How To Make Dog Smell Better Without Bath (Know The 7 Best Ways)

A cute pup with a fresh smell is so adorable. On the other hand, the same pup will be reluctant to touch due to spreading a bad smell. As your pup becomes your family member, and close companion, you love him a lot. So there is no way to keep him away from you.

A regular bath is the best solution to keep your dog fresh and clean. But it’s not a good practice to bathe him every day, as it may cause serious health issues.

In that case, how to make a dog smell better without a bath? 

Good oral and ear care is the best way to avoid your pup’s odor. Apart from those, cleaning his fur with waterless shampoo, spraying deodorize, and washing his bed and blankets are some of the tasks that can prevent dog smells.

Here, in this post, we’ll learn the basic steps to keep your dog bad smell-free without a bath. So let’s check it.

What Causes Dog Smell After Bathing

We know you are here to learn how to keep your dog smelling better without bathing. But isn’t it like a half-done job if you only learn those things instead of the reason that makes your dog smell bad?

Maybe you are shaking your head to say yes. So it’s our responsibility to let you know the fundamental causes of what makes your dog smell bad after bathing.

Reason 1

Your dog’s skin has uncountable volumes of living microorganisms like yeasts and bacteria. When he produces sweat, these microorganisms become aerosolized due to water evaporation and create an awful smell.

Reason 2

Irregular brushing of your dog’s teeth causes dental problems and generates bad breath. So you get a bad smell from your dog during his breathing.

Reason 3

Sometimes your dog’s dirty ears or yeast infection also causes a bad smell.

Reason 4

When your dog plays, his paws get stinky with mud and dirt. These stinky paws spread an unbearable odor.

Reason 5

Keeping your dog’s bedding uncleaned for a long time creates a bad smell on your dog. Because when he sleeps or lays down on that bedding, these bad odors may transfer to your dog’s fur and skin.

Reason 6

Reason 7

Some common medical issues like skin infections, otitis, and gland disease may also cause an offensive smell.

These are the common causes of smelly dogs even after bathing. Here, we enlist 7 reasons that all won’t be the causes for your dog’s smell. First, you should diagnose why your dog smells bad after a bath. It’ll make your task easier to keep the dog smelling better without a bath.

How To Make Dog Smell Better Without Bath

There are two best ways (home remedies and commercial products) to make your dog’s smell better without a bath. Since applying the home remedies are easier and cost free than commercial products. So first we share these steps and then recommend a dry shampoo and a deodorant to get a better-smelling dog.

Home Remedies For Smelly Dog

Yes, many ingredients that are available in your home are convenient to prevent a dog’s bad smell without a bath. As these are already at your fingertip, you won’t have to spend any bucks to collect them.

Solution For Reason 1

A dry bath is a nice option to avoid dog skin microorganisms creating odor. It also shines the dog’s fur and looks healthy.

The Things You'll Need

  • Baking soda
  • Water
  • A spray bottle
  • A brush

Process

  • Pour a 50/50 ratio of baking soda/cornstarch and water into a spray bottle. 
  • Shake the bottle to mix the ingredients properly. 
  • Now, spray the solution on your dog’s fur to coat. 
  • Wait 15 minutes to let the solution absorb the excess oil from your dog’s skin. 
  • Then brush your dog’s fur to remove the extra hair, fur, and dirt.


Note: You must brush your dog 2-5 times weekly to distribute natural oils, remove dead fur, and limit shading.

Solution For Reason 2

Brushing the dog’s teeth is a must to keep his teeth shiny, strong, and healthy. Even regular and proper dental care is an unavoidable part of grooming your dog.

The Things You'll Need

  • Nothing but your finger

Process

  • If your dog is a pup, you can start brushing his gum and teeth with your finger as he feels relaxed. 
  • Just open your dog’s mouth, gently place your middle finger on his teeth.
  • Rub the gum and teeth with your finger back and forth.
  • Sometimes rub in a circular motion to reach all the spaces. 


Note: You should brush your dog’s teeth 2 times daily like a human. If the dog is an adult, you have to use the best dog toothbrush and toothpaste according to his age. You can also use dental chews, wipes, and water additives to freshen your dog’s breath.

Solution For Reason 3

Regular cleaning your dog’s ears is a straightforward way to avoid a smelly dog due to dirty ears.

The Things You'll Need

  • Q-tips
  • Cotton balls or gauze
  • Baby oil

Process

  • First, clean all the folds of your dog ears with cotton balls. 
  • Pour a few drops of baby oil into the dog’s ear canal. 
  • Thoroughly massage the ears to dissolve any deep-set dirt particles and odor. 
  • Slowly push a Q-tip into your dog’s ear canal and bring out the dirt. You should clean the ear from inside to outside. 
  • Repeat the process several times until you are sure there is no dirt inside the ear. 
  • Follow the same steps for the 2nd ear.

