How To Keep A Goldendoodle Smelling Good: A Complete Guide
Does your Goldendoodle always smell? While this can just be because your Goldendoodle loves to play in the mud, but there can be some medical reasons for this smell. If you try everything possible and cannot find the smell, take your Goldendoodle to your vet. They can help you figure out where this smell is coming from and what to do about it.
How to keep Your Goldendoodle smelling good:
There are certain things that you can do to keep your Goldendoodle smelling great. Things such as
- Weekly Baths
- Daily Teeth Brushing
- Doggie Perfume
- Weekly Ear Cleanings
- Gland Expressing if necessary
- Regular Vet Visits
Depending on why your Goldendoodle is smelly will indicate what you need to do about it. Ear infections, debris in your dog’s fur, skin problems, health issues, and more can result in a Goldendoodle’s bad odor. Thankfully, this article can help you get your pup smelling fresh.
Why Does My Goldendoodle Smell So Bad
There are many causes making your Goldendoodle smell. Some of these are obvious for you to see. Some causes you may have to do a little investigating to figure out what is causing your Goldendoodle to smell.
The good thing is that many of these can be very easily treated or prevented with just a little work. Many times, just weekly routine maintenance can help your Goldendoodle smell much better. Once you figure out the cause of the smell, it is much easier to address what you can do to treat or prevent the smell.
A few of the most common reasons that your Goldendoodle may smell are:
There are many solutions to keeping your Goldendoodle smelling great. The treatment will all depend on what is causing the smell and may even be a combination of a few different things.
Ear Infections in Your Goldendoodle
All Poodles and Poodle mixes are very susceptible to ear infection because of the excessive growth of hair in their ears. This infection can cause a very horrible smell.
If you notice a bad smell coming from your dog’s ear and black discharge, your Goldendoodle most likely has an ear infection.
If your Goldendoodle has an infection in their ear, you will need to see your vet. They can take a sample of what is growing in your Goldendoodle’s ear and start them on medication to treat the infection. The ears are very important to your Goldendoodle’s hearing.
Your Goldendoodle can have a bad smell coming from their ears even before they show signs of an infection. This smell is usually the result of excessive hair growth in their ears.
Fortunately, many groomers can remove the excessive hair that is in your Goldendoodle’s hair. This excessive hair traps moisture leading to bacterial and yeast infection, causing the horrible smell.
Keeping your Goldendoodle’s ears clean can be one of the most labor-intensive parts of grooming your Goldendoodle. You can easily learn how to take care of the hair in your Goldendoodle’s ears yourself.
Dental Issues Can Cause Bad Breath in Your Goldendoodle
All dogs, even Goldendoodles, can have bad breath. It is common for the bad odor you are smelly on your Goldendoodle being dental disease. Dental disease can often carry a very bad smell that you can pick up on when your Goldendoodle is giving you kisses.
Both Poodles and Golden Retrievers suffer from gum recession. This will lead to an increase of bacteria present in their mouth. This will cause their breath can be very stinky.
The main causes of dental issues in dogs are
- Periodontal disease or gum disease – This is caused when pockets form in the gums, causing them to recede around the tooth. These pockets can easily allow food and bacteria to be trapped near the tooth.
- Calculus and plaque – These are caused when food stays on the teeth. This allows bacteria to grow. The bacteria cause a build-up dental plaque, which is soft. This can be easily removed as this progress calculus or tartar form. Tartar will require you to have your Goldendoodles teeth to be professionally cleaned by your vet.
There are two ways that you can help keep your Goldendoodle’s teeth clean at home
- Giving your Goldendoodle a dental-specific treat or chew toy. This will allow your dog to clean their own teeth while chewing on a taste treat.
- Using a dog toothbrush and toothpaste. This will help manually cleaning your Goldendoodle’s teeth weekly can stop the bad breath.
Your Goldendoodle May Smell Due to Gas
Goldendoodle’s can be very sensitive to certain types of dog foods. A common cause of your Goldendoodle being smelly is due to them passing gas from an upset tummy.
If this is what is causing your Goldendoodle to smell, then switching foods to a better diet may be best. You do not have to make your dog’s food; there are many great options for you.
There are many different foods with different sources of protein, such as fish, lamb, and rabbit. Most dogs with food allergies are not allergic to these proteins. There are plenty of options available at pet stores or online.
Gastroenteritis Can Cause Your Goldendoodle to Smell
Your Goldendoodle may be smelly due to gastroenteritis or another GI disease. Many times, if your dog has gastroenteritis, they have diarrhea. This can be very smelly and sometimes even stick to the fur around their rectum.
