# Little to no doggy smell - is it even possible?



## Augustine (Feb 10, 2015)

I've always liked Goldens, and they're definitely one of my top dog breed choices. Right now we have a GSD puppy, Butters, who we have our hands full with, but in a few years I'd definitely like to get another dog. 

The only problem is, I'm germaphobic and am *extremely* sensitive to bad smells. Aside from her being a good breed for our family/lifestyle, one of the main reasons we got a GSD was because of their minimal doggy odor. We also take good care of her fur, have her on digestive supplements that contain salmon oil, and also feed her a RAW diet. So, aside from a bit of occasional wet dog smell, her natural doggy odor is so minimal that it is well beyond tolerable.

I know that proper grooming/bathing habits and a RAW diet would probably help a lot to help eliminate a significant amount of a Golden's doggy odor, but the real question is, is there anything I could do to make it so that I could actually live with a Golden, or is their natural smell so strong (even when toned down by grooming and all that) that I'd always be bothered by it?

I don't expect any dog to be completely odorless, mind you. I know that all dogs have a natural odor to them. I can handle a little bit of doggy smell (i.e. the kind where you have to actually stick your nose in the dog's fur to smell it). I just cannot stand my house *reeking* and being able to smell the dog from all the way across the room.

Is such a thing possible for a Golden (or any Retriever breeds, for that matter)?


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## Marcus (Aug 24, 2014)

Find someone with a golden and stick your face right in there. 

I like the way Ben smells. 

I think you'll be fine mine hardly smells at all. Except when he's covered in mud. 

They don't smell like other dogs smell


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## Katduf (Mar 10, 2013)

I don't think mine smell 'doggy' except when they're wet and it's humid. Then they stink , but I love that smell ?. My mother is very critical, but she says that she can't smell them in my house when she visits. I think Goldens are one of the least odorous breeds (I think they smell like sunshine and happiness).


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## thorbreafortuna (Jun 9, 2013)

Goldens don't have a strong odor when healthy in my opinion. Mine hardly smells at all. One thing that helps keep it that way is cleaning ears regularly and washing paws between baths. His fur smells good even weeks after a bath. Obviously if he's wet there is a little more of a smell but unless he got into a stinking pond that's not even so bad and it goes away when he dries up.


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## OnMyWay2MyDreams (Feb 13, 2011)

Other than wet dog smell after a bath or when they are wet from rain my dogs don't have an odor. Normal, healthy goldens should not have an odor. Frequent baths (weekly,bi-weekly) will help keep skin healthy and clean. We have a client at our practice that has a golden that you can smell as soon as he walks in but he has been battling staph infections for a long long time..so again, that dog's skin is not healthy.


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## Augustine (Feb 10, 2015)

Thank you all!

I only ask because most of the Goldens I've been around have all had a _really _bad dog smell (the kind that causes the entire house to just reek of wet dog), which made me worry that it was mostly due to their breed as opposed to their owners not taking proper care of their coats.

Ex. = We had to stay with my Aunt for awhile a few years back. She had two Goldens (mother and son) who I loved dearly, but could hardly stand to be around because of their stench. Sadly, they weren't very well cared for beyond being fed and occasionally played with, and though I tried to step in and bathe/groom/otherwise care for them, it didn't help much.

But if proper grooming habits and all that actually make that big of a difference, then it seems we may be able to adopt one in the near future after all.


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## BriGuy (Aug 31, 2010)

Most healthy goldens smell very good, at least to my nose. However, most goldens I know can't seem to pass by a mud puddle, pile of deer poo, or rotten dead animal without giving it a good roll, so they can occasionally become quite stinky (to us, they love the smell).


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

If you keep your house clean and your dogs healthy and well groomed, always totally dried after bathing, you should not have a smell problem. I am a little (though my sibs would say it's not little) issue with germs myself- and I have 6 dogs. I do vacuum daily, and I do mop daily, and I'd imagine you do too- the dogs are fully groomed weekly, and it does not smell in my house... now- my father has come to live with me and I would love to know how to make the elder smell go away while keeping him here! Not much I can do I suspect. I even googled it. Old people have their own odor so google says.


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## DJdogman (Apr 23, 2013)

If you have carpet, it may smell a bit more than if you have solid floors. We have carpet on our stairs and I always get that strong dog smell walking up it if I haven't vaccumed in a few days. I wash the throws on our couches and their dog beds once a week, if I leave it any longer I can get the smell. So yep, I think just keeping things clean is the way to go!


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## elly (Nov 21, 2010)

The only thing to think about on top of what everyone's already said is you cannot guarantee to have a healthy dog. We did all the checks, both Mum and Dad had all the tests and scores etc but Chester has been very unhealthy and he does smell more than Manny. We groom, we clean, we feed carefully etc etc but he's yeasty etc with all his allergies and we can't help that he smells more and worse than Manny. I guess we got used to it but now we have Manny there is a definitive difference between the two. If Chester was yours, would you cope with the extra smell? Now I make it sound as if my house stinks..:doh: ...it doesn't...but to someone with your anxieties it may seem like it did and that would be my concern. Also, for sure, two dogs together do smell more than a lone dog even if its fractionally, will that be too much?


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## Lise123 (Jan 1, 2014)

My dog's smell was reduced when we switched from the breeder's food to grain-free, which didn't contain corn. My husband researched it and found that corn, among other things, can increase doggy smell.

My dog goes to the groomer once or twice a month because he has a tendency to roll in mud. I don't understand how he manages it, when it's deep winter here, but he does. 

I can still smell my dog, though I don't think my house reeks. I hope not. I only vacuum weekly, but my dog is young.


