Do all dogs smell?

[TappingTed]

I’d love a dog but I have yet to meet one that doesn’t smell. Honestly, is it just a thing that dogs smell? It’s the main point putting me off. Our friends dog is lovely and comes to stay when they need her looked after. I could change many things if it were my dog (they let her sleep with them and get on the furniture which I wouldn’t)…. But it smells. Which I don’t think is actually avoidable… but is it?

My poodle doesn’t smell. She doesn’t moult either. I’ve previously had a German shepherd and a Weimaraner. They both smelled although they were beautiful.

I don’t know any dog that doesn’t have that dog smell.

I know some people will swear their dog doesn’t, but from the perspective of an outsider that isn’t used to the scent - dogs smell.

Yes. And despite deluded owners protesting that they don't and their houses aren't smelly- they are. They absolutely stink and between the dog hair covering everything and the stench you can always tell when someone is a dog owner.

Sighthounds don't tend to smell too much (though some of the longer haired lurcher mixes can do) though they still smelly 'doggy' in the rain. But in general they're very clean and unscented dogs.

My deerhound/whippet x border collie lurcher (2.5yrs) with a long coat doesn’t smell at all, and genuinely, I was like OP before, believing all dogs smell, and that if you have a dog, you just have to accept that stuff will be smelly (the dog, the carpets, the other soft furnishings)
I have a bichon cross (11yrs) who stinks in the musty retriever way that I remember from the family dog when I was little (golden retriever) and a yorkie (15yrs) who is just greasy all the time, a function of the hair-like coat, I guess. They have baths, and I brush them, but the bichon has the worst smell of them all, presumably on account of her thick curly fur, and possibly oilier skin than the lurcher.

Let's be honest - all animals smell - that doesn't mean they smell bad or that the home is unhygienic, but I don't think it's possible to have an animal in your home without it smelling a bit. Owners become nose blind and most guests are far too polite to ever say to someone that their home smells.

I'm a dog walker so I'm in/out of "doggy" homes all day long. I've never been in one that doesn't smell, and I walk all kinds of breeds from non-shedding poodles to massive shedders like huskies. Also, being a non-shedder doesn't stop your dog from leaving drool on things, or from rolling in things, or from getting that "wet dog" smell after being out in the rain. Dogs especially smell after being out on walks imo - especially if they've been running around.

We have a dog and three cats - I vacuum and open windows daily, empty litter trays regularly, wash all the pet blankets weekly etc. but there's definitely still a faint smell of "animal". It's not offensive but it's definitely there.

My mongrel smells alright 😂 His mum was a JRT x staffy, dad was collie x spaniel . He looks like a mssive JRT with floofy (double coated) hair.
He doesn't smell anywhere near as horrendous as our old labrador we had. That smell used to make me feel sick, poor girl, she was lovely though 😍

Exactly the same for me. My greyhound doesn't smell of "dog". If you get close his fur just has a lovely "clean fur" scent, I love to sniff him, especially between the ears.

Yes, we call it his 'furfume' 😊

Mine stinks 😂 he’s like a magnet to any amount of water or mud and runs through the undergrowth and rolls around. I love the smell because I love him but I’m in no doubt my house is not as clean as it was pre-dog and it has the whiff of dog regardless of how many windows I have open or candles lit. It doesn’t bother me, his good points more than make up for it

Samoyed owner here, only smells
When wet. She's a floofy cloud the rest of the time who smells like angels

Mine doesn’t (lab) except when wet, but he does make the car stink. I do think feeding them a good quality food and brushing them regularly helps.

My Golden retriever smells gorgeous. My old lab used to smell too.

No. I had a massive mountain dog who lived in the house/garden most of the time, no smell whatsoever. The labradoodle stank and my current frenchie is pongy. Spaniels, german shepherds are smelly.

I've a poodle mix who is very low odour , definitely not doggie smelling. He gets a bath at least weekly and never goes in mud or puddles. Luckily we live in a very dry country as he hates rain.
Also he eats fresh whole food so doesn't do smelly farts.

All dogs smell when wet but some breeds are ok when dry provided bathed regularly.

My greyhounds & smooth coat lurcher when dry didn't have much of an odour if you sniffed their fur and I rarely needed to bathe them. However their bedding gets whiffy and needs washing regularly.

All houses have a kind of family odour though, even without dogs adding to it. I've not been to many houses where they really smell unpleasant though.

No, not all dogs smell and people who think they do are idiots.

There are so many different breeds who have different fur types and some just do not smell. Have you been to houses of every different breed in the world?

I have dogs and many of my friends do. Some of their houses smell of dog but quite a few don't.

When my MIL was alive she would definitely have told us if our house smelt. When we had cats she always insisted she could smell them even though they didn't have a litter tray inside. When we just had dogs she actually commented that it was strange our house did not smell of them

Absolute rubbish. Also some dogs do not moult or do you not know that?

My poodle mix only smells when he hasn’t had a bath in a while - generally he doesn’t smell at all as we keep him clean, and our house smells as it’s always done. He also doesn’t moult at all - soz (not soz) to spoil your stinking gotcha moment @Chasingadvice

Mine doesn't, and she's a Newfoundland so I don't know how we've managed to avoid doggy smell in our house. You'd think her two thick layers of coat would trap the smells. She's not given to rolling in smelly stuff, so maybe that's why. Does like a good roll on a freshly-mown lawn, however.

Most healthy and regularly groomed dogs don't have a strong or unpleasant smell. And by grooming, I don't even mean weekly shampoo washes, regular brushing, and ear and eye cleaning are enough to make a lot of difference. "Dog smell" in the house usually comes from bedding/harnesses/toys etc, not the actual dog. Dog stuff should be cleaned/changed regularly. Houses with cats also CAN smell, if not properly/timely cleaned. So are rodents or any other animals - even fishtanks can get a musty smell if not cleaned the right way.

When our dog first moved in, I thought he smelt (I was the only person in the house who hadn’t particularly wanted a dog). Then I became his biggest fan and now I can’t smell him anymore.

His paws smell of popcorn which is rather lovely.

I assume my house smells vaguely of dog, but two friends (who are a bit anti-dog) have said my house doesn’t smell doggy. I didn’t ask the question, they volunteered the opinion in the middle of a general chat about pets.

So yes, most dogs probably smell a bit. Some smell a lot. Some hardly at all (my friend’s whippet for example).

Cats also smell though.

Mine doesn't smell in general but first thing in a morning after she's been asleep all night I can smell her popcorn feet and I love it. 🥰

I often notice her fur smells of either my perfume or wash detergent rather than dog. Probably because she's a clingy little beast and always cuddled up to me, plus her blankets are washed frequently.

I generally love the warm smell of my dogs. I try to keep it from being overpowering by feeding them decent food, grooming them, and frequent washing of bedding etc.
But all animals smell. Including human ones.