So, tell it to me straight. Do spaniels just stink?

[ChickensHaveNoEyebrows]

Because Jasper hums to a tune all his own. And he was only bathed on saturday. It's not even particularly doggy. In fact, he smells a bit pondy/swampy, despite being nowhere near ponds or swamps. He enters the room in a cloud of joyful stench. Because he's a bitsa, he doesn't have a cocker's long coat, but still honks to high heaven. I have wooden floors and keep him off the sofas, wash his bedding weekly (or more if he pees on it) and have bathed him weekly. He is on Royal Canin dry food. His breath and ears just smell like a dog, so no infection that I can tell of. Please break it to me gently, do spaniels just stink generally? Do I have to take out shares in essential oils? Or shave the dog?

[notmeagain]

Shave the dog! only kidding

He shouldn't smell. I fed Raw and that will keep the smell down a lot. Also daily grooming with a clean brush helps.

Washing his bed regularly see other post but I am a great fan of vet bed as being hygienic and clean.

There are physical reasons why dogs may smell so if he really does wiff a visit to the vet may be an idea

[gothicangel]

my cocker doesnt smell,

maybe he has rolled in something, they like rolling in poo,

xx

[RedRumElmosMum]

I sympathise , I really do . Oscar (springer) must have swam in the "bog of stench" before we got him . He smells so bad (even a day after a bath) he actually makes us gag . I've tried doggy deodorant , special shampoos etc nothing works .

[WitchesBrewIsMyFriend]

my dogs dont 'smell' a good brushing and a bath now and then (twice a year max) takes care of any doggy smells.

They smell of dog but they cant help that.

[FroOOOOOtshoOOOOOOts]

My spaniel doesn't stink.
He does have a tendency to lie in bogs, puddles etc when hot. But generally he just smells a bit damp after he's been outside.
But then again perhaps he does really stink and we have grown used to it
Maybe everyone is actually avoiding us and we don't know.

[Crosshair]

How often do you bath him?

[ditavonteesed]

I was told that if you bath too often that can make them smell. dont know how true, my cocker doesnt smell and he has been in a bog erlier, he is only a wee pup though so maybe the smell is something to look forward to.

[talkingnonsense]

My cocker only smells if she rolls in poo ( yuk), or paddles in the stagnant water in the ditch. Otherwise she smells lovely!

[ChippingInToThePumpkinLantern]

My Cocker never had a smell, not even really a doggy one (and I do have a sensitive nose!) but I don't know if dogs are different to bitches?

[scurryfunge]

You may be bathing the dog too often. Unless they have rolled in something horrible (or thrown themselves into black river mud, like mine likes to) they do not need bathing very often at all.

[gomez]

Well our 12 week working Cocker smells of dog but a bit more doggy than other dogs I have had. Have noticed an improvement after we changed her from canine equivalent of Greggs sausage rolls (i.e minimal nutritional value and floor scrapings) to Orijen however.

When wet she honks however .

[multipoodles]

What age is your dog? Spaniels do smell 'different' to other breeds, not doggie, but more of a musty oily smell, their coats are designed to repel water and as they get older they tend to stink more. From experience (retired groomer) the smell usually comes from the feet, the ears and the edge of the gums on lower jaw where canine teeth rest, the hair can cake quite oily there. The solution, if the dog is an indoor one is to keep the coat shorter with regular clipping, and ask the groomer to shave out the pads on the feet, also the groove on lower jaw, keep the ears short and dry and to bath you need a good de-greasing shampoo. :)

[mrswoodentop]

Our cocker does stink on occasion ,usually because he has gone swimming or rolled in something,his ears can smell at the bottom just from dribbling in stuff,I keep the inside clean and dry with Thornits.We do send him to the groomed every 6 to 8 weeks ,I would love to have him in the full coat but it's just not practical especially as he is a complete mud magnet.We have him done cocker style ,so trimmed on top but clipped underneath and still with enough skirts to look like a cocker.

[ChickensHaveNoEyebrows]

Huh. Interesting. Jasper is right on the nose, but I can't pin down exactly what it is that he stinks of. However, he did pee in his crate earlier, so I'm wondering if he is gleefully rolling in his own waste and then sharing the joy. I've been bathing him weekly because there was a possibility of allergies, but that seems to have calmed down now. So do you think I should brave it and see if he outgrows the stench and hold off on the baths?

[spiderlight]

I'd bath him less often and make sure he's brushed really frequently. Our springer only smells if she's rolled/wallowed in something (which is pretty much daily!) or if her ears are getting gacky. The rest of the time she has a nice clean doggy smell and her paws smell like warm digestive biscuits. Our wire-haired collie x lurcher, on the other hand, never rolls in anything, tiptoes around puddles for fear of getting his toenails dirty but always smells of stale fag smoke despite the fact that we're a totally non-smoking household.

[daisydotandgertie]

What do you feed him? Some dog foods make dogs honk - and some don't.

[musicposy]

I think mine stinks

She is brushed frequently, looks beautifully white, keeps herself clean around the nether bits, has good breath and is raw fed. But I still notice that stuff she lays on smells very....well, doggy.

I think I notice it because our sheltie really doesn't smell. So suddenly having a doggy smell in the house was a bit of a shock. Still love her to bits, though :)

[kitsmummy]

My pug absolutely stinks! She hasn't rolled in stuff, it's not her wrinkles that stink, she just stinks overall. Makes her bedding totally whiffy really quickly. I think perhaps some dogs just do, like some humans just do. She eats natures diet and Burns, so not crappy food.

[ChickensHaveNoEyebrows]

He's on Royal Canin dry food. Just back from the vets with him where they emptied his anal glands. Dog stinks of fish. He does have the decency to look vaguely embarassed.

[robinnm1]

Mine last about 2 weeks after a bath and smells clean for that period. Anal glands can smell a bit like fish or poo if they are over full. Does he drag his bum? If so it's job for the vet, or if your feeling really brave you can empty it yourself......

Raw diet helps with other issues such as breath or backside

[RedRumElmosMum]

Ewwwwwww Oscar had his anal glands cleared last month Didn't make him smell any better though .

[kid]

My springer smells nice!
He has a beautiful, glossy coat and doesn't stink at all (I don't think so anyway)
He did get a skin infection around his mouth once which let off the most awful smell ever. That was quickly resolved with an antibiotic injection.
He currently has a skin infection (on body this time ) so he has to be bathed twice a week with special shampoo.

Maybe Jasper is remaining damp behind his floppy ears for too long. I got a microfibre towel from the poundshop, its amazing at drying my springer.

[WitchesBrewIsMyFriend]

Just a thought, do make sure his collar is clean. It is amazing the amount of grime gets around there. [puke]

If your dog is a swimmer, maybe get one of the Dublin Dog rubber style collars.

here

[daisydotandgertie]

I'd try changing his food to something like Burns or Fish4Dogs.

Royal Canin, although vet sold and v expensive has quite a lot of unnecessary/crappy ingredients. What's in it doesn't reflect the price or justify it being vet sold (commission?) IMO.

Mine have been on both Burns and Fish4Dogs and don't smell of anything at all really.

Try him for a month or two on something with fewer crappy ingredients in it and see what happens.

Full anal glands are an indicator of a diet which the dog can't process too well; one of mine can't digest maize or wheat very well - until I worked out what the problem she suffered from very regularly full and then infected anal glands. I really would try a change of food.

[ChickensHaveNoEyebrows]

Thanks for that daisy. I might try the Burns food. Can't contemplate the fish stuff, because DH can't tolerate the smell of fish in any shape or form. He nearly hurled out of the car window taking the stinky puppy to the vet.