To those who let their doggy friends on the bed. DOGGY SMELL- how do I get rid of it?

[ToBeEvergreen]

Cass is pretty clean. I give her a bath once or twice a month when she smells, or if she gets into something. She sleeps with me at night, usually at the foot of the bed or curled up at my side. But one problem.

She smells. Not too bad, but like a dog. And it's on my top sheet, which I then change every few days.

Anybody come up with solutions for that doggy smell? I take a shower and then go to lay down and... it doesn't feel clean xD. It smells like dog...

If there are no solutions, so be it. Please do not respond with "Then don't let her on the bed", ha. I can deal with it, but a solution would still be welcome.

[luvofallhorses]

LOL dogs smell like dogs. Is it muddy where you are? They can be more stinky when it's muddy or if they have been in the rain. :)

[Roxyluvsme13]

Try some Febreeze? :p

Lily has her own pillow in my bed, but I don't really notice a doggy smell.

[ToBeEvergreen]

Luvofallhorses: Yes. New England weather. Rainy for a week at a time sometimes xD. And she loves to lay in the yard.

Roxyluvsme: Aw! I could try a blanket at the end of the bed, she seems to curl up to anything extra I put on. LOL, you are lucky, saved from the "natural" doggy odor.

[luvofallhorses]

Be careful with putting febreeze on bedding.. she could have a bad reaction. My dogs sleep with me, I forgot to say that. They smell from time to time if it's muddy/rainy out.

[Karen]

Yes, if she will lay on a folded blanket on the bed, especially when it has been damp out - and this being fall, you know it is gonna happen - that would be easier to take off and wash every couple days than having to strip the whole bed!

[dab_20]

I also put a blanket on the end of my bed and that's where my two sleep. Sammy can smell after a week after his bath. I hate my sheets and pillows smelling like him. Lol and I roll over in my sleep and sometimes will lay on molli! So she's not allowed to sleep on my side anymore lol

[Taz_Zoee]

Most of the time both of my dogs sleep with us. Usually Zoee stays at the end of the bed and sometimes they will lay in the absent person's spot. I go to bed way before Bruce and get up way before he does. I've never noticed the "dog smell" too bad. Maybe because I'm in California. But in the winter I put just a plain white sheet over the comforter. Its much easier to wash (or bleach if necessary) the sheet than washing the comforter all the time.
I know when Zoee got skunked she was NOT allowed to sleep with us. It was sad, but she knew she wasn't allowed. After about 6 months she was finally able to get on the bed again.

Another suggestion would be to have a couple blankets that way you can rotate them while your washing them. And don't allow her to sleep on the sheets at all. Bruce gets mad when he sees Zoee on his pillow. But she does it after I fall asleep. And I've gone in the room in the morning and found her laying with her head on my pillow several times too. Again, I've not noticed a dog smell from them. Surprising since Zoee has the double coat too.

[happylabs]

What type of dog food does she eat? A higher quality of dog food might help. The extra blanket for her to lay on is a good idea. When I had Casey she always slept with me on the left side of the bed. I miss having her there. It is comforting to have a dog by your side or at your feet at night. Now I have Buddy. :love:

Peppermint essential oil is a good odor cover-up smell and also cinnamon. You can get it at the health food store. When we had all that rain here last week I would put some peppermint oil on one of those little make-up remover pads and put several around my room.

[Freedom]

Bichons rarely have that dog smell.

I have an extra throw across the foot of the bed, 2 of them like to sleep down there. I also have 2 donut beds on my bed, those are always full, dog or cat, just depends.

When I change the bed, I spray Lysol on the mattress, or mattress pad (depends how much I am changing) and let it air for an hour before putting it all back together again. I also spray both sides of the pillows.

What laundry detergent do you use? I switched from Tide to one from Whole Foods market, and that has made a difference too. (Plus 2 of my bichons had the itches which were directly related to the Tide.)

[pomtzu]

Both of my little guys sleep on the bed, and they don't normally have that doggie smell so it's not a problem. Sparky usually sleeps at the foot of the bed so is laying on the bedspread that has been folded back. Myndi lays next to me (in place of a husband!! :p), and even tho she doesn't smell bad, she has a habit of wiping her face on the sheets. Once she started doing that, I just put a beach towel down over the sheet on her side of the bed, so that's easy to just toss in the wash and put another one down instead of having to strip the bed and wash the sheets more often than I normally would.

[chocolatepuppy]

I keep an 'easy to wash' fleece blanket on my bed and I have several. My dogs usually sleep towards the end half of the bed. ;)

[Sowa]

I kinda like the smell of my dogs :o They don't really have a strong smell though. I was going to suggest a blanket also, but it's already been mentioned :)

[sasvermont]

I usually put a doggie bed on my bed. I have one beside my bed as well. Sometimes my dog likes to sleep on the floor bed...:rolleyes: She usually tries to beat the cat out of her usual spot next to me, but in the end Prue the dog is usually at the foot of the bed....where I put the doggie bed. She is attached to her beds and spends her sleeping time in one most days and nights. I also have one at the end of the sofa in the living room. It keeps her hair/smell all in one place.

I don't have to wash the bed clothes any more often than I used to but I will admit, sometimes Prue's feet stink....and I have to wash her beds and my bed clothes a tad more often.

Dogs can get stinky, that's for sure. Especially when the ROLL in stuff. That is Prue's famous past time.

Doggie beds have saved my bed, sofa and in general lots of washing of other things.... They are light, made of nice warm material...and since Prue is only 21 pounds, not that big.

;) Good luck with your stinky dog. We all have one..... you are not alone with your problem.

[caseysmom]

I don't mind the smell of my dogs, its kind of comforting but they don't have a strong smell or get wet or dirty much.

[lizbud]

I like to use doggie wipes between their baths to freshen up their
fur smell. Neither one smells bad except when they can really wet from the
rain. I towel them off & use the wipes. Just takes a minute & they stay
smelling fresh & their fur is shiny.

My problem is the hair they leave on the bed or couch & I use flannel
blankets or throws to help with that.

[IRescue452]

I have another suggestion that may help with some doggy smell. Autumn doesn't have a nasty smell usually. One time she did smell strongly like stinky dog smell was when she had a bacterial infection in her eye. Since your dog has a wrinkly face and pertruding eyes you should naturally pay particular attention to cleaning the face and possibly talk to your vet about the eyes and maybe some eye drops. Autumn gets regular human otc eye drops now. Also clean food and water bowls often, especially if they are plastic, because bacteria thrives there and can get on an animal's face that way.

As for the rest of her body, I'd suggest giving her a full bath less because some people think bathing an animal dries out their skin and causes their skin to produce more oils to combat the dryness. I also personally recommend Nature's Specialties shampoos because thats what we used to use at the boarding kennel I worked at and we got nothing but good comments all the time.

[ToBeEvergreen]

Blanket is at the end of the bed. I'm tellin' Cassie to lay there now, and she looks kind of stubbornly at me sometimes but lays down. Though during the night she will cuddle into me and try to slither up, ha.

Thanks for the suggestions all! She is napping at the end of the bed right now.

She does get gunk in her eyes. We asked the vet about it, and she said it's normal for her facial structure as you said IRescue. I clean around her eyes with a damp cloth daily to prevent build-up and infection :). As for the shampoo, I'll have to look into that. We currently use a doggy oatmeal solution. I bath her maybe a few times a month, depending on if I've taken her in the lake nearby lately.

Her paws hve been muddy with the rain this week, gotta wipe em good..