If your Goldendoodle is having diarrhea or other GI issues, it would be best for them to see your vet.
Your vet may want to run bloodwork or take x-rays to determine what is wrong with your Goldendoodle. Usually, this can be cleared up with antibiotics, probiotics, and a bland diet.
Skin Infections in Your Goldendoodles
Atopy is the medical term for skin infection in dogs. Your Goldendoodle may have a skin infection due to allergies to food or something in the environment. This is different from just a gassy reaction to food due to intolerance.
Common symptoms of a skin infection can include a bad smell, excessive itchiness, skin rashes, sneezing, watery eyes, or skin inflammation.
The smell that you are smelling comes from an oily reaction on the skin. If the infection is caused by a yeast or bacterial infection, they will also have a very distinct smell of corn chips.
If you think that your Goldendoodle has a skin infection, it would be best to take them to your vet. A skin infection can easily be cleared up with antibiotics from your vet.
Many times, they may recommend a medicated shampoo for you to bathe your Goldendoodle in to help with the infection.
Your Goldendoodle May Smell Because of An Anal Gland Problem
Your Goldendoodle has scent glands just like a skunk has. These glands usually express every time that they poop. The scent that these glands release has a very pungent odor and can cause your Goldendoodle to smell.
Your Goldendoodle can also easily get poop stuck in their fur. If you are smelling a very bad odor on your Goldendoodle, it would be best to examine their backend to make sure everything is clean.
Many times, you can easily groom the hair away from their rectum to help prevent poop from getting stuck.
If you do not feel comfortable with dog clipper or your dog is a little too active, you can take them to your groomer and ask for a sanitary cut for your Goldendoodle
If the anal glands are causing your Goldendoodle problems, this may mean that you need to take them to the vet. Your vet can express these glands and make sure that they are not infected. If your Goldendoodle’s anal glands stay full, they can easily get impacted and infected.
You can add fiber to your Goldendoodle’s diet to help their anal glands be able to be expressed much easier. There is also a product called Glandex that you can buy to help your Goldendoodle be able to express their glands easier.
Eye Discharge in Your Goldendoodle
Eye discharge is a very common problem that Poodles have. Unfortunately, manyGoldendoodless inherit this problem from their Poodle parent.
When their eyes run, the discharge causes the fur around their eyes and nosed to become matted. This can cause their face the smell very bad. They can even have an infection under the matting if not taken care of.
This can be very easily fixed by simply keeping your dog’s eyes clean every day. Using a wet hand towel, you can wipe down their face and keep the eye discharge from building up. There are also tear stain remover products that you can use to keep the tears from staining their fur.
This is not just super small Goldendoodles that have problems with eye discharge matting on their face. The large Goldendoodles can also have problems.
Using a flea
Your Goldendoodle is Dirty
Goldendoodle loves to play in the water, dirt, and mud. It is not uncommon to let your Goldendoodle out to play, and they come home covered in dirt and mud.
This can cause them to be very smelly, especially if you leave their hair long. It is best to establish a good hygiene routine for your Goldendoodle, so they stay clean and happy.
What Can I Do to Stop My Goldendoodle from Smelling?
Once you have figured out what is causing your Goldendoodle to smell, you can work on what you need to do to treat these problems. Grooming your Goldendoodle very often will help decrease most smells.
How to Groom Away a Smelly Goldendoodle
Not grooming your Goldendoodle often enough can lead to a very smelly dog. Goldendoodles need weekly brushing and baths. They also need many need a surprise bath every now and then as some Goldendoodles love to play in the mud.
You can easily learn to groom your Goldendoodle at home, or you can take then often to the groomer to keep them nice and pretty.
You can get a grooming table for your house to groom your Goldendoodle yourself, or you can even make a grooming tablet to use for grooming.
Things you will need to Keep your Goldendoodle Smelling Great
- Shampoo:
brush - Ear Cleaner
- Eye Cleaner
- Dog Perfume
It is important to start a bath routine from when your Goldendoodle is very young. If you wait until they are older to start weekly baths, ear cleaning, and trimming your Goldendoodle, they may put up a fight every time you get ready to bathe them.
My doodle did not start getting professional grooming until she was three years old. She puts up a fuss every time she has to go to the groomer and even pees on the groomer when she takes her out of the bathtub.
If your Goldendoodle has an ear infection or their hair coat is matting to the skin, and nails are unkept can cause your Goldendoodle smells and be very uncomfortable.
A classic sign that your Goldendoodle is having problems with their skin or fur is them chewing or licking their paws all the time.
If your groom is very attenuative, they will notice these issues and can let you know that you need to see a vet or can sometimes do something about these issues when they are getting groomed.
