One of the most frustrating things about owning a german shepherd dog is when they smell. This article will give you many reasons and what to do if your German shepherd starts reeking and how it’s not their fault.
German Shepherds are known to be very energetic and lively, which can lead them into smelling sooner than we think. Here I will give you some reasons and what you can do if your GSD starts stinking.
Is It Normal for a German Shepherd to Smell?
No, it is not normal for the german shepherd to stink.
German shepherds should never have a bad smell that’s noticeable within the room or when you’re close to your german shepherd. If your dog has an unpleasant smell, it could be a sign of medical problems. If he needs frequent baths and is always sweaty or greasy after exercise, you must check that your german shepherd is not suffering from any health issues.
German shepherd dogs are natural-born lickers, and they have an immunity to bacteria because of the oils present on their skin, which helps them stay clean. German shepherds don’t need to be bathed more than twice a month.
Reasons Why Your German Shepherd Smells Bad
The most common reasons for your German shepherd to smell are routine carelessness or neglect on the owner’s part. Smelly GSDs can be caused due to both environmental factors such as poor diet planning and something you might not realize at first glance.
In this article, I will discuss all the possible reasons that cause your german shepherd to stink.
Health Problems
Many health issues make german shepherd smells.
1. Dental Problems
Most people might think that a german shepherd’s bad breath is due to the type of food they eat, but this could be a sign of diabetes or kidney failure. If the odor of your dog’s mouth is too strong and not just slightly smelly, then there could be kidney failure or diabetes in your dog.
Bad breath in german shepherds can also come from diseased teeth and gums. Bad dental health causes german shepherds to drool more, which can get caught in their coats before becoming even more smelly!
like a human, german shepherds also build plaque and tarter around their teeth which is one of the major reasons for bad breath in GSD’s
almost every german shepherd experiences building plaque around teeth due to age, diet, and lack of dental care
It’s unfortunate when your german shepherd has a dental disease because it can cause a noticeable odor and extreme discomfort. Some signs of this are bad breath or gum tissue that looks red on the outside with white spots between your dog’s teeth.
Dental disease is a significant issue that can have many effects on your german shepherd’s health. It’s important, not just because of the pain and discomfort it causes but also because of how easily bacteria from infected teeth enter into bloodstreams, which could affect other parts.
It is important to give your dog dental care at home by including hard kibble as their daily diet and providing chew treats with teeth-friendly ingredients. You can also use nonabrasive toothpaste, such as rice flour or oatmeal, for plumping purposes when brushing the mouth of our furry friends!
2. Ear Infections
German Shepherds have a reputation for being odorless, but if your dog smells yeasty or has been scratching at its ears and shaking its head, then they might be dealing with ear infections. Yeast can build up in the ear canal, which causes the foul-smelling discharge. This will make them smell like something no dog lover wants on their hands!
The ear canal is a dark and damp place that’s perfect for building yeast infections or bacteria. Bacteria love dog ears’ warmth and moisture content, making them like an ideal home to brew in.
Though healthy german shepherd dogs can fight off bacteria and viruses, sometimes things can go wrong if their defenses in the ears aren’t working properly.
The wax inside your dog’s ear helps keep unwanted organisms from entering through tiny pores that line these sensitive areas – but when there is too much buildup or missing wax due to dryness, it becomes easier for harmful particles to cross over into your pup’s ear.
When a dog has ear infections, it is stinky and can be extremely painful and uncomfortable for them. If left untreated, the symptoms may worsen, resulting in increased pain and ear hematomas from head-shaking because of this discomfort.
If you feel your dog may be experiencing an ear infection, make sure to see the vet for a routine checkup.
Your vet can check your dog’s ears for any bacteria or yeast by using a swab test. Together, you’ll be able to figure out the best long-term management of their symptoms!
3. Skin Infection
The skin has an important job to do in protecting our dogs from bacteria and other harmful substances. If their skin becomes compromised, they can’t do this work like before, which puts them at risk for infections, or worse
german shepherds are considered one of the largest breeds. The skin of a German Shepherd is thick and covers the entire body. If your German shepherd suffers from any skin condition, it’s no wonder that it can lead to a pungent smell.
If your German shepherd is itching itself frequently, has thinning hair, or has red and flaky patches on its body, there’s a high chance your dog is suffering from a skin condition, and this can also cause an unpleasant smell in their fur.
Some most common skin conditions through which german shepherds suffer and become smelly :
Eczema
Skin mites
Flea dermatitis
Myiasis (maggot in the skin)
if you own a german shepherd, you should take your dogs to the vet asap if you notice itchy skin, dryness of hair or eyes (conjunctivitis), sores on the body, or crusting around those areas; as well as patches that show rapid thinning.
You should not neglect the skin infections in your dogs because if not treated timely, this can lead your dog to suffer from myiasis, which can b deadly.
4. Does your german shepherd roll in smelly things?
Rolling around in the grass is a favorite pastime of most German Shepherds, but it can cause their fur to stay dirty. Those who do this regularly will have more problems with odors than others because most dog breeds owners don’t brush off dirt and other particles that get embedded into your german shepherd’s coat over time, which makes them smelly.
German shepherds are very lively and playful dogs. They love to play all the time .they also love rolling in mud or dirt.
To avoid this, try to limit the amount of time your dog spends outside with their favorite dirty spot and make sure there is no poop around when they go play! You can also teach them to come on command,
So, you can call your dog before they go to play dirty.
