To feel like telling my friend that her dog does indeed smell?

[Perriwinkle]

I have a friend who is always going on very smugly about how lucky she is that her dog doesn't smell like other peoples' do. In fact her house has a very distinct "doggy" smell about it and if you stroke her dog (lovely as he is) your hand smells of dog.

She says that when he goes she'll neer replace him because she doubts she'd be as lucky to get another one like him that doesn't smell.

I know I won't tell her really but it makes me feel better having said it here.

I would tell her that her dog honks. She might get him some of that doggy perfume what I saw in Harrods once. Paris Hilton uses it apparently.

Will never forget one night before going out, all dressed up, our dog-owning friend insisting on us going to hers before going to town. Silly woman didn't lock her massive bull mastiff out of the living room and let him climb all over us. Had to go up town stinking of dog and with drool all over my black opaques. Didn't pull that night.

I would be tempted to say something just because she's being so smug about it!

I love dogs, and absolutely adore my two boys, but they do have a distinctive 'doggy' smell even when clean. Personally I quite like it and sometimes sniff them when cuddling them, it's a reassuring 'family' smell to me. I like to think they feel the same about my smell :)

We try to keep the smell in the house to a minimum by ventilating, washing blankets and rugs regularly etc, and the occasional squirt of Oust if someone's coming over. But I don't kid myself that we can eliminate it altogether. We do have carpets, but I've learned my lesson about that, and would not have them in a future house. The car definitely smells , but it's rare that anyone else goes in that so I don't mind too much.

And remember, however good your personal hygiene, you probably smell far stronger to a dog than they do to you!

I had a friend like this. I ended up telling her her dog did smell....and when she asked I also said that her house did smell of dog.

I like dogs & I try to be tactful but I would struggle not to say something if he honks as much as most dogs do & she was being smug to the contrary.

There's no end of talk in our house about how much our cats stink, too.

Ephiny: And remember, however good your personal hygiene, you probably smell far stronger to a dog than they do to you!

?! I'm sure we do ( due to a dog's keen senses ) but there are smells and there are smells

She probably won't stop being smug, though, she'll just get in a huff 'bout it with OP. People like to hold onto their delusions!

I am fairly tactless so I would probably mention that in your opinion all dogs smell.

I also hate the smell of dogs. I have a dog whose teeth are scaled and polished regularly, he and his bedding are both washed frequently and he is sprayed with a doggie version of febrese.

Cats are worse IMO. They put their bums near your face all the time and my mum's cat brings in mice which then decompose behind the fridge.

:) :)

My Springer absolutely bloody honks at the moment. He needs clipping. When he returns from the dog groomers he smells like a tart's parlour as she put essential oils behind his ears ffs.

Not sure which is worse...

My horse on the other hands smells absolutely fabulous.

There is nothing to compare to the sweet smell of grass on horse's breath.

To be fair, other dogs must smell a lot more than humans. And being stinky isn't necessarily a bad thing from a dog's point of view!

I thought my dog didn't smell...and I thought my daughter was a genius when she was 2. I never vocalised these thingsas I was afraid of coming off smug (but I was still smug, just hiding it really, really well).

I was lucky enough to have a mate who told me (a) my dog does truly stink and (b) so does my daughter and (c) neither of them are geniuses genii? Instead, both fall within the average bell curves for smelly dogs and clever girls.

I'd have to say something. Even if it was just, 'maybe it's the warm weather, or adolescence, but your pup seems to be developing it's own special aroma! Would you like me to pick some shampoo or spritzer up for you from the pet shop???'.

Yep. Wooden floors are hoovered, swept and mopped daily. They smell of floor cleaner.

I'd definitely be mentioning that ALL dogs smell next time she gets all smug, how you haven't already is beyond me. I would then also be working into conversation that her house smells of dog too. She is being very deluded if she thinks her dog doesn't smell of dog.

One of my dogs stinks to high heaven so we don't know if the other one does or not

Horses do smell WONDERFUL!!!

We have two dogs, both the same breed. The older male does not smell half as much as our young female. She HONKS!! Her teeth are in good condition and she is regularly bathed... but she still honks! She makes my dad (who is really anti doggy smells!!) heave.

You get used to your own dog, don't you? I mean, I know that my dog smells like a dog, but I find it rather comforting now. Initially, though, he had some health problems and I couldn't bear it

If she goes on about it all the time, I would say something. Just a surprised, 'really? You can't smell him? I always thought you were joking!'.

I am not an animal lover and can't bear animal smells.

Hmm, normally I'd say don't mention it, but given that she's freely slagging off other people for having houses that smell of dog, it might be worth saying something neutral, like 'I think when people have a dog, they often can't smell it themselves.'

Like a friend of mine who kept on about another friend of hers who had apparently had 'the most ugly baby', then takes me home to see her two year old DD (who I hadn't seen in a while) who was, shall we say, not the prettiest baba herself. In that case though, I said nuffink

I think Prudog hums. I positively revel in her houndy aroma. Weird thing is though, everyone is always commenting on how noticeable it is that our house doesn't smell. I can't tell either way. I'm starting to think after reading this thread though that they're spinning me a line....

All dogs smell. But healthy and reasonable clean dogs just smell of dog which isn't unpleasant in itself. Just as healthy and reasonably clean humans smelll of human.

A mild doggy smell on the actual dog is fine I think - after all they are dogs so are entitled to smell like dogs.

Some dogs do smell more than others though, and I'm told it's to do with their coats. Water resistant, oily coated dogs tend to be the worst culprits - my friend's dog is a spaniel and, although lovely, I think they are among the smelliest ones.

If you keep your dog and house clean you should be able to minimise the smell as much as possible but I suppose, like with everything, everyone has different standards so it's not really possible to say that everyone's dog and house will stink to high heaven.

Some people don't keep themselves let alone their homes very clean at the best of times so if they have a dog which they don't keep clean it's obvious the house will smell too.

Decided I'm definitely going to tell my friend that I've read that people with dogs are immune to the smell of their own dogs next time she goes off on one.

I still love her dog though. He's so sweet and it's not his fault he's got a smug owner who doesn't bath him often enough because she can't tell he smells!

Ah the 'b' word Bath....

I have to lure my dog into the bath with a piece of salami on the far side and then when he climbs onto the toilet seat to reach over the bath I have to tip him in. Its a wet and stressful process.

I had to bath our dog twice a week for 6 weeks. Neither of us were happy about it.