The hardwood floors and tiles also stink. Especially in areas like kitchen, dining area and laundry where the dog is fed and/or is licking things off the floor.

^ forgot one thing.

Every now and then I do a deep clean of the house and scrub some of the walls - he likes to brush against a couple in particular, and the oils of his coat leave a residue there. Maybe it's me imagining things, but when I do that, I feel the house smells cleaner...

I am extremely sensitive to smells, and we:

1. Picked a breed known not to smell that much and that doesn't drool.
2. Removed carpeting except for one small cotton rug, that fits in my large washer and that I wash regularly.
4. Do not allow the dog on furniture, or upstairs (he doesn't like to climb stairs anyway).
5. Vaccum and mop hardwood floors regularly.
6. Wipe his paws or when super-muddy, bathe his paws in a little plastic bucket when we come home from walks. He's so used to it, he will see the bucket and lift his paw in anticipation!
7. Open windows regularly.

The one thing we don't do, but should, is brush his teeth. Ugh. It's such a chore and he hates it.

I am a dog foster who doesn't have a dog FT. All dog homes smell. Even if you don't notice it. Even if theyre a small dog. I mean, maybe not a small dog in a mansion, but regular homes, yeah. It's also the food, the fur, the drool/saliva. Dogs licking their paws and then walking around on the floor.

That said, it's so worth it!! IMO the best way to avoid smells is to bathe regularly, wipe paws when coming in from outside and vacuum vacuum vacuum.

Anonymous wrote:I think this is also dog dependent.

It is.

My medium sized mutt doesn’t smell at all. My toy poodle smells like wet dog pretty much all of the time. And she gets professionally groomed often.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Use a pet deodorizer on carpets. You sprinkle it on before vacuuming. You can buy it at the store in the cleaning aisle, but it is just baking soda with scent added, so if you have a bottle of essential oil around—lavender is best but anything you like the smell of works fine, you can make your own much more cheaply. You probably don’t even need the essential oil. I do this about once a month.

Thanks so much! Do you have a “recipe” for the ratio? Or just add it to the baking soda until it smells fresh?

Essential oils are powerful, just a couple of drops into a few cartons of baking soda. Then stir it up, and if you want more, you can add more.

If you let the dog up on the furniture, you could put down a towel and train it to only go on that spot. I haven’t noticed that most people‘s homes smell like a dog. I think if you vacuum regularly and wash the dog routinely, you will be fine. Maybe you want to run some kind of air purifier at night.

Based on the breed of dog you describe, I would not kennel it at night. Do you have children? The dog is going to want to sleep with family, not be lonely in a kennel somewhere.

It's mostly just keeping up with the vacuuming and general cleaning but imo the things people miss are:

You need to wash all the soft goods. Upholstery, curtains and rugs all need to be periodically cleaned with soap and water. So have an extractor. If you have rugs, either clean them with the extractor or better, have them sent out and washed (this is easy but annoyingly expensive for knotted wool rugs). Curtains, take to the drycleaner every so often. I guess if you really keep the dog off the sofa, you don't have to wash it. But I mean, good luck. Keep enzymatic cleaner for accidents, but the main thing is a lot of water. You can't dab at dog vomit with a spray bottle and a cloth. It needs to be thoroughly flushed with water. So having an extractor handy is key.

Also, periodically wash all the snout level surfaces. Walls, doors, door jambs. Use a spin mop, hot water and a mild detergent.

Your dust is now potentially smellier than normal dust. So be on top of it, especially the literal top of it. Above door jambs, cabinets, the back of shelves, etc. Once a year, wipe them off with hot water and mild detergent.

My teen boy smells much worse than my dog. Working on it.

get a dog that doesn't shed.

To each his own, but I don't really get the point of a dog that isn't allowed to snuggle on the couch with you. Dog snuggles are the best.

There is nothing wrong with kennel training. I have a poodle mix and while they don't shed, his hair picks up everything from the outside. Dogs still have dog smells, even if they are well groomed. Not as bad as some other breeds, but still extra dirt and smells.

Our plan was to keep the dog off of furniture, but that battle was lost a long time ago.

The ones that stink only bathe their dogs once a year, or every 6 months.

There was a thread on dcum a few months ago about how often do you bathe your dog and many people said they never do. Yeah, we can tell you don't because they smell! Some dogs are more outdoor dogs though and spend a lot of time in the yard because they like it so much. Those breeds will always smell a bit more. My dog has gone a month at most without being bathed and she smelled SO BAD.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly every house with a dog or cat stinks, whether the owner realizes it or not.

This really just isn’t true!

Yea it is. I mean, I wouldn't say "stink" but yea it's usually obvious when a house has pets. Cats are worse. They're really gross.

It's not true if you clean your house and wash your pets. Also the breed does matter.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly every house with a dog or cat stinks, whether the owner realizes it or not.

This really just isn’t true!

Yea it is. I mean, I wouldn't say "stink" but yea it's usually obvious when a house has pets. Cats are worse. They're really gross.

I have friends who have dogs whose houses STINK! And I have friends whose houses with dogs smell fresh and clean and not in an artificial way. I’ve experienced it firsthand, so I politely disagree.

But I agree with the cat statement. All cats stink.