To consider giving away my dog because he STINKS.

[Honestbonniest]

This upsets me to be writing this but this is where I'm at.

I have a gorgeous, in tact, nearly two years old small breed dog (a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel) who absolutely stinks of wee. I honestly think it's gotten worse over time.

He doesn't have particularly long fur, but does have feathers. When he wees, he shoots pretty horizontally all over his front legs and belly. I have to fully wash with shampoo (I use a mild puppy one) his front legs and belly after every walk, including if he has just done a wee in the garden. He marks constantly so he is constantly weeing.

If I don't do this religiously, he stinks and makes all the furniture and carpets he lies on stink as well. This really, really bothers me, but the constant washing multiple times a day is also really draining for me.

I could trim his legs and belly right down to the skin, but then I see so many other dogs with long hair or feathers - do they stink of wee too? Plus he sometimes wees straight onto the leg, not just the feathers, so trimming the feathers in those cases won't help.

I have tried baby wipes and deodorising sprays etc but nothing gets rid of the stench apart from a proper shampoo wash and rinse.

I'm so tired of constantly washing him that I'm considering giving him away. I didn't think having a dog would be like this. Doggy smell is fine, but wee smelly is just awful.

Am I terrible?

Any reason you haven’t had him neutered.

I bought some sort of herbal medicine from amazon to help reduce the smell of urine from my male dog. It did help

Would you mind sharing a link to this please? My dog's wee can smell strong sometimes so would be interested. Thanks

Give him to someone who will get him neutered and care for him. You shouldn't even have charge of a stick insect.

you do not deserve that dog. It is your job as their caretaker to clean him. I have 2 standard poodles , female, and her pup, male. He is intact. He just turned 4 this week, but for the first two years of his life he pee'd on his front leg. Not only was it smelly, but he is white. I washed his leg daily. Not a big deal. He grew up and learned to pee right. I would never ever ever think of getting rid of him because he pee'd on his leg. Baby wipes works wonders too. The ones with aloe. Sorry to be so blunt.

You have several options you don't appear to have explored.

• trim his fur
• train him off your furniture
• vet check to ensure his urinary system has developed normally. Is he leaking urine when he isn't trying to pee for example.
• have him neutered ASAP
• provide non-fabric options for him to lie on while you get to grips with other options

So YABU for not tackling this head on a long time ago.

Also, have a look for urine neutraliser - it's an enzyme cleaner you can use in your home on existing problem areas.

One of mine does this, he has major feather. He will, however, wash himself. Does yours not do this?

What has the vet said because this is not normal at all.

Sorry, have you met adolescent/young dogs?

They absolutely bloody do love smelling like piss, many young dogs will love pissing in dog beds, marinating in their own stench (and not just boys! I have had bitches do this and had to help many clients with this issue).

He's not pissing on himself because his owner cleans him up and he is simply lazy, he's doing it because he is hairy and quite possibly his conformation means he can't avoid it.

Dogs will typically pick off something stuck to fur, something sticky in their fur, but they won't wash themselves as a cat would to get rid of a smell. Dogs love being stinky!

@Goldenphoenix

This was the supplement. He had very smelly urine and had been spayed.

Urinary Support and Bladder Control Supplement For Dogs, Contains D-Mannose, Cranberry, Marshmallow Root, Liquorice and Astragalus, Urinary Control, 120 Tablets, Handy Re-sealable Bag : Amazon.co.uk: Pet Supplies

Eeurgh. This is why I won't have dogs. Only bitches for me. Dogs pee everywhere!

I'm finding the comments here difficult to understand.
I've had 4 entire males of a long coated (white) breed and they all kept themselves scrupulously clean. None of them ever smelt of wee. And they all did wash themselves after toileting, exactly like a cat does. My four bitches have also been very clean and constantly washing themselves. I was not aware that this is anything unusual...

So I don't understand why this dog isn't cleaning itself.

Either way, it seems like something that should have been addressed during puppyhood as to whether he has a physical or behavioural issue.

But why ask about rehoming, when all you are doing is passing on the problem? Still, I'm inclined to say yes rehome and do not get another dog!

Mine genuinely did not, so perhaps it depends on the breed.

What has the vet said about this?

Really? They didn't pee up trees, lamp posts, sofas, chairs, curtains, garden chairs, etc etc? Bitches pee into the ground. Dogs pee on things.

Firstly get him done. Unless you’re willing him to breed, get his balls off.
Secondly, get him groomed.
i have a mixed breed, he’s done ✂️ and gets groomed regularly and doesn’t smell.

There was a dog like yours on For the Love of Dogs (when Paul O Grady used to do it RIP). The poor thing had a deformity of it’s Urethra. The stream of wee was going all over the dog’s belly and legs just like yours. The dog had an operation that completely sorted the issue. Please get your dog checked by a Vet OP.

My mum's greyhound pees on his left front leg when he goes. He only cocks his leg if he is scenting. If it is a proper wee, then he just stands there and it gets on his leg. She uses baby wipe to clean him up after, or lets him have a dip in a stream if on a walk. He does not smell.
I use baby wipes on my girl as she walks and pees and her tail always goes in it.

YABVU to consider rehoming a dog for this reason. You have had a lot of suggestions here, but if they seem like too much hard work then I really hope you never have any sort of pet again.

You are not terrible to be frustrated by it, but considering giving the dog away because of it is of course terrible.

Trees, bushes and lamp posts yes, but never sofas, chairs, curtains, no. They never scent marked indoors or even on the garden bench/table/shed. In the garden they'd cock their leg against the fence but nowhere else.

Have wet wipes handy and shave off his feathers so that you can wipe him wvry time

You have clearly never run a pub.

You would consider giving you dog away before asking a vet for advice, neutering him and/or trimming his fur? Yes you are terrible.

Stop being so passive and take some action to find out what's going on and correct it if possible.

I have to trim my dogs knob hair periodically or it goes all crusty and horrible and he isn’t a long haired breed (scruffy lurcher) It’s juts one of those horrible parts of dog ownership.

In your case I’d be going to the groomers and getting his coat really short and then wiping down his legs with old flannel and some of that odour neutralising stuff when you get in from walksz

A very good comment.👍🏻