[Laneco]

Hi Greg,

I've also got a VERY sensitive nose and cannot stand dog odor. A little dog odor, no problem, but after that SOMEBODY's getting a bath! My husband has had three basset hounds, a breed that I've grown to despise due to the smell. Very strong odor from that breed. Labs tend to smell too but not as much as a Bassett. The Lab's coat is designed to sort of wick away water and the oil/whatever in the coat tends to trap odor.

Working on the assumption that the food is good quality (no grain/corn, etc), and the dog has no skin or ear infections, no anal gland issues, etc.., just doggy smell, here is what I suggest. Wash the dog about once per month with a dog shampoo. If you wash them too often, you actually aggravate the problem. Dry the dog - don't let her head outside and find something to roll in. Dry the inside of the ears thoroughly. If left wet, it is a breeding ground for yeast infections/ear infections. Uncomfortable for the dog and a pretty bad odor to boot.

Next, wash EVERYTHING she touched, bed, towels, etc. For the dog beds, I wind up washing them every single week (due to the Basset hound...). I use a couple of dryer sheets in the dryer just because it smells nice. Some dogs are allergic to those, so if the dryer sheets cause problem, stop immediately.

For in-between shampoos, sodium bicabonate (baking soda) makes a good and very safe smell killer. Take her outside, rub into the coat, brush it out. Wipe the ears out with cottonballs/witch hazel or ear cleaner. Probably keep that at about once per week, otherwise the baking soda winds up stripping the oils out of the coat.

Hope that helps!

angela