I've heard that Shiba's do not smell as bad as other dogs. The reason I ask is that I plan on having an indoor puppy and my girlfriend is not too fond of the smell of dogs. Any help would be appreciated.
My Honey doesnt smell AT ALL. The only thing we can smell on her (rarely) is her feet. That's when we know it's time for a bath. When we have company over and they see Honey, one of the first things they say is...."but it doesn't smell like dog in here." Many of my friends have dogs (many different breeds) and no matter how much they try to keep their pups clean somehow their house STILL smells like dog.
I don't find that there is a noticeable smell. I bathe mine about 3 times a year and that's it. I'm uber conscious of smells and that was really nice to find out that I wouldn't have to worry much about it.
I think the dog smell is in relation to the coat type. Shibas have that plushy double coat that is common in most spitz breeds. Other breeds I have met with similar coat types (schipperkes, huskies, etc) don't have that doggy smell, even when they get soaked by the rain, and are known to not be stinky. I often times notice a smell with dogs that have the short, stiff single coat (labs, chihuahuas,etc) or have a long high grooming maintenance type coat (shih tzus, golden retrievers, spaniels, etc).
Also, the double coat dogs secrete a weather resilient oil that helps protect the coat and keep it from getting dirty. The less dirt a dog keeps on it's coat, the less of a smell.
mine has a strong dog smell, but she plays outdoors with my roommates husky and usually ends up rolling in dirt so when she comes inside she usually smells.
both mine dont smell, they clean themselves so often, i give em a bath every 4 wks, and even then they do not smell. very clean furry friends nikki esp is uber clean, she wnt even go potty out in the backyard when it rains, she will hold it til its doneraining, and when she does go out in the yard aft the rain stops and the grass is still wet, she walks on the pavement leading to the shed, and gets on the grass at the spot shes going at.
My Shiba doesn't smell much at all. Unless you stick your nose right into his fur, you really don't smell much of anything, and even then it's not a strong odor. Even so, I have yet to give him a bath, and I have had him for eight months now (since he was 4 months old). But he does stay pretty clean, as most of his time outdoors is on a leash.
Having said all that, I do plan to start bathing him this spring. I just haven't really had the need yet. Like LJ, I don't plan to bathe him more than 2-3 times per year though. Their cleanliness and related "low smell factor" is one of the many things that attracted me to Shibas.
Bella does not smell except her feet sometimes have a 'frito' odor. Nola actually smells kind of sweet (like starlight, if you ask me). Although, right now she smells like funk because she just farted. :-P
I can only speak for newborn puppies (cause thats what I've gotten to see most recently) and they smell like......puppy! You know, that smell kinda like new car smell where it's unmistakable and it wears off as they age. Although I really think it's just mommy dog slobber you're smelling......
All I'll say is I went to a dog show, & in the area where they "Groom" & "Prep" the dogs, it STUNK..there were a HUNDRED dogs i there and it STUNK, however, when I walked over to the Shiba corner...not a scent! Was great ~
When we had Moto we would go months without giving him a bath (also I had been told that shibas should only be bather seasonally to protect their coats). And when we would bathe him, it wasn't because he smelled, but because we really felt we should.
Yep...the only odor with the Trio is when they roll in something foul, or if the boys pee on each other. You see it is very important to pee in certain places (like where girls pee), and occasionally one will be sniffing and sniffing for just the right spot, and the other will go ahead and sprinkle tinkle. (Boys are so crass!) Tuli and Guska haven't been bathed since last May. Triepak got a bath in the fall because he went to a show. Nothing since. There is noticeable HAIR in the house, but no noticeable odor!
I think I have given Ike a full bath 2-3 times since I've had him. They were probably not needed, he never smells but he does get muddy. I could have accomplished the same effect with spot cleaning. I am backing away from the full bath idea with him, unless it's for a show. Lately I've been getting away with only having to wash parts of Ike's body, like feet, tummy and face, so that saves his coat and tail from extra damage.
Beebe on the other paw, is stinky, but that is an exception for shibas because she is afflicted with allergies and always feels sweaty to me from the licking, which consequently results in an ever present funky odor.
Osy - I believe so. Yoshi doesn't smell. Only his feet since he does his business on dirt (unless it's muddy, then it's the front lawn). My neighbor's akita doesn't smell, but he bathes at least once a month. I've got a friend w/ a pom, and she's never smelled either.
