[oakley]

I read somewhere that dogs fed a PMR diet do not have that wet dog smell or 'doggy' scent that almost all dogs do... I mentioned this to my dad and he laughed, saying "You should smell the coyotes we shoot! They reek- with that same wet-dog smell!"

Well, I mean obviously a coyote never gets a bath.

Oakley smells like a sweet little flower unless my lab has been drooling all over her. Is this just because shes still a puppy or is it the quality diet shes been on? Shes on PMR now, but before this was on a grainless kibble.

What does your raw-fed dog smell like? :biggrin:

 

[RawFedDogs]

My Abby, 9 1/2yo Great Dane, hasn't had a bath in 6 years. Thor, 5yo Great Dane, hasn't had a bath in his life. Neither dog has that wet dog smell unless they actually get wet. :smile: They also don't have that perfume smell that a dog who has just had a bath has. They just have no smell at all. Both dogs do get brushed with a curry brush once a week or so. Both dogs live in the house but spend a good bit of time outside.

ETA: There are several health problems that cause an odor as well as a poor diet.

 

[whiteleo]

My bull terriers recently just had a smell, just that short time I put them back on a grainfree kibble.:frown: Their breath smelled and they had a body odor, not a horrible body odor but definitely a noticable smell since they normally have no smell at all, of course unless they have just eaten sardines.

 

[CorgiPaws]

Grissom has only been on raw for three weeks, and other than his poop breath, no smell.
I was really hoping his new diet would curb that nastly little habit of his. No luck. :frown:

 

[JayJayisme]

My two pups have been on 100% raw now about 3 weeks and before that they were on about 90% raw, 10% kibble for a couple months. When they were on kibble only, even though we tried many different "high end" brands, they stunk if I didn't bathe them weekly. Now they only stink when I bathe them or when they get wet, which they will often do when we go up to the mountains and find a stream or lake to play in. But even then, it's nothing like it was when they were on kibble.

I don't bathe them as often now, maybe every 3 weeks or so. Their breath is pretty neutral now too. The best solution to get rid of "dog smell" in a house? Feed them the prey model raw diet.

 

[oakley]

Oakley gets washed with shampoo maybe once a week... usually after she ran through poop or gets covered in mud paying with my lab at the farm. Other than that she gets a rinse and good paw cleaning a couple times a week.

I'm a clean freak. I can't help it. This is the first dog I've had in the house, so a huge step for me. hahaha. And to top it off, now shes eating raw meat on my kitchen floor! Whoda thunk? I've come a long way!

 

[whiteleo]

I know you love you dog, but be careful about giving your dog too many baths, your stripping the natural oils from their skin and coat. Just rinsing your dog off would be best. Good Luck!

 

[malluver1005]

I used to bathe my mal once every two weeks when he was a puppy. I didn't know that this could strip his coat. Now I do it about once every five months. He hasn't started raw yet, but will when his dry runs out. I guess he's on good quality kibble because he doesn't smell. He's never had a smell. Nor his breath. I think it's because of the breed too. Huskies are the same way too. When I got him from the breeder as a puppy, he was on Pro Plan And he still he had no doggie smell whatsoever :biggrin:

 

[DaneMama]

We really don't bathe our dogs that much. If we have gone for a hike or trip to the park and they are covered in mud/sand...we rinse them off. We have to bathe Shiloh when she rolls in something foul...its in her instinct to do so.

We frequently get rescue dogs that come stay the night or weekend with us (going to an event etc...) or foster dogs, we have a 6 month old American Bulldog/Dane mix right now. And I gotta say that they ALL reek!!! We have had to give these dogs baths on a regular basis because we are not used to the DOG smell. We really can tell a difference in these situations :biggrin:

ETA: I would also refrain from bathing your puppy so much. I would say not more than once a month if you have to...that is if you are using shampoo. You can rinse your dog with warm water all you want without it doing any damage. Too much shampoo can cause dry skin and irritation.

 

[jeserf]

I only think Lucy smells after the rain, or after she's been gnawed on by another dog (she loves it).

She gets a bath maybe every 4-5 months. I take her to get her nails cut, and a bath gets rid of all the dirt that might be in her coat (it's not for the smell). Even though she has a thin coat, it's nuts how much dirt gets there from all her playing. We have an astroturf dog park now, though, so it's a LITTLE better, but since she also plays in a church yard down the street, she's still dirty. Petsmart does a surprisingly good job on doggie nail trims.

 

[ruckusluvr]

wow! the lack of baths amazes me!

i can tell you guys dont have shelties that get in the pond and roll in cow poop!
we do a couple of times a month!

 

[Unosmom]

the smell is common due to yeast overgrowth in dogs with allergies, usually to grains, so I wouldnt be suprised if it dissapears on raw.
Uno never smells, I bathe him occasionally when he rolls in something dead, once every 4 months maybe, rarely in the winter though.

He still has a bit of a nacho cheese smell to his feet though..lol, I think its a dog thing.

