Ask twenty dog owners how to clean a smelly dog and you'll get twenty quirky answers. It seems everyone who has ever dealt with a stinking dog has their own special home remedy for all offending odors. Most of these dog odor cures involve tomato juice, baking soda, tomato juice mixed with baking soda, dish detergent mixed with baking soda, Guinness beer (what a waste!), vinegar, etc., etc. Of course there are the nice people who own dogs with names like Fifi, Fluffy or Mitzy who always recommend the latest flavor of the month pet store shampoo. The last time I bothered to check out dog shampoos the hot favorite was créme de oatmeal with chamomile, jasmine and the ever present aloe vera. The label claimed this aroma therapy for dogs to be "a soothing, relaxing shampoo for your pampered pet". Have you ever seen a soothed and relaxed wet poodle in a bathtub getting his or her rear end washed? I didn't think so, so let's move on.
Your Buddy Boy stinks because he's rolled in his favorite odeur du jour, swam in pond scum, laid in his own poop, or was sprayed by a skunk or tom cat. Hey, dogs will be dogs. You can't do much to change that fact (well the poop thing yes, but that's a whole other subject) so you have to wash the dog. Being the human pack leader of six dogs I would like to share with you what I've found works best to wash out the offending crud and deodorize the hair coat.
Cat Dog Pet
After years of trial and error I found a wonderful, but little known, concentrated d'Limonene cleaning product called "That Orange Stuff". I've tried every home remedy and most commercial pet shampoos and none of them work as well as this product. Not only does it clean and deodorize, but it removes tangles and helps prevent matting too. It's also safe, easy to use and cheap to buy. "That Orange Stuff" is pure and concentrated so it must be diluted with water, preferably in a spray bottle. When any of my dogs registers on the stink-o-meter, aka my nose, I wash them with a dilution of 1:64 (½ oz. product per 1 quart of water) which translates to about 22 cents a quart. The next time you visit the pet store with Fido try buying a quart of pet shampoo for 22 cents. It won't happen.
This dog cleaning and deodorizing solution is easy. Just put about ½ ounce (1 capful) of "That Orange Stuff" into a one-quart spray bottle, fill with water and shake until it turns milky. Spray directly on the smelly soiled area of the coat until wet, lightly spray the rest of the dog's coat, work the cleaner into the soiled areas to loosen debris, work it through the rest of the coat for several minutes, rinse away completely with tepid or cool water, dry the dog off with clean towels, then brush the coat to a nice sheen. Use a grooming comb or brush if needed on heavily soiled areas while washing. Protect the dog's eyes while spraying as it may sting them. Note that the dilute cleaning solution will not lather up like shampoos. If you must have suds, then shampoo the dog as usual after cleaning with "That Orange Stuff".
Keep in mind "That Orange Stuff" isn't a pet shampoo and doesn't make any label claims to that effect. But, tomato juice, baking soda, chamomile, jasmine, oatmeal, aloe vera, and all that other stuff you've tried aren't shampoos either. "That Orange Stuff" is registered as a concentrated d'Limonene all purpose cleaner, and it is labeled as safe for people, pets and the planet. This is a "try at your own risk" solution to a smelly dog problem. But, unless your dog is allergic to oranges, this should be a safe alternative to the chemicals, dyes and other suspicious additives found in most shampoos.
Where do you buy it? I've never seen it on a big box store shelf or at any of the pet stores that I shop. You will find it online at several estores if you Google 'That Orange Stuff'. Just click a couple of these stores and buy from the one offering the best deal that day. You'll be glad you did every time you use it. When you start using this fantastic product you'll find a hundred other cleaning uses for it too. In fact, its now the only product I buy for cleaning everything except windows. Please understand that I am not promoting or endorsing this product as a dog or pet shampoo. My sole purpose here is to share my experience using this product to safely clean and deodorize my own dogs. The next time your dog offends your stink-o-meter you might want to have a bottle of "That Orange Stuff" on hand just to give it a try. I'd love to hear back from any readers who give it a try!
I hope you found the information in this article to be useful. Please remember to spay and neuter and to support your local dog and cat rescue facility.
The Best Thing I've Found to Clean Smelly Dogs
Wayne Morrison is the pack leader of George, Buddy, Bridgette, Sadie, TommyGirl, and Smoocher. He is also an entrepreneur and freelance writer. To ask about any of the information given in this article you may email him at: wmorrison_ag@yahoo.com