Note: If your dog has floppy ears, you have to clean his dog once a week. Otherwise, a monthly ear cleaning is enough.  However, you should use dog ear cleaners the best ear cleaner for german shepherds and Q-tips to ensure best cleansing. If you notice the dog ears look red, painful, or swollen. You have to visit your vet to get the best results.

Solution For Reason 4

Every time your dog plays or swims, you should properly wash his paws so they don’t get stinky. But don’t you know how to wash dog paws with heavy dirt? Never mind. It’s so simple.

The Things You'll Need

  • A mixing bowl
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon dish soap
  • A few drops of coconut oil
  • Some paper towels 
  • A clean rug

Process

  • Pour all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and whisk them for proper mixing. 
  • Soak your dog’s paws into the solution and wipe them with a rolled paper towel. 
  • Now bring out his paws from the solution, rinse with clean water, and wipe them with a clean rug to dry.

Note: You should clean your dog’s paws when he returns from roadside walking or exercising. If he has a problem catching a cold, you can use wet wipes to clean his paws instead of washing.

Solution For Reason 5

Sometimes, you may overlook your dog’s bedding to clean. But, these should be cleaned to remove the dog’s loose hair, fur, dander, dirt, and oils.

The Things You'll Need

  • A pet-safe laundry detergent 
  • A vacuum cleaner

Process

  • Vacuum the beddings to remove the solid and loose debris from the beddings. 
  • Prepare your washing machine with pet-safe laundry detergent. 
  • Leave the bedding in the washing machine to clean it. 
  • Now, dry them under sunlight. 


Note: Everyday use a vacuum cleaner to clean the dog beddings and blankets. Don’t machines wash these frequently, as it makes them shrink. Sometimes try to dry the beddings under sunlight and fresh air because the fresh air and sunlight will naturally deodorize these.

Solution For Reason 6

If your dog smells bad from feeding low-quality or too much raw food. There is no option to offer dog food that helps dogs smell better. A balanced, well cooked, and warm food is great for avoiding bad smells.

Don’t offer your dog stale food, as they may cause a bad smell. Even sometimes, offer fresh herbs such as parsley to boost and neutralize your dog’s smell.

Solution for Reason 7

If your dog still smells after regular bathing and following the above tricks. It may need a medical check-up to solve the problem.

In that case, you should immediately consult with your regular vet to help you. Otherwise, the condition may turn into something serious that is unexpected.

Commercial Products For Smelly Dogs

Most of cases, if you follow these home remedies, you will succeed in making the dog smell better without a bath. But, as these are slightly slow procedures, these may not be appropriate when looking for an instant solution.

Yes, we also keep in mind busy pet owners like you. So here we just disclose two commercial products that work immediately to vanish your dog’s bad smell without requiring a bath.

Vet Recommended Waterless Dog Shampoo

Vet Recommended Waterless Dog Shampoo


You’ll be happy to know that we choose vet-recommended waterless
dog shampoo the best shampoo for great pyrenees as an instant solution for your smelly dog. This is a perfect alternative to the time-consuming process of spot cleaning and removing the smell. There are also a few reasons to pick it. Such as

  • It is completely alcohol and detergent free, which makes it safe for pets. 
  • Easy to use. Just spray to coat your dog and wipe him with a clean rug.
  • Once you clean your dog with it, you’ll get a fresh apple scent from the dog. 
  • Appropriate to use on all types of dog hair and sensitive skin.

Wahl Deodorizing & Refreshing Pet Deodorant For Dogs

Wahl Deodorizing & Refreshing Pet Deodorant For Dogs
A deodorant spray is an excellent choice for pet owners to freshen their pets between baths. The Wahl pet deodorant can magically element any odor of the dogs within a few seconds.

  • It is completely alcohol and paraben-free, so pet safe.  
  • The pH-balanced formula makes it allergy-friendly. 
  • The eucalyptus & spearmint ensure your pet’s delicate skin protection and offer a fresh smell. 
  • Super fast and easy application with tapping the bottle’s head to spray.

Final Words

All those tips and tricks work incredibly well when you follow the regular bath, which is at least one bath every 3 months. Every week you should also wash your dog with a gentle shampoo to keep it clean.

These are just alternatives to make a dog smell better without a bath or in-between baths. If you don’t bathe your dog when he requires it, all those attempts will be unsuccessful for this unconsciousness.

So always give your dog a completely relaxing bath, and then apply the tips to keep your pet child freshened all the time.

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