Shampoo and Conditioner for Your Goldendoodles
When trying to find a shampoo and conditioner for your Goldendoodle, there are many different things you will want to consider.
If your Goldendoodle suffers from allergies, you will want to make sure the shampoo that you are using is good for allergy-prone dogs.
You will also want to find a shampoo that will help decrease your Goldendoodle from getting matted very easily. Sometimes this is a conditioner that you will need to use, but some shampoos also have a
Some of the Best Shampoos for Goldendoodle’s are:
- Inovetpet Shampoo and Conditioner
- Wahl 4 in 1 Shampoo
- Oliver’s Choice Pet Shampoo
- TropiClean Pet Shampoo
TropiClean Deodorizing Spray: This is my favorite spray to use on dogs when they are about to go home from the vet clinic. It smells so good, and all pet owners love that their dog does not smell like a vet clinic.
Owning a Goldendoodle can be a lot of fun and very rewarding, but the upkeep and maintenance can sometimes be hard.
When first learning how to keep your Goldendoodle smelling great, it is going to take a little time. Eventually, you will be a pro Goldendoodle groomer.
How to Groom your Smelly Goldendoodle
When you first start grooming your Goldendoodle, you will want to follow these steps. This will help ensure that they are clean, and you do not miss anything.
1. Start with Brushing and Clipping
The first step to washing a Goldendoodle is to
Your Goldendoodle may have some areas that are very difficult to reach regularly when you are brushing them. These areas will be more prone to mats and knots. If you cannot just
When looking for clipper for your Goldendoodle, make sure that the clippers are designed for dogs. Human hair clippers are not strong enough to withstand thick curly Goldendoodle fur.
This is a great set of dog clippers made by Oster. Unfortunately, a good pair of clippers that are going to last can be very costly. It is usually worth the investment to buy the more expensive professional dog grooming pairs. Many of the less expensive models will not last but a few grooming.
It is never advised to use scissors close to your Goldendoodle’s skin. With one slight movement of your Goldendoodle, you can easily cut their skin. This would then require you to go to your vet for stitches.
2. Shampooing Your Goldendoodle
Once you have your Goldendoodle all brushed out, it is time for a bath. Put your Goldendoodle into a bathtub or washbasin for a bath.
Picking out the best shampoo for your Goldendoodle is very important. If your dog has sensitive skin, it is best to use an oatmeal-based shampoo. If your dog is itching and has a skin infection, it may be best to use an anti-itch or medicated shampoo.
When you have the best shampoo for your Goldendoodle, it is time to start their bath.
These are some tips for bathing the different parts of your Goldendoodle:
- Face: It’s important to not getting soap directly in your Goldendoodle ‘s eyes. To avoid this, bring some of your shampoos to a lather on your hands. Use the soap from your hands and a damp washcloth to scrub your pup’s face. If your Goldendoodle is very active for their bath and keeps getting shampoo in their eye’s it would be best to use a tear-free shampoo that will not hurt your Goldendoodle’s eyes if the soap gets in there.
- Body: Shampoo can be put directly on your Goldendoodle’s coat and across the rest of their body. Massage the soap gently into their fur to create a nice soapy lather as you go. Once your whole Goldendoodle is now covered in soap, let that sit on their skin for about 10 to 15 minutes. This allows the properties of the soap t to help your dog’s skin. During this time, you can do other things such as trim their nails or clean their ears.
3. Rinsing
Once your Goldendoodle has had a good scrub with a mild shampoo and you have waited about 10 to 15 minutes, you will need to rinse it thoroughly.
Make sure that you did wash off all of the soap. Leaving any soap on your Goldendoodle will cause their skin to be irritated.
When rinsing the soap away, make sure that you avoid getting soap in your Goldendoodle’s eyes.
A good tip is to use a shower hose extender and rinse the dog from the top down, then front to back. You may have to repeat this process a few times until all of the soap is removed from your Goldendoodle.
This will prevent any irritation to your Goldendoodle’s skin that would be caused by any leftover or dried soap.
4. Drying Your Goldendoodle
Once the shampoo is thoroughly rinsed from your Goldendoodle’s body, use your hands to wipe them down completely. This will help get a lot of the excess water off and help cut down on drying time.
Use a very thick towel or two to them towel them dry as much as possible. After this, you can let your Goldendoodle shake off some of the extra water themselves.
You can either let them air dry or get a blow dryer to dry your Goldendoodle. If it is very cold outside, it is best to blow them dry some. When using a blow dryer, it is best to start off on the lowest coldest setting to get your dog use to the sound, wind, and heat.