Toby doesn't smell, but he still has a hair kind of odor. Cause I love shoving my face in his fur and smelling him -- he always smells good! It is almost the same smell that my cat has, and I do the same thing to my cat. He always smells like ... cat!
"Magically clean" is how I would describe Nemo too. Dirt and stink just seems to fall right out of his coat. We give him a bath in the Spring. In the fall we usually say "oh let's give him a bath before it gets cold" but then we never do. We will not give him a bath in the winter because his undercoat stays wet for so long, I wouldn't want to walk him around in the cold with a wet coat.
Osy - To varying degrees, I think so. Navi has more of a dog smell than the nihon ken, but not by much. I noticed the two dogs I've fostered (cattle dog X and lab) had dog odour. It was really weird for me because I'm not used to it. Lots of people compliment me on how clean I keep my dogs. Little do they know that I basically don't do anything to keep them clean and they get dirty and wet almost every day running around outside. They just keep clean so nicely! Rakka even cleans her face after eating, she's such a little lady.
Ryu went to the groomers in November (since I took Mika and was pleased with what they did) and he STILL smells like he just came back from them. He has the best "sweet" smell. He has the plushiest double coat and does a really good job of keeping it clean.
Roxy, on the other hand, reeks. She is just a stinky, stinky girl. She has had 3 baths so far in our care and we just can't get the stink out of her. Her coat is much sleeker and you can really feel the oiliness after a few weeks. She has the worst puppy breath in the WORLD (it smells like an old man's) and her farts have cleared a room many many times. Also, when she farts, she carries the scent with her into another room! We call her our little stinkbait but we love her to pieces, stinky and all.
But generally, I don't believe Shibas smell. Roxy is just weird.
Pam - when Tsuki was a pup, we pulled her from a mill and she smelled like peed-on-woodchips for the LONGEST time! Months! Its just within the last 6 months or so that we can't smell it. And we bathed her a few times in the first couple months we had her, to no avail, still stinky. Her breath also stank, and we found that one of her puppy teeth had begun to abscess (the same location of the tooth that grew in 90degrees backwards).
But Roxy has that same spunk that Tsuki had, and still has in adult form. She'll get there
I hope so! She's my perfect little devil but man, does she smell! It's her muzzle that stinks the worst...or maybe it's her breath that makes me think it's her muzzle? LOL
We *try* to brush her teeth. I don't think it's the actual brushing that freaks her out, its the being *restrained* part. Trying to make it a positive experience is incredibly hard with a squirmy, freaked out Shiba on your hands. We haven't gotten a system down yet.
I haven't thought of a de-skunking solution, thanks!
Gen had a doggy smell but not as bad as other breeds. But he was also an outside dog who literally lived in dirt lol. He dug a little den next to his house that he preferred to be in.
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I love my Shiba! lol
Also, the double coat dogs secrete a weather resilient oil that helps protect the coat and keep it from getting dirty. The less dirt a dog keeps on it's coat, the less of a smell.
nikki esp is uber clean, she wnt even go potty out in the backyard when it rains, she will hold it til its doneraining, and when she does go out in the yard aft the rain stops and the grass is still wet, she walks on the pavement leading to the shed, and gets on the grass at the spot shes going at.
Having said all that, I do plan to start bathing him this spring. I just haven't really had the need yet. Like LJ, I don't plan to bathe him more than 2-3 times per year though. Their cleanliness and related "low smell factor" is one of the many things that attracted me to Shibas.
Beebe on the other paw, is stinky, but that is an exception for shibas because she is afflicted with allergies and always feels sweaty to me from the licking, which consequently results in an ever present funky odor.
It is almost the same smell that my cat has, and I do the same thing to my cat.
So no in most cases, Shibas do not stink.
Roxy, on the other hand, reeks. She is just a stinky, stinky girl. She has had 3 baths so far in our care and we just can't get the stink out of her. Her coat is much sleeker and you can really feel the oiliness after a few weeks. She has the worst puppy breath in the WORLD (it smells like an old man's) and her farts have cleared a room many many times. Also, when she farts, she carries the scent with her into another room! We call her our little stinkbait but we love her to pieces, stinky and all.
But generally, I don't believe Shibas smell. Roxy is just weird.
Her breath also stank, and we found that one of her puppy teeth had begun to abscess (the same location of the tooth that grew in 90degrees backwards).
But Roxy has that same spunk that Tsuki had, and still has in adult form. She'll get there
Do you brush her teeth?
I haven't thought of a de-skunking solution, thanks!