How to Reduce Summer Dog Odor Without a Bath

Get rid of that summer dog smell without giving your dog a bath every day.

Smelly dogs seem to come with the change of the calendar page to summer. Hot days can leave your dog smelling less than sweet. A bath will surely cure the odor, but you don't want to be stuck bathing your dog every day. It's a lot of work for you and not good for your dog's skin. You can get rid of that hot dog smell without a daily bath.

Things You'll Need

• Baby powder
• Fabric sheets
• Dog wipes

Instructions

1. Sprinkle a little baby powder on an old hand towel and thoroughly wipe your dog with the towel. If your dog has a fairly dark coat, pat her down a few times to make sure there is no visible powdery residue. Be careful not to get any of the powder in your dog's eyes or ears because that could cause some unwanted agitation. Baby powder works like a charm on those pesky odors.

2. Take a fabric softener sheet that you use in your dryer and brush your dog vigorously with it. The fabric sheet is thin and dry, so your dog will hardly even notice what you're doing. The scented sheet will soak up your dog's odor and replace it with whatever scent is on your dryer sheet.

3. Use dog wipes. Most pet stores carry wipes that can be used for bathing a dog. These are quite effective at reducing the odor, and they are only slightly damp, so your dog will dry quickly. They come packaged just like baby wipes and can be pulled out one wipe at a time. They are very sturdy, so they don't rip or tear.

Tips & Warnings

• Strangely enough, you might have two entirely different canine breeds in your home, and the odor from each one is almost exactly the same. Once the temperature rises above 80 degrees, you find yourself shuddering when you bring your dogs back inside because they smell really bad. The ideal situation would be to bathe your dog immediately and wash away the sweaty odor, but that is not practical when almost every day the temperature rises above 80 degrees. You simply don't have the time or the determination to wash your pet every single day

References

• Washington Post: Dog's Odor Problem Might Be More Than Skin Deep