As you increase the heat on your blow dryer, always keep your hand between the blow dryer and your dog. This will help you be able to feel the temperature from the dryer and not get the temperature too hot for your Goldendoodle’s skin.
Before you start any grooming of your dog’s body, it is best to let them fully dry. The length of their hair will be shorter once it completely dries.
Cleaning your Goldendoodle’s Ears
After your Goldendoodle has been fully bathed, you can clean their ears.
At first, you need to remove any hair that is built up in their ear. You can do this with your fingers or tweezers.
Gentle grab a little bit of hair and pull it out. If your Goldendoodle has an ear infection, you will notice that there is a horrible smelling black waxy material that is also coming out.
This can be done with over the counter ear cleaner. This ear cleaner contains an antifungal and antibiotic that would help clear any mild infection that your Goldendoodle may have. This can be squirted into your Goldendoodle’s ear.
Then put a cotton ball or washcloth over the opening of the ear and massage the base of the ear.
After you have massaged the base of your Goldendoodle’s ear a few times, use the cotton ball or cloth to wipe out any excess moisture or debris. Continue to repeat this process a few times until there is no more black discharge on your towel.
Once your Goldendoodle’s ear canal is clean, you can remove any excess hair from around the ear.
The hair in this area should be kept short. Many people want to let this hair continue to grow long as it can give your Goldendoodle a very cute look but can cause many ear problems.
You may notice that keeping your Goldendoodle’s ear hair long keeps a smell and infection in their ears. The best thing to do is keep the hair around your Goldendoodle’s ears about ½ inch to 1 inch in length.
This short hair around your Goldendoodle’s ear allows for more airflow into the ear channel. This will have prevented bacteria, fungus, and waxy from getting trapped in your dog’s ear and causing a major infection.
You can help your Goldendoodle’s ears smelling great in between baths with ear wipes. You can use it every day or just a few times a week. Take one wipe and gently wipe the opening and outside of your dog’s ear.
Cleaning your Goldendoodle’s eyes
Goldendoodles always have discharge from their eyes. When you are bathing them, you can clean most of this out. Use a very fine-tooth
There are also very great over the counter eye wipes that you can use in this area. Some of the discharge that you see from the eyes is very thick and can be hard to get off.
These wipes help break down this material and keep your Goldendoodle’s eyes clean and free of any stinky smell.
Final Thoughts of this Stinky Situation
If your Goldendoodle is smelly, do a quick investigation of your Goldendoodle.
You can usually quickly find the cause of this smell. By practicing good hygiene for your Goldendoodle and starting a routine cleaning session with your Goldendoodle, you will usually keep these smells gone.
Many times, your Goldendoodle loves to see how dirty they can get in 10 minutes of playtime. This will cause a spontaneous bath time.
By doing a little preventative maintenance on your Goldendoodle and watching for any signs of illness that could be causing your Goldendoodle to smell will help keep your Goldendoodle happy, healthy, and smelling great.
Related Content You May Find Interesting
Here are some more articles that may be of interest to you if you have a Goldendoodle to groom.
- Goldendoodles may have a bad smell due to a variety of reasons, such as ear infections, dental problems, gas, skin infections, dirty coats, anal gland problems, and eye discharge.
- Weekly maintenance like baths, teeth brushing, ear cleaning, and doggie perfume can help keep a Goldendoodle smelling great.
- Ear infections in Goldendoodles are common due to excessive hair growth in their ears, which can trap moisture leading to bacterial and yeast infections.
- Dental disease can cause bad breath in Goldendoodles. Periodontal disease, calculus, and plaque are the main causes of dental issues in dogs.
- Goldendoodles may be smelly due to gas from certain types of dog foods or gastroenteritis. Switching to a better diet or visiting a vet can help in these cases.
- Goldendoodles can smell for a variety of reasons, including ear infections, dental problems, gas, skin infections, dirty coats, anal gland problems, and eye discharge.
- Regular maintenance, such as weekly baths, daily teeth brushing, doggie perfume, and weekly ear cleanings, can help keep a Goldendoodle smelling good.
- Excessive hair growth in a Goldendoodle’s ears can cause bad smells, which can be removed by groomers. Keeping a Goldendoodle’s ears clean is a labor-intensive part of grooming.
- Dental disease can cause bad breath in Goldendoodles, which can be caused by periodontal disease, calculus, or plaque. Giving dental-specific treats, chew toys, or manually brushing their teeth weekly can help keep their teeth clean.
- Certain dog foods can cause Goldendoodles to pass gas, leading to a bad smell. Switching foods to a better diet may help.
- Gastroenteritis can also cause Goldendoodles to smell, which can be accompanied by diarrhea. Veterinary care is essential in treating GI issues in dogs.