How Can I Make My Dog Smell Good?

A dog could smell bad for several reasons, including for medical reasons or just because it got into some smelly substance outside, such as a skunk or rolling around in another animal's waste. People who feed raw food outside also have to deal with a smelly dog if the dog buries a bone and digs it up later to eat it or play with it. The smell from the rotten bone gets on the dog's coat.

Things You'll Need

  • Dog shampoo
  • Oatmeal shampoo (optional)
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Determine what is making your dog smell. If the dog got into something, simply give the dog a bath with shampoo formulated for dogs. You might have to repeat the shampoo once or twice if you cannot get the smell out.

    • 2

      Rub the dog down in lemon juice then shampoo the dog if it met up with a skunk. Dry the dog off. If, after a day, you still smell the skunk on the dog, repeat the process. Be sure to rinse the lemon juice off thoroughly, then shampoo with dog shampoo, as the lemon juice is acidic.

    • 3

      Determine whether the dog's sour smell is coming from the dog for a medical reason. You should check for medical reasons if the dog continues to smell, even after bathing once per week. A common cause of a stinky dog is a skin problem. Skin problems can be caused by mites, food allergies and environmental allergies.

    • 4

      Wash the dog with oatmeal shampoo. The oatmeal shampoo gives the dog a clean smell and helps keep itching its skin at a minimum. If the skin problem is severe, wash the dog every other day with the oatmeal shampoo for the first four weeks, along with vet treatment for the problem causing smelly, itchy skin.

    • 5

      Wash the dog once per week for four weeks. Once the skin problem clears up, especially if the skin problem is chronic (because of allergies), wash the dog with oatmeal shampoo once a month or as otherwise instructed by your veterinarian.