Doggie Aromas!

Dogs! We love them to pieces but sometimes they do smell a tad!

Zara Lewis has provided two previous guest posts for you good people and both of them were well received. Very well received!

So here is Zara’s third. My intuition is that will similarly go down well with all you good people out there!

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8 Tips for Keeping a Dog-Friendly Home Clean and Odor-Free

The love and affection that you give your dog and that it gives back to you makes the whole relationship truly fulfilling. But it wouldn’t be lying if we said that taking care of a pet dog and keeping a clean and tidy home at the same time does requires quite a bit of effort and energy. Here are some of the most practical tips on how to confront your four-legged companion’s gift to create a mess.

1 – Brush and bathe regularly

One of the most effective ways in which you can avoid finding your pooch’s hair in your soup, ears, sock drawers, or anywhere else in your home is to brush its coat on a daily basis, preferably somewhere outside. Besides keeping a neater appearance, you will prevent tons of hair piling up in the furthest, least accessible corners and areas of your rooms.

Make sure your pet also gets a good bath whenever it needs to. The frequency depends on its coat—dogs with more oily coats may need a bath as often as once a week, while for others, it is usually no more than once a month.

2 – Keep those paws clean

Whenever you and your pooch return from a walk, thoroughly wipe its paws with a damp towel or baby wipes. That way, no mud or dirt will be spread around, and maintaining the hygiene of the whole place will be even easier.

3 – Teach your dog where to do its business

Don’t let your precious one do its business wherever and whenever it feels like doing it. It may seem like something implied and silly to even mention, but some dog owners still do disregard this advice. Train your pooch to poop or pee outside, or only at specific places in your home if it’s left alone for a longer period of time—for example, in a litter box. Even when it does happen that he or she simply can’t control it, clean the mess right away.

4 – Maintain hygiene in all rooms

Ok, this one is somewhat obvious—keep your vacuum cleaner, duster, and mop close. No matter how much hair you manage to brush off your friend, some of it will inevitably sneak its way into your surroundings. Cleaning and dusting all the surfaces in your home will significantly reduce the amount of hair lying around, but also dander, dirt, and bacteria.

5 – Wash your dog’s food bowls

Not only can the remains from your dog’s previous meals get stuck in there and start smelling pretty bad, dirty bowls and dishes can be a breeding ground for masses of bacteria. That is why you should wash them at least once a day to prevent any minor or major consequences. After all, you do it with your plates, don’t you? Same thing.

6 – Be aware of the air you breathe

Living with dogs, we quickly get used to their smell and stop noticing the unpleasant odor that they may occasionally leave behind. But your guests certainly notice. You can tackle this problem by airing all the rooms regularly, along with lighting scented candles or sticks, or using high-quality air fresheners.

An even more effective solution than scented candles and sticks would be to equip yourself with an air purifier. If you’re looking for a top-notch product with more long-lasting benefits, turn to a mold air purifier by Oransi. It contains a HEPA filter which, besides removing the unpleasant odor, keeps the air even fresher, and gets rid of dust, dander, mold, and allergens floating round your room. A highly recommendable option for people with pets.

7 – Define your pooch’s territory

If you have the luxury of living in a bigger house or apartment, set boundaries or determine the space where your pet can roam freely. For example, allow him or her to enjoy the first floor of the house, and make the second floor a ‘humans only’ area. Also, determine a specific space or object for them to sleep on, like a cushion or a cozy blanket that will always remain in the same spot.

8 – Lint rollers are your friends

Lint removers are a really convenient way of keeping your furniture, as well as your clothes, hair and dander-free. It only takes a minute and requires minimal effort. Moreover, you can use them on any kind of textile. So, in case you haven’t got one, you might want to consider changing that.

Remember that keeping a clean and odor-free home primarily means keeping you and your beloved pet healthy and happy.

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Let me repeat Zara’s opening sentence: “The love and affection that you give your dog and that it gives back to you makes the whole relationship truly fulfilling.” No question at all about that!

But I would word it in a more gutsy manner ( and this is in no way a criticism of Zara) especially as the coming-home greeting that Jean and I had from our dogs just last Friday is still fresh in my mind.

