Help for your stinky dog

We love our dogs and want to be close to them. So when they smell bad, we need to find out if the foul odor has an underlying cause.

AKC Family Dog magazine explains the most common causes of canine odor and offers these tips to help keep your dog healthy, clean, and comfortable.

Ears: Terrible odors can come from your dog’s ears. If they stink or smell yeasty, chances are your dog has a yeast or bacterial infection. See your veterinarian.

Skin: Yeast and bacteria accumulating on your dog’s skin is a common cause of an overall unpleasant odor. Your best bet is to keep your dog clean. Regularly bathe him (every week or two). Use a gentle, moisturizing shampoo, and make sure to scrub to the skin. Thoroughly clean between wrinkles and paw pads. Rinsing very well is also key.

Coat: If your dog is clean yet still smells bad, the cause may be improper drying. This is common in double-coated breeds. A layer of moisture lingers under the topcoat and gets rancid, not only causing odor but leading to skin problems if left unchecked. After drying your dog, make sure you can run a comb through his entire coat, all the way down to the skin. This will allow his coat to dry completely. If using a human blow dryer, be sure to set on cool since they can become too hot.