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## ktkins7 (Jul 20, 2013)

As others mentioned, I think a lot of it is dependent on the dog's health. Ella is healthy and most of the time I don't notice any smell from her. When I do notice her, it's been she has been getting wet more often, whether it's been from swimming or bad weather. I just give her a bath as needed if I start to notice any odor, but even then I don't notice it unless my nose is right on top of her.

Because she spends most of the time in rooms where there is carpeting, we do vacuum every night, but it's more for the fur than any odor. Also force of habit because our last dog shedded a lot more than Ella. For a golden I actually think Ella doesn't shed too much. We also put a cover, in our case a blanket, on the couch that she sleeps on and wash it or change it out maybe every 5 days or so, whether it's needed or not. It also gets changed right after she's had a bath so everything is clean.

One thing I have noticed with goldens that I've been around is that their scent seems to be a product of their environment. My family has a cottage on a lake in New Hampshire that we go to in the summer. When we are at home I don't notice any smell on her. When we are in New Hampshire and for a while after we come home, she smells like a combination of the lake water (which I think smells good) and pine trees.

By the way, Ella is fed half raw diet and half and the the other half is Acana dry food. This is the combination that has worked best for her.


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## migs (Nov 8, 2013)

My Boy Bentley hasn't had that "dog smell" yet in his 4 yrs on earth. Yes, we do bathe him quite often & clean him up every night after we return from his walk. The only time he has that dog smell is right after a bath until he Is completely dry.
Other than that he smells better than humans do.


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## Susan: w/ Summit we climb (Jun 12, 2014)

I'm sensitive to smells too, and my dog doesn't smell to me until it's been over 7 days since his last bath. 

I sometimes let him walk through a clean puddle of water on the concrete outside the door, then step onto a towel and sit for a minute before coming in. It helps.


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## Melfice (Aug 4, 2012)

OnMyWay2MyDreams said:


> Other than wet dog smell after a bath or when they are wet from rain my dogs don't have an odor. Normal, healthy goldens should not have an odor. Frequent baths (weekly,bi-weekly) will help keep skin healthy and clean. We have a client at our practice that has a golden that you can smell as soon as he walks in but he has been battling staph infections for a long long time..so again, that dog's skin is not healthy.


Its ok for dogs to have a weekly bath then? I thought it would dry out their skin and coat.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

I brushed my last dog almost daily, and I do the same with my current girl. I bathe them rarely - really only when they get SO muddy there is no choice. Neither had/has a doggy smell - and I regularly ask people who come into my house if it smells "doggy." They are people who would be honest (including my family) and everyone says not at all. My last girl had a very sweet smell to her - I finally figured out that she smelled like French Toast (seriously!). She smelled like vanilla with a little bit of cinnamon. My current dog smells very similar. I find her sweet smell very comforting. 

So yes - totally possible!!


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## K9-Design (Jan 18, 2009)

Intact dogs (and bitches) have a stronger smell. Those with a proper water repellent coat have a stronger smell (oil). With frequent bathing you can keep it under control. 

The only dog I've ever been around with NO odor and NO grooming requirement was an Italian greyhound. Good luck housebreaking one though.


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## OnMyWay2MyDreams (Feb 13, 2011)

Melfice said:


> Its ok for dogs to have a weekly bath then? I thought it would dry out their skin and coat.


As long as you use the proper shampoo, rinse THOROUGHLY and dry them really good it is fine. Just keep in mind how often show dogs are done (weekly..sometimes more) and how good they look.,its because they are clean..and clean skin =healthy skin. Always remember that skin is an organ..the biggest organ and the most difficult to keep healthy as when skin gets bad it can take a while to get good again. Most people dont probably need to do weekly baths..i would say at minimum monthly baths are fine..bi-weekly even better.


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## alphadude (Jan 15, 2010)

I agree with what others have posted. Healthy goldens should have little to no smell unless wet.

Axl pretty much always smells good or not at all despite his very active lifestyle.


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## Makomom (Feb 28, 2012)

I have 2 Goldens and they do not smell.....only when wet! I also purchased a Lamp Berger....actually not for dog smells but for my husband's cooking smells in the kitchen!!! It actually works by purifying the air and they have lots of different oils to choose from. This may help with the old people smells

The Lampe Berger was the creation of Maurice Berge in the 1890s. The lamp uses the process of catalytic combustion to purify the surrounding air as it burns. Fuel consisting of fragrance mixed with an isopropyl alcohol base heats and diffuses into the surrounding air, bonding at the molecular level with odor-causing impurities and turning them to harmless water and carbon dioxide. The Lampe Berger works like an ordinary oil lamp and requires nothing more than the right fuel and a match to significantly improve the smell and purity of the air in a room.

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/how_6574414_use-lampe-berger.html


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

People who don't have dogs notice the smells more. Once you have them for a while, you don't smell the "dog smell" anymore.

*** I actually like the way each of our dogs smell. They do have a certain smell that's fairly individual per dog. I don't find it unpleasant. Some smells will even take me right back to my prior dogs and remembering their smells. 

**** Dogs who are not healthy or have some kind of imbalance do sometimes have an extra musky smell to them - specially if their fur is caked with oils. I honestly can't stand that smell and hate petting dogs like that. I feel like I have to go wash my hands immediately. Dogs who are outside quite a bit tend to have more of a smell like that - and it is very unpleasant to me.


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## Sanna Fase (Jun 5, 2014)

Like most have said, I love the way my Bailey smells! She smells like Bailey! And that makes me feel good inside.... She's healthy, brushed nearly daily, and as one other person said, she's on a completely grain free diet. (Only thing we found that kept stools firm.) Hey, I think I'll go get a Bailey sniff!


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