So after my dogs have been outside for awhile playing and running around, when they come back in they smell so bad! What causes this? You would think that after being out in the fresh air that they would smell better... :confused:

Oh, but they may smell so good to themselves. Unlike people, dogs don't sweat and need a good shower after exercising. How much of an area do they have to roam? Likely they are finding something to roll in. If nothing else, their own feces. They seem to prefer well ripened to fresh. Much of why centers on disguising their odor from prey, but like many other dog whys, it is speculation.

As for what to do about it? Bathing is a big hassle, and the more often, the more care you must take with rinsing and conditioning to keep their skin from falling off due to a lack of natural oils. If they are in a fenced area with little else than their own feces, you can control it by cleaning them up. That will be tough if they scatter them over a large area. Other than that, I lack good ideas.

We actually have a large back yard and they have lots of room to run around in, my bigger dog is the one that smells the worst! The litte ones not as bad. They do roll around a lot so I am wondering if the ground smell is just rubbing off on them?. :o) IDK they don't come in smelling like poo though... it is more of a strong earthy time smell... so maybe it is the ground...

That may not be the most pleasant smell, but not near as bad as other things they find.

I am a strong proponent of brushing dogs to control doggy odor. You might see a good brushing with a soft bristled brush helps. More pleasant for both man and beast than baths.

It may be time for a bath. How long has it been? Sometimes the dampness of the ground, and of course the snow, can help those doggy odors to be released. Of course if they are slobbering all over one another the same thing applies! :) Seroiusly, though, one of my beasts got sprayed by a skunk this fall and when he plays out in the snow sometimes you can still get a whiff of that skunky smell around his nose.

Didi

Try brushing cornstarch through their fur. The cornstarch takes up excess oil and cleans both dirt and odor from their fur. You may have something wrong with the soil on your yard too. Bugs or worms of some kind. Some times even the odor of plain wet dog can be overpowering. Go to the health food store and pick up a NATURAL lavendar spray and brush one spritz through their fur. Lavendar has a nice scent and is hypoallergenic. Keep in mind that this spray is an oil base product and can build up over time. Use carefully.

That may not be the most pleasant smell, but not near as bad as other things they find.



You got that right! My dogs manage to find things that one would think only God and the Turkey Buzzards would know about... UGH!

Between baths (you're right about not over doing them), I brush them, I keep a spray bottle with diluted conditioner on hand and give them a light spritzing while I'm brushing. It not only helps get the little burrs out, they small nice too. It also moisturizes their skin and leaves them looking nice and shiny. Dogs get dry skin too, just like we do.