8 Homemade Remedies for Smelly Dogs 

1. Give Your Dog Regular Baths

The best way to handle odor is to act preventatively, starting with a consistent bath routine. According to the American Kennel Club, many factors influence your dog’s bathtime routine, like their coat type and breed. While some people recommend bathing every 2-3 months, some dogs cannot wait this long for a good bath. Others become dry and itchy because this schedule is far too often.

Dogs with a thick or double coat – like a golden retriever or a Siberian Husky – are seasonal bathers because of the natural changes of their coats during the year. If the dog has a medium-length or long coat, they might not need a bath more often than every 6 weeks, but some breeds need weekly baths. Use the recommended shampoo from their veterinarian for dogs with a health condition. With any bath, ensure their fur is completely dry when you finish to eliminate the risk of fungus or bacteria.

2. Feed Your Dog A Healthier Diet With Natural Foods

Dogs that seem to emanate a bad smell might need an adjustment in their diet. Cooked, boneless chicken is a balanced and healthy protein for any dog, setting a better tone for their digestive system. During the changes in their skin and fur, this improved diet improves their gastrointestinal health, too.

Changing the diet of your smelly dog benefits their senses as well. A study published by Cornell University showed that improved diets promote healthier body temperature regulation and support their sense of smell.

3. Use Baking Soda On Your Dog’s Coat

If your dog has a lingering odor between regular baths, baking soda is one of the best natural neutralizers. Baking soda naturally neutralizes the molecules responsible for causing odor. The easiest way to eliminate odors quickly is by patting your smelly dog down with baking powder in a dry bath. Some people add dog-safe essential oils to the coat during a dry bath to nourish their fur and skin.

Baking soda is safe in water to create a natural rinse for your dog. Mix baking soda with water, and lather it into your dog’s coat before rinsing it. Unlike shampoos, baking soda won’t dry out your dog’s skin, but it will remove the smell.

4. Brush Down Your Smelly Dog With Cornstarch

Ground into a fine powder, cornstarch absorbs smell, too. It is safe to use almost anywhere, pulling the smell off your dog’s fur and skin. Some people even use it as a natural deodorant, like baking soda, for their home, clothes, or themselves.

Disperse a layer of cornstarch over your typical dog brush using a container that allows you to sprinkle, like a baby powder bottle or large salt shaker. Brush against the grain first, getting underneath your dog’s fur to get rid of any dead fur or debris stuck in their fur. Then, brush it in the normal direction of their fur until you don’t see or feel any cornstarch left behind.

5. Use Apple Cider Vinegar In Your Dog’s Shampoo

When you get your dog into a bath, add apple cider vinegar as your homemade solution for their bad odors. Apple cider vinegar, like other vinegar, naturally neutralizes odors because it kills the cell membranes in bacteria.

As effective as apple cider vinegar is, do not drench your dog in this vinegar. Instead, dilute it with equal parts of a dog-safe soap – natural shampoo or dish soap – and mix the solution with a cup of water. This mixture becomes their new shampoo for the evening, getting rid of any odors still in their skin and fur.

6. Wash Your Smelly Dog’s Bed

If you notice that your dog keeps bringing back this odor, even when you eliminate it with a bath or one of the other solutions here, their bed could be the culprit. Laying on their bed transfers some of that odor onto it, even if they only lay down briefly. Once your dog is clean, check their bed. If their bed smells just as bad as they did, put it in the wash so they both smell fresh.

7. Use Your Dish Soap For An Extra Smelly Day

If regular bathing isn’t enough, take a day to wash your dog with the same soap you already have in the kitchen. Dawn dish soap helps to strip down any clinging smells gently. However, this remedy should not replace consistent bathing with regular shampoo because it can dry out their skin without proper aftercare. It removes oils, and dogs still need much of that oil to keep their skin from being overly dry.

8. Add A Little Coconut Oil To Your Dog’s Diet

Coconut oil offers an excellent medium chain triglycerides (MCT) source, which is good for the brain and digestive system. If you add coconut oil to their diet, you need to mix it into their food or water to get the benefits, helping to reduce the risk of digestive issues that impact their smelly odor. Coconut oil can provide impressive health benefits for your dog, but PetMD recommends no more than a teaspoon daily, though smaller dogs should start at 25%.

DO NOT USE: Essential Oils

While some people recommend using tea tree oil or citrus oil as an odor solution, essential oils are generally unsafe for dogs. These oils have natural antioxidant benefits and may even repel insects, but the biggest risk is licking. Dogs lick themselves to clean, scratch an itch, and many other reasons, but ingesting these essential oils could be fatal. Stick with natural ingredients and safe solutions to make odor-busting remedies, rather than essential oils.