 

[CorgiPaws]

I am going to disagree what everyone is saying about overbathing. Most HOLISTIC vets actually recommend frequent bathing with a MILD shampoo to remove any toxins or chemical residue that can linger in the fur and skin surface. It is traditional vets (the same ones who flip out over raw) who say all the mumbo jumbo about overbathing. Grissom gets dirty quick, being so close to the ground. He gets bathed AT LEAST once a week with John Paul Oatmeal Shampoo, and he's not the least bit dry and irritated. I will say that before I started using good Shampoo, and just bought whatever wal mart had, he was dull and dry after a bath. Not so with the good stuff. I bathe champ at least twice a month, and he's fine, too. I will continue to bathe my dogs frequently with good shampoo.

 

[malluver1005]

I am going to disagree what everyone is saying about overbathing. Most HOLISTIC vets actually recommend frequent bathing with a MILD shampoo to remove any toxins or chemical residue that can linger in the fur and skin surface. It is traditional vets (the same ones who flip out over raw) who say all the mumbo jumbo about overbathing. Grissom gets dirty quick, being so close to the ground. He gets bathed AT LEAST once a week with John Paul Oatmeal Shampoo, and he's not the least bit dry and irritated. I will say that before I started using good Shampoo, and just bought whatever wal mart had, he was dull and dry after a bath. Not so with the good stuff. I bathe champ at least twice a month, and he's fine, too. I will continue to bathe my dogs frequently with good shampoo.

I used to bathe Aspen twice a month and he was very itchy and had white flaky stuff on his skin. His coat always seemed a little dry. I never paid any attention to regular vets or holistic vets. I just took other people's opinions and decided to give it a try. He no longer has that on his skin. Because now I bathe him about every five months or so. His coat is soft and full of luster and no more flaky stuff. I've always used Earthbath Oatmeal and Aloe. He's not on raw yet, still on kibble. I don't know. Maybe some breeds are different...???

 

[RawFedDogs]

The neat thing is that those "holistic" vets can sell you stuff to wash off those mythical toxins and chemical residues. Ask one of them exactly what toxins and what chemical residues are on a dogs body. You will get some real vague answers. IF there actually were any toxins or chemicals on the dogs body, it would most certainly have a pretty strong odor. The liver and kidneys rid the body of toxins very efficiently.

The people here are telling you that dogs don't need frequent baths. Raw fed dogs don't generally don't smell or if they do it's because of a health problem such as bad kidneys, ear infections and other yeast infections. Like I said, its been 6 years since i have bathed my dogs and they have no smell. Others have similar results.

 

[oakley]

Oakley gets compliments on her shiny coat everywhere she goes. "Its so soft!"

I use a very mild soap about once a week and just water a couple other times a week. Heck, half the time she just climbs in the shower when I'm in there and gets herself for me. Opps. Hahaha.

I have put my conditioner on her too, I'm sure thats a big no no. But so far no problems, I do a very good rinse 2-3x anytime any product is put on her.

I realize its not everybodys thing, but its working for us. Trust me, if she had dry flakies... I would NOT be washing her.

 

[CorgiPaws]

Mall- i had those same issues before switching shampoos. Now they're never dry, never flakey. Actually, Champ gets bathed the least out of all .my dogs, and he's always been the driest. And I see what you're saying RFD, but no vet tried to sell me anything. The conversation came up when Grissom had mange spots and I was to bathe the area twice/ day... It was kind of "by the way, frequent bathing...." not so much a big topic nor an attempt to sell anything. I'm not saying that I'm doing everything right, and everyone needs to do it my way. Moreso that I really don't think that it's a "oh no! you're overbathing, you must stop!" issue. I've been "overbathing" my dogs for years, and I assure you they're alive and well, shiney coats and all. I would say yes, watch for dullness of coat, dry flakey skin, and itchy pup, but if all is well, then continue what you're doing. I don't bathe because of "dog smell" i bathe because my dogs go to daycare, get covered in dog slobber and run through mud at home. They get dirty

 

[ruckusluvr]

you can NOT bath too often. if you are using a proper shampoo and drying with a heatless force dryer you can bath all that you want to.

I recommend a monthly bath rather they stink or not.

I am a dog groomer BTW.

 

[claybuster]

I had to give my dog a bath once after she got sprayed by a skunk, but that's about it, she don't smell otherwise. My dog in not on a PMR diet. She does get a wet dog smell after hunting in rainy wet weather, but that goes away when dry. We don't go out to often to hunt crappy weather.

 

[g00dgirl]

My raw fed dogs have no doggy smell and I know i'm not just used to it, because I can really smell other dogs when we are out at the dog park or pet store. They still smell when they get wet though.

I guess I've been biased and believing the whole "frequent baths are bad" thing because it's what i've read. I rarely bathe mine, luckily their short coats are easy to brush out when the mud dries.

I do know that even with an oatmeal shampoo, Delilah will feel very soft for a day or two but once the conditioning effect of the shampoo wears off, her coat feels dry and takes a week or two to feel as nice again. I'd argue that their coats are shiny and soft because of the shampoo residue. Now, whether that matters in the long run, who knows? I'm sure different breeds handle frequency of bathing differently too.
So, baths or no baths as long as they have nice coats I guess it doesn't matter!