections
- anal bags can also give off a bad smell. If bad smells are the reason for this, you will need to learn how to empty them.
- Female secretions from her anal glands (some people call it fishy smell)
- Skin problems: skin irritations or other illnesses that require specialist intervention may also affect the dog‘s bad smell.
Steps To Eliminate Bad Dog Smell:
- Dog Bathing: you can turn to a professional or do it yourself at home.
First, buy a dog shampoo, better one that actually removes the smell rather than mask them. If your dog has skin problems, consult with your veterinarian, to prescribe the appropriate therapeutic shampoo. Wet your dog well, starting at the top of the heard and moving towards the tip of the tail. Press a little shampoo onto your hands and start rubbing from the top of your dog‘s neck and go towards the tip of the tail. Make sure that shampoo won‘t get in your dog‘s eyes and ears. Then rinse the shampoo off the coat and allow the dog to shake off the water. Then dry the dog with a towel. And remember to keep the dog‘s eyes and ears away from shampoo and water!
- Ear Cleaning: the dog‘s ears need to be cleaned to prevent excess wax (usually it is dark brown color). Very dirty ears can be red or swollen, so try to clear all the bends and groves, to maintain hygiene.
- Fur Brushing: brush your dog, this will help you to remove the dirt. It is better to comb against the hair, thus it is easier to remove the fallen hair. Wet brush will comb your hair and dirt even better.
- Dog Dental Care: buy a toothbrush and dog paste and bursh your dog‘s teeth for at least a minute and do this at least twice a week. Such toothbrushes can be purchased at any pet store or at a veterinary clinic. And do not use human tooth paste as it is not suitable. Lift the dog‘s lip and brush all the teeth in the mouth for about a minute. Be sure to clean both sides of the teeth. Do this at least twice a week.
- Nutrition and accumulation of intestinal gas: keep an eye on what your Aussie is eating. Bad smell can be caused by unhealthy, poor quality food. Read the information on the label and choose foods that do not contain soy or the quantity would be very small. Also, most dogs do not tolerate lactore, so if you feed your dog something that contains lactose, it is likely that gas will eventually build up in his gut. In this situation, consult with veterinarian which food would be better for your dog and gradually move to higher quality food. Do not give your dog any leftovers from your table. Food eaten by humans is not necessarily suitable for dogs and can lead to bad smell and gas accumulation in the gut. As well as, this will inbalance his nutrition routine.
- Regularly take your dog for a walk: walking is a good way to reduse gas buildup in the gut.
- Keep the dog bed clean: there should not be any dirt or fleas, so make sure to regularly take care of his bed, so the dog will stay cleaner and will smell fresh. Make sure the fabric detergent does not contain irritants, as they can irritate your dog‘s skin. Also regularly clean your dog‘s cage, or any other place your dog spends time.
Final Thoughts
The most important thing is to keep clean both – the pet itself and the environment in which it lives, then you will eliminate the unpleasant stink from the dog. Do not spray perfume or any other fragrant product on the dog. They only mask the smell, but will not remove it. They can also mask a serious problem and most of these products would probably are potentially unsuitable for dogs or even harmful to them. If above mentioned advices do not help for you, then seek advice from professionals.