Pure unconditional love is very rare between humans as opposed to true love that, thankfully, is common. Our dogs offer us unconditional love. Pure, total, perfect unconditional love!

21 thoughts on “Doggie Aromas!”

    1. In my case more by accident than by trying. To be nose blind. Way back in the 1960’s a woman ran out from behind a parked truck and came through my windscreen. I was driving North along the old A1 in England and there was a spot South of Hatfield where there were public toilets. The woman thought the road was clear and darted out to run across the road, only to appear in front of me by no more than 30 feet.

      Luckily I was driving a low car, an Austin Healey Sprite, otherwise I would have run over her. She and I were both taken into hospital where she was diagnosed with minor injuries and I was diagnosed with a broken nose. That soon healed but left me for evermore with a very poor sense of smell.

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  2. Hope you have had a lovely trip.

    Ah, good advice. As a pet sitter, we notice doggy aromas right away when we walk into homes. And so a couple of things we do is to wash all the doggy bedding frequently. We also make sure the dog in question is getting enough oil in its diet. We once sat an adorable Spaniel who was unfortunately overweight, had bad breath and smelled quiet strong.

    My solution was to brush his teeth with coconut oil…improved his breath enormously, (he loved the taste, so was a treat last thing at night after his dental stick).
    I brushed him daily and his coat soon began to shine and the dead skin and dull gloop in his coat went away. All bedding was washes frequently.

    Another tip is to make sure that your pooch is getting plenty of exercise. The Spaniel was kept on the same diet but I took him from zero exercise to getting at least two one-hour walks a day. He thrived on this regime, dropping weight, becoming svelte, happy and odourless.

    I have mixed feeling about frequent bathing. If a dog is unwell, has a poor diet, no exercise or intestinal problems, no amount of bathing will cover it up. In fact, frequent bathing can lead to dry itchy skin and cracked paws. If frequent bathing is necessary (for your sanity) then use a mild soap intended specifically for dogs with dry skin, or make a holistic soap without sodium laurel sulphate(foaming agent) to give your pooch problems. Healthy dogs should only need plain water scrubs frequently and soap and water scrubs of the more thorough variety about twice per year. However, I can commiserate with anyone who has a pooch that seems to spend half its life down rabbit holes… I have seen one of my charges come to the door covered with so much muck, his face looked like it was covered with an octopus! So use discretion on the bathing thing.

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    1. Sorry, that was a bit poorly written (blaming my phone limitations).

      One other thing… Carpets soak up dog odour more than anything. If your place is carpeted, put washable throws down wherever your dog likes to snooze (some allow their pooched onto sofas and chairs). It is so much easier and safer to wash the throw than to try to take the smell out of furniture and carpets with chemical deodorizers.

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      1. It wasn’t poorly written at all. Far from it! In fact, your replies had loads of great advice in support of what Zara provided. All supported by our own practices. Such as not bathing our dogs! Thank you, Colette!

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    2. Hi colettebytes,
      Thank you for sharing your insights, I would probably never come up with coconut oil, great idea!

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      1. It was a great post Zara, and it is so easy to become inured to the smells in one’s own living space that it is easy to not notice the smell of pets at all. In many ways, we people get a bit over zealous on the fact that everything should smell like febreeze and air freshners., both of which can cause lung irritations. But it is good to notice our pet friends odours as if they are worsening for some reason, it can be indicative of a health imbalance. 😊

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    2. Yes, my two share my bed as well – and the couch, and the rug in front of the fire… And I kinda like the smell of my dogs (although not always their breath !). Alas, I think I fail on a couple of more points too. But I certainly don’t fail in the love I bestow on my dogs (and cats) although others might call it indulgence. But I sort of regard them as equal beings in a way, with equal rights to happiness and comfort and yes, respect.

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      1. Perfect! One might extend your wonderful ideas by adding that in many, many ways we humans can learn from our dogs. (Sorry! I know that wasn’t very original! 😎 )

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    3. Hahaha, I agree with Paul, it’s not a failure. I wrote those tips on making your cleaning easier, but I know how enjoyable sleeping with a dog can be ❤

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