To think whatever I do, getting a dog will make my house stink?

[nicas]

We fancy getting a dog next year. I'm just slightly concerned that the house will smell like a dog lives there regardless of the amount of hoovering and cleaning I do.

Are there any breeds that don't shed as much?

Oh it will but it's worth it.
Who cares about a bit of smell when you are loved so much.

Most houses with dog don't smell of dog. Keep the place clean and groom the dog and it will be fine!

Your house will undoubtedly be not quite as clean as it was before, but it's absolutely worth it!

Febreeze floors regularly
Keep dog in specific rooms only
Brush dog daily and remove shed hairs
Bath the dog with dog shampoo every couple of weeks
Rinse the paws and tummy after every muddy walk (or more of dog if dog is a proper dog!)

A clean dog doesn't smell "doggy" at all, in fact my dog smelled lovely 😊

It will always stink of dog, no matter how much cleaning you do.

You will get nose blind to it though, but others will be able to smell.

You could try 'no go zones', i.e no dog in living room or bedrooms etc to keep certain rooms smelling nice?

We do this with our dog since we moved house and it smells wonderful still. He is a frenchie so farts and malts a lot...

Yeah, it probably will but you can definitely choose less smelly dogs. Those little white terriers, westies, have a stinky smell. I think dogs that don’t need grooming, so short hairs are probably less stinky. If you wash their bedding regularly, give them a nice shampoo, and importantly clean their teeth as their breath can be vile when their older.

Give it a few years and you’ll quite like their saltyness

It's less likely to smell if you have wooden floors rather than carpet.

You can also pop a blanket on the sofa for them to lay on, which you can then wash regularly.

Dogs always smell of dog. Bathed dogs just smell like dog and fragrance.

I don't think it's the shedding or not shedding that is the issue - sometimes "non-shedding" breeds smell stronger to me and I wonder if it's because there's more skin and oils caught up in their coat. The only people whose actual houses smell unpleasantly like dog are those who don't clean their houses well. And their houses didn't smell great pre-dog either.

The only time my dogs smell are when they're wet - literally "wet dog smell". I dry them as well as I can at the door, and then keep them away from carpets and soft furnishings until they're completely dry. They spend most of their time in the kitchen so that floor gets spray mopped at least once a day, plus a full hot soapy water mop a few times a week. I wash beds regularly, which is another thing that can start to smell, and give them a groom/shampoo regularly as well.

The other thing that can smell is their breath, if the owner doesn't look after their teeth.

Short haired breeds smell less and poodles don't shed much which is part of the reason crosses are so popular I'd imagine - I wouldn't get one though, all the ones i know are slightly crazy and there are so many puppy farms selling them.

The best non sheddy short haired dog I reckon is a whippet - great pets all round and really under rated. Labs are the stinkiest and sheddiest dogs ever but also just wonderful.

My whippet has no doggy odour. He even grooms himself like a cat.

They’re wonderful dogs as long as you’re not after an obedience champion and can deal with the tornado that is a whippet puppy.

As long as your dog is clean and healthy, they shouldn't smell. Mine has a lovely warm fur smell, it's very comforting! She's very clean and always washing herself. My house doesn't smell at all - I was paranoid about this when we first got her and asked every visitor we had, all confirmed there was no smell.

She can have a damp dog smell if she gets wet on a walk but that dispassiates pretty quickly.

I hoover every day, use plug in air fresheners and make sure to wash her bed regularly. I have throws on the sofas that get washed regularly too. Most of my friends have dogs, and I've never noticed a smell in any of their own houses, or my parents.

@beaniebutter I forgot about the farting - my dogs don't seem to fart at all but my brothers' dog was the silent terror until they got her food intolerances sorted out.

We have a bichon frishe and he doesn't shed or smell. He goes to the groomers every eight weeks and is bathed in between. Bichons love walking and being out but they are happy to sleep half the day.
My friend has two labradors, she's always had labs. They smell. Her house smells of dog. Her house is clean but it smells and there's hair around. She washes and brushes them regularly. They are worth it for the big sloppy kisses and they love sitting beside/ on top of you while you hold their paw

I have a few friends with dogs and all but one have houses that really smell of dog. The one who doesn’t washes pretty much all soft furnishings (dog bed, sofa throws, cushion covers, carpet etc etc) every week without fail.
Dog smells really make my stomach churn, it’s so vile and I would never have a dog for many reasons but this one is so high up on the list!

We have a cockapoo who doesn't shed. The house doesn't smell either. I have some brutally honest family members who would not hesitate to tell me if it did,😂

Poodles don't shed in the same way - their coat is more like wool than dog hair. That's why 'doodle' crosses are so popular personally I'm not a fan

I think smell is related to certain breeds. I find some short haired dogs smell worse than long haired - beagles, basset hounds - but weimaraners, not so bad.

But often it is soft furnishings that are the problem with dog smell in the house - carpets, sofa, beds and importantly the dog's bed. Don't let your dog on the furniture, don't let them on your beds, wash all the dog's blankets and bedding frequently, keep the dog mostly on hard (washable) flooring or if they are in a carpetted room, have them laying on their own rug/bed. Look after your dog's coat - have it thinned if it is an appropriate breed - and look after its teeth, dog breath is just the worse! And ears!

My whippet doesn't smell at all. She doesn't like jumping in mud or water either so that's a massive plus on the stinky dog front.

We have 2 Labradors and if we feed them raw dog food, they don’t smell

If we feed them kibble, they quickly start smelling really doggy

They get clean beds and a proper bath once a month and are generally clean, but the key is what we feed them.

Of course clean and healthy dogs can smell. Our dog is both of those and she smells of dog. I don't mind the smell, but most dogs do smell however much their owners think they don't

Our short haired dachshunds didn't make our house smell

Your house doesn’t HAVE to smell of dog at all.
proper cleaning and choice of dog has alot to do with whether there isa smell or not. Groom and wash the dog, and avoid long eared spaniel, and terrier type dogs. Labs also have a smell.

I've never been in a house with a dog that doesn't smell of dog.

I think people who live with the dog don't notice it, it's not always horrendous but I always smell it.

I wouldn't let that be the factor that puts you off a dog though, if you're ready get one 😊

As others have said, it's so worth it!

You can of course do things to mitigate this:

• Only allow them on sofas with a blanket underneath them
• Get them a lovely comfy bed in every room they might spend a lot of time in, and try and get them to go there instead of lying on the floor (you can clean/replace these easier than carpet!)
• Wash all of the soft bedding they sit on regularly with a fabric disinfectant to get rid of bacteria (not just regular laundry detergent)
• Get a silicone mat for under their food bowl and keep that area very clean
• Have a little 'clean' station by your front or back door for post walk clean up (a towel to wipe feet, a good mat, wet wipes etc)
• Make sure they have nice things to chomp on to keep breath fresh - ours love raw carrots!
• Get a good vacuum and start doing it very regularly, mop hard floors regularly

And obviously give them regular baths with a nice smelling shampoo so they're clean!

Solid floors help massively. Some dogs smell more than others, some shed more than others. Labradors shed like a very sheddy thing with lots to shed about, and have lanolin in their coat so smell less doggy, but still animal.

Ultimately, it's not about what the dog smells of, it's what they've rolled in etc. I can bathe mine and he will almost certainly find smelly mud to roll in immediately.

We went to see family and had him groomed a day before, so he immediately did this....