Stinky - is it down to the breed?

[mintbiscuit]

Currently have a lab and border terrier. Both intact males

Lab smells lovely. I liken it to digestive biscuits. No stinky breath. Can bury my head in his fur and be in heaven.

BT stinks. Breath and fur. Totally cute so kind of forgive him 😂 Regular check ups at vet and no oral/other health problems. He’s only 2. It’s not anal glands.

Both have raw bones for oral health. Admit I’m a bit shit on regular teeth brushing. (Few times a month). both have raw diet.

Is it the difference in coat - short vs wire?
Is stinky breath related to length of snout/size of mouth?
Is it terriers? Every terrier I’ve ever known stinks! Although I’ve owned newfies too and they stink (is it the coat?)

Is it a breed thing? Is there any hope for my stinky yet very cute and loveable BT?

We've got a sprocker and a breton. Neither smell except when wet or when the sprocker farts.

My Lab is pretty good, apart from those wet muddy days when the house smells of wet and mud.

Is it something they're rolling in?

Hm… you could be onto something here with the stripping. I’m not religious about it because a. I like a slightly scruffy look and b. It takes ages to do!

Ill give him a good strip to see if it makes a difference. (Now mentally summing up the motivation to do it)

I'm sure that stripping would help. At its loosest, my dog's hair plucks out so easily, and I imagine that if he was living the most active life possible much would be stripped naturally out by contact with undergrowth, water, etc.
If it lies stagnant in the coat, that must suppress the natural distribution of oils and general mank away from the skin (and onto the carpet<boak>)

My mum has a labrador, she smells really strong, not only that if you touch her you get horrible grease on your hands.

We have a shiba inu, they groom quite a lot, so they generally only smell if they have dental problems etc. He smells surprising like our cat, so you have to give him a good sniff to actually smell him. When he is wet however he smells weird, almost chemically.

All dogs smell bad to me but dogs with wiry coats seem worse.

My big fluffy rescue dog only has that 'wet dog' smell when he is wet from the rain otherwise he doesn't smell bad despite never having been bathed. He just gets a good brush daily. He hates water so he doesn't swim or go diving in muddy puddles very often.
His paws and ears have the lovely biscuity smell too. He has a double coat with a soft fluffy undercoat and a more durable outer coat and that is never oily like some shorthaired dogs are so maybe that correlated to lack of smell. I actually don't find he sheds any more than a short haired dog either which was a happy surprise

Our border terrier stunk too. Don't know if it's the wiry coat? Although we have a wiry lurcher now though and her head and belly smell divine, like sweet baby powder and biscuits. She's still young though so I fully expect her to get stinky when she's older 😁

Our Parsons Jack Russell is a beautiful white leggy short-haired dog, she glints like marble in winter sunshine. She also stinks, it comes off on your hands. Our previous Jack Russell was biscuity so it seems individual dog-related rather than by breed.

my previous jrt had to be bathed regularly as she smelt awful esp when wet. My chihuahua spends half his life in the bath thank goodness for lavender dog shampoo but the chihuahua cross never smells

We have a mongrel who is apparently comprised of Border Collie, JRT, Corgi and Bichon Frise, among other things!

His breath can be bad if he is having a dodgy gut day which happens now and then. But his fur doesn’t smell. His feet have the nice snack smell, although it is a bit more popcorn than biscuit. If he hasn’t had a wash for a while or the weather is warmer, the feet have a hint of Doritos which is not unpleasant either.

Our poodle doesn’t smell at all. I put it down to her coat being none shedding. Our Labrador stinks.

My Akita only smells of dog when she is wet. She keeps herself very clean . Get a wash and blow every three months.

My BT also had an erm unusual smell , the car , furniture even my hands after stroking him . Vet would check for yeast infections but he said nope , BTs have a distinct smell . Met one years later on a walk and went to stroke and yes the same smell hit me .

Our border collie only smells when she’s wet, which is basically all the time at the moment with this bloody weather! Her ears and head are like velvet and smell lovely 🥰

I’ve only ever had long haired dogs, and regular grooming kept any smell in check.

Ive always felt that short haired dogs feel more ‘greasy’ when you stroke them.

Is it possible that being intact males is contributing? I know that some teenage boys tend to have an overwhelming odour.

Perhaps like humans it’s just down to individual biology, with some more susceptible than others.

Ive always been puzzled by cats. Their bites are classified as really dangerous because of all the bacteria in their mouths, they don’t brush their teeth and groom by licking their fur - yet they don’t smell!

My lovely Lab smells gorgeous- showered regularly as he loves water and mud, preferably both at the same time
Feet smell like popcorn 😊
My collie cross didn’t smell at all- lovely soft fur and ears ❤

I am a ‘super smeller’ (ie I have a really good sense of smell.).

To me all dogs smell. The least stinky I’ve come across are whippets, collies, shelties, Dalmatian’s and poodles.

The most whiffy have been cockers, old labs, pugs, beagles, bulldogs.

Cats rarely smell apart from their breath and some toms, esp ginger for some reason.

My lab doesn’t really smell. She does get a wash at the groomers every month. Every doodle mix I know stinks.

My bt smells lovely but her breath is evil. We haven't bathed her so maybe that keeps her smelling nice?

You do know that biscuity smell is actually a bacteria ? Harmless but yeast like hence the smell.

Have had five Norfolk Terriers over the years
One ( my favourite of all time) was stinkiest dog ever. We called her whiffy!
Had her at the same time as two others, one was a female litter mate, one male not related, neither stank like her. Whiffy was also the cuddliest and used to actually try to get her head onto the pillow in my bed! Latest two smell of nothing in particular ( obviously coming up to grooming time they are a bit smellier)
All of mine have been spayed / neutered and all fed same food and hand stripped every four months

My border terrier doesn’t smell. I roll her coat though rather than letting her ‘blow’ then strip which I think helps. We’ve never bathed her. She just smells like other dogs if you get really close.

Food is a major factor in smell IME. A lot of foods heavy in cereal or too much fish can make them smell.

My springer is fairly stinky - mostly as he always finds the mud and water and loves nothing more than splashing around in it…. I very rarely use shampoo on him and just rinse with water so there’s a very definite ‘dog’ smell. like it as it’s his smell but I am mindful of it.

My cat smells gorgeous though and is always so soft and clean compared to the dog, I love sticking my head in her tummy for a good sniff