Wet Dog Smell: Why Dogs Smell After Rain and How to Stop It

You come in from a wet walk and ten minutes later the whole house smells of dog. It doesn't mean your dog is dirty: wet dog smell is normal. But much of it comes down to how long your dog, and everything they lie on, stays damp, and that you can do something about.

Why does my dog smell after rain?

Every dog's skin and coat carries natural oils and a mix of tiny microbes, mostly harmless yeasts and bacteria, which give off faint smelly compounds all the time. When the coat is dry you barely notice them. The usual explanation is that when the coat gets wet, the water picks those compounds up and carries them into the air as it dries off your dog.

So the longer your dog stays damp, the longer they smell. A thick undercoat that holds water for hours, or a bed that never quite dries out, makes it worse.

How to get rid of wet dog smell

1. Dry them properly, and fast

This makes the biggest difference. Catch your dog at the door before they shake, squeeze the water out of the coat rather than rubbing, and finish with a second pass using a dry towel. On thick-coated dogs, work against the lie of the fur so the towel reaches the undercoat, which is where the damp hangs about longest.

Our Chenille Dog Drying Towel has a hand pocket at each end, so it stays on your hands while your dog wriggles. The full routine is in how to dry a wet dog fast.

2. Collar, harness and ears

A wet collar or padded harness stays damp against your dog's neck for hours. Take it off once you're home and hang it up to dry, and wash fabric ones now and then (check the label). Dry the inside of the ear flaps gently with a corner of the towel too.

3. Wash what your dog lies on

Often the real source isn't the dog at all, but the bed, blanket or sofa they curled up on while still damp. In a wet spell, wash bed covers and blankets more often and make sure they're completely dry before they go back down. Give your dog a blanket of their own to finish drying on, so it's the blanket that goes in the machine, not the sofa cushions.

If the car is the worst-smelling place, see how to keep your car clean with a muddy dog.

4. Keep the towels fresh too

A towel left in a damp heap by the door or in the boot soon smells worse than the dog. Wring it out and hang it up after every use, and wash it often. Skip the fabric softener: it coats the fibres and makes the towel less absorbent.

5. Brush regularly

Brushing clears out loose undercoat and dried mud, so the coat dries faster and has less to hold on to. Brush once your dog is fully dry, not while they're wet.

Should I bath my dog to stop the smell?

Not after every walk. Frequent shampooing strips the natural oils that help your dog's coat shed water, and a freshly bathed dog is, after all, a wet dog. When a bath is needed (fox poo, for example), use a shampoo made for dogs rather than your own, rinse thoroughly and dry them well.

Skip perfume and scented sprays. They only cover the smell, and they can irritate some dogs' skin.

When the smell might be something else

Normal wet dog smell fades as your dog dries. If yours still smells when completely dry, or the smell seems to come from one particular place, book a check with your vet. Look out for:

• A smell from the ears, or lots of head shaking and ear scratching
• Greasy, flaky, red or itchy skin
• Bad breath that doesn't go away
• A fishy smell from the back end, or scooting along the floor

These can have lots of different causes, and your vet is the right person to find out which.

The quick version

1. Dry your dog fast, right down to the undercoat.
2. Collar and harness off and hung up.
3. Wash beds, blankets and towels often, and dry them fully.
4. Bath only when needed, and see your vet if the smell is still there once your dog is dry.