Danilo A. Nelson Webboard User Reg: 02-05-2010
Posts: 573
Loc: Fort Bragg, NC
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I am the dog lover in my house. Whit that said, how do you keep your dog clean, and free of the dogie odor? in between baths? Just a reminder, we walk a lot in the bushes and not so nice trails. Dan
A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself. ~Josh Billings
Tracy Collins Webboard User Reg: 10-09-2008
Posts: 1917
Loc: St. Louis, Missouri
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Brushing will remove leaves and sticks (and old dead hair). Frequent brushing is the biggest grooming issue with a GSD. They are hair factories. A grooming tool called a "Furminator" is worth the investment. Works better than anything else on a GSD coat.
If paws are muddy, but the rest of the dog is clean-ish, you can just wash feet--with a wet rag, or have him step through a dishpan of water. Or just hose off the dirty parts. I keep a dog towel by the back door for quick wipe-offs.
I'm convinced that "doggie odor" has a lot to do with what the dog eats. My raw-fed dogs don't have that doggy smell at all. (Which came as a surprise to me when I started feeding raw 5 or 6 years ago. Dogs I had owned in the past who ate kibble did have a doggie smell.)
I've seen (but never tried) dry shampoos and scented sprays designed to help mask a dog's odor between baths.
Bottom line: owning dogs isn't for the overly-fastidious. And that goes double for a GSD.
Where I live it is beastly hot in the summer. So we do lots of
what I call " Hose time"
That just means that they get to be sprayed with the hose which is their favorite summer thing to do outside of the usual ball chase etc. The way they like to bite at the water stream, it is like a huge doggie water pik for their teeth too.
Just a good rinse down can really help keep their coats cleaned of stuff they pick up when outside. You could try a rinse with water and see how that goes.
I'm convinced that "doggie odor" has a lot to do with what the dog eats. My raw-fed dogs don't have that doggy smell at all. (Which came as a surprise to me when I started feeding raw 5 or 6 years ago. Dogs I had owned in the past who ate kibble did have a doggie smell.)
I've been thinking about this for a couple of days, as I am dog-sitting for 2 beagles right now. They eat a kibble with grain, and have really bad doggy odor. My dog eats Orijen, and to me has no odor. I've been wondering if he does have an odor, but I'm just so used to it that I no longer smell him.
Anne Jones Webboard User Reg: 04-29-2004
Posts: 3825
Loc: Northeast
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I too feed raw & my dogs have no doggie smell. The only time that they smell is when their hair is wet (if out in the rain) until it drys. It is a wet hair smell & not a doggie smell.
I brush freequently, wipe feet & towel off the dogs as they come into the house if they have been out in the rain. I hose them down if they get muddy, but for actual baths.....they get bathed during the summer & in the fall just before it gets too cold to do outside. I have a shower on my family room level & use that if I think that they need a winter bath & then let them lay in front of the fireplace after toweling off to finish drying.
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