There’s nothing to worry about if your dog rolls in dirty places. German shepherds have instincts passed from wild dog ancestors .just make sure to clean or brush your dog after the play sessions.
5. Wet german shepherd smell
If your German shepherd likes to play in the water, especially if it was dirty and the dog swam for a long period (or maybe even just played at an uncovered pool), this could be why they become smelly.
It is very normal if your german shepherd becomes smelly when he gets wet. There are a lot of bacterias and yeast present in the german shepherd’s skin that protect them against skin infections. Once GSDs get wet, the bacteria cause the wet dog smell.
There is nothing to worry about! the wet dog smell becomes normal once he dries. The best way to keep your German shepherd smelling fresh is by cleaning them! It might be hard work, but the result will make it worth all of that effort.
6. Anal Sacs
One other reason for german shepherds to smell bad is their anal sacs. There are signs that will tell you that your gsd has problems with anal sacs. They will drag their butt on the ground and then attempt to clean or lick the same area. Or there can be discharges that smell similar to poop. Visit your vet if this happens to your gsd.
7. Bad Diet
One reason that may contribute to your German shepherd smelling is because of their diet. An unhealthy or incorrectly balanced one can lead them to have bad breath and increased flatulence, which will also give off an unpleasant odor! Consult with a vet if you think this might be happening so your vet can help improve the quality of food they eat.
Try to give your German Shepard better quality food. If you’re not sure what food to get for your German shepherd, consider getting German Shepherd-specific dog food from Amazon.
How you can fix the german shepherds smell
The best and most effective way to fix your german shepherd’s bad smell is to find the cause of the bad smell. Some everyday things you can do to avoid a foul smell are cleaning your German Shepherd dog’s fur and skin that will help prevent the bad smell from coming back. You can also clean your teeth at home or take them in for regular checkups with a vet, though some dogs might need more than just cleaning their mouth. The best way you could go about getting rid of the smell is by making sure they don’t get wet on top of being groomed regularly, so nothing sticks around too long.
German shepherds’ ears are very sensitive. If you are a german shepherd owner, you must clean your dog ears once a week. Moreover, always make sure that your dog stays dry.
Tips to improve your German shepherd smell
There are many ways you can do to improve your german shepherd smell. My dog’s jack and Liono always love to play in mud and dirt. They get dirty too often, which causes them to smell bad. In this article, I will tell you my personal experience of making my german shepherds smell better after playdates.
1. Dental Care
One of the most common causes of bad smell in german shepherds is bad dental health. If you want to make your german shepherd dog smell pleasant, you must clean or brush your german shepherd’s teeth at least once a week.
The other thing you can do to improve your GSD’s dental health is by giving them bones or chewing treats that help to reduce plaque or tarter.
You must give your dog annual dental cleaning to check if your dog has an infection in your teeth or gums.
2. Keep Dog Dry
The most effective and easy way to avoid a german shepherd smelling bad is always to keep your german shepherds dry. GSDs are the furry friends. If you always keep their coat dry. There are many fewer chances that your dog will become smelly.
When German shepherds get wet, they become smelly due to the antibodies present below their coats to fight against bacteria.
Moreover, you should always protect your german shepherd ears from water because this causes moisture in the ears, leading to eczema or ear infection.
Other than that, it would be best if you brushed your dog regularly. If your dog remains dry most of the time, it becomes very easy to brush the dry coat of german shepherds.
3. Change Its Diet
Same as humans. Diet plays the most important role in the german shepherd’s grooming. The German shepherd is a large dog breed, and they have a very sensitive stomach.
As the owner of two german shepherds, I can say that you should always keep an eye on your dog’s stool because it tells you a lot about your dog’s health.
You must know that which food suits your german shepherd because some dogs have a more sensitive stomach.
To simple overcome this issue, there are a lot of german shepherd-specific dog foods available in the market. You should pick the best one for your loyal companion.
I used royal canin for my german shepherds.
4. Cleaning
The quality of your german shepherd coat highly depends on how often you bathe and groom your dog. If you groom your dog regularly, your dog will always smell good and fresh.
Daily grooming helps you remove dead hairs from your dog’s coat that cause infection in the dog’s skin.
Remember that german shepherd and other thick coat dog breeds get smelly when they get wet, but once they dry, the dog smell comes back to normal. it’s a normal phenomenon
5. Stop Your German Shepherd To role In the smelly thing
The best way to avoid your dog to a role in smelly things. You should always teach your dog to come to you when called.
As a German shepherd’s owner, you should teach your dog to come command. So you can call them before they get dirty or smelly.
The second thing you can do is to give them toys or alternatives to play with. German shepherds are high energy levels, so you should always provide them with options to play.
Keep them occupied.
My Personal Experience
I own two German shepherds. Following are the steps I follow to make sure my german shepherds stay active and healthy.
- bathe my dogs once a month
- I brush my dogs daily
- Keep german shepherd’s bed clean
- Make sure your play area is not dirty
- Use front line spray for ticks and fleas
- Routine ear testing
- Keep your dog’s ears clean
- Annual checkup
- Keep your dog vaccinated
- Giving them a healthy diet
- Seeking pet medical advice
CONCLUSION
A smelly german shepherd is a usual problem. If you take care of your German shepherd regularly and follow the recommendations mentioned above, your German shepherd will never experience any health problems.
If you are grooming your dog proactively and still experiencing a foul odor, then go to the vet for a checkup. It’s always better to know earlier than sooner.
