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Getting a Sheltie Pup soon.. body odor questions..?

HI.. I'm excited about getting my sheltie pup in a couple weeks.. The breeder has pics online and she's getting SOO adoreable!!! Anyway.. this will be my first inside dog, first dog that is MINE and not a "family" dog.. One question (please don't take me the wrong way) is about dog's smell.. I love all animals, and will make a good dog owner, but I've always been a bit more of a cat person.. I like that kitties have no odor.. Dog's odor is something I'll have to get used to. (I'll love my little baby, don't worry!!) But are there any tricks to make my baby smell better?? Do the wipes help?? How often is it good to give a sheltie a bath? How young is too young to bathe. My pup will be 8 weeks the day I get it. Any suggestions, tips, advice?? Allready got her crate! Amazon.com shipped it super-fast... LOL... To be clear, I'm not so worried about breath (I know there's easy ways to help that) Or dirty bottom (Can be washed) I'm talking about that "dog" smell that's on their fur and on my hands after I pet a dog.. I can pick up one of my cats and bury my nose in it's fur and it's like burying my nose in a stuffed animal or pillow.. no odor.. Dogs have this "dog smell" Don't know how else to describe...

Public Comments

1. yes wipes help a ton! baths once a month should help... and sparyng your dog with conditioning spray will make your dog smell better
2. A good diet, daily brushing, and not overbathing will keep doggie odor at bay. I wouldn't bath more than every few months unless absolutely necessary. Frequent bathing will lead to MORE doggie odor not less. My dogs are raw fed and have little to no odor. Here's a bit of informaiton on raw diets. This diet cosists of feeding rmb's, offal, organs etc. While its not as simple as throwing a chicken in a bowl everyday, its not that complicated once you get started. My pups have been getting a raw diet since they were 6 weeks old. They love it. They get, game hens, chicken breast, chicken thighs, drumsticks, beef and chicken liver, beef heart, beef skirts, catfish, ground turkey, pork ribs, pork roast, beef cheeck, I buy what's on sale, and in bulk when I can. I feed them 2% of their expected adult weight daily, so each pup gets about 1.5lbs of food divided into 3 daily meals. There's a bit more to than what I described it here, but all in all, its pretty simple, and is only as expensive as you make it. Yahoo has some rawfeeding groups, there's also a group called "rawdogs" on Livejournal, this thread on Dogster http://www.dogster.com/forums/Raw_Food_D... has lots of information about raw feeding. All 3 places are glad to help new raw feeders get started. Let's also dispel some myths about rawfeeding with this link http://www.rawfed.com/myths/index.html Some good books on the subject are Raw Meaty Bones and Works Wonders both by Tom Lonsdale, an Australian vet. And The BARF Diet by Dr. Ian Billinghurst. **I was talking about the dog odor you're talking about.;)
3. Personally, I think cats smell much worse than dogs. Those stinky litter boxes and all. The only time my dogs ever even smell is when I let them out and they go roll in something dead (Blech!) If your dog is an indoor dog, it probably won't smell very bad. But, you can give it a bath if you ever notice any foul odor!
4. I hope the person with the pic of a white dog helped. That was very good advice. My family had a Sheltie but sjhe died when I was four. We loved that dog. She got really sick when she was almost ten. She died of kidney failure. But dont get me wrong, Shelties are very good and loyal pets. Have fun!
5. Ask your breeder to teach you about sheltie coat care. A good breeder should be an excellent teacher who will instruct you in all aspects of your pet's care over the course of her life.
6. I was the same. I grew up on cats that never smelt and when we got a family dog his breath and fur smelt weird:S But when my bf and I got a dog of our own...my very own dog, I was nervous too. But i realized that if you have a clean environment and if you dont feed him smelly food (like fish and buffalo treats) he will be fine. MY little puppy smells like a baby. I bathe him every sunday with scent free puppy shampoo or when we take him for a walk to the beach or when its muddie out. Also be sure to give him "Greenie" treats. It helps take care of his teeth and breath and every time you give him a bath, befor you dry him, clean the inside of his ears with a q-tip and cut his nails. It all adds up.
7. I have been a dog groomer for 20 years. I commend you for doing breed research! It makes such a difference in the quality of pet/owner compatability. The thing about Shelties is that they have a very thick, wheather-proof coat. When they get wet the water usually does not make it down to the skin. If water does get down to the skin it doesn't always evaporate and can create fungal problems. This can cause an odor. If you bathe your Sheltie or if it gets soaked to the skin make sure to dry it well, down to the skin. If you use a people hair dryer set it on warm not hot. If you brush (slicker or pin brush) AND COMB (metal "Greyhound" comb) your dog a few times a week there should be no need to wash it more than every 6 to 8 weeks. You may want to keep a standing 6-8 week appointment with a local groomer to kep your dog's coat and skin in top shape. As for under the tail smells - a proper diet will cut down on waste smells. Wipes do help, but keeping the fur trimmed in that area is a must. Again, a groomer can help you with this. You should be able to go in just for a "rear and pants trim" or a "sanitary trim". Good Luck!
8. I had a sheltie puppy as well and I got him at 8 weeks old. Honestly, I didn't smell an odor on my puppy. Maybe it was because he was young or somthing, but the point is, there was no odor. But if your puppy does have odor, I suggest you give him a bath weekly or somthin. And keep him away from certain outdoor places that would stink.
9. I am an owner of a 6 yr old sheltie- she is very smart and sweet- gets along great with my children. The ONLY three complaints I have for her are- sheltie things- she is BORED and when she is - she chews on the wall and chair in dining room and barks....all the time esp when she is outside. You think having her keep up with the an 8 and 15 yr old (at stage where she doesn't want to play with dog and would rather be on phone now) that she would be busy- no- she likes to go outside and BARK... at everything- I know it is part of the territorial part of the breed- but really now- nothing new is happening. And her Breath! EWWWWWWW! I feed her science diet and fresh water (yes- Brita water) and it still is like something died in her mouth....the vet said it is just a trait- well- I don't like it. But other than that she is a great dog.
10. Well personally from experience i can say that the only time they smell is when they play in the rain. I just got two Sheltie pups one looks like lassie and the other is silver and black with blue eyes. One suggestion though is when you take them outside make sure to exercise with the dog first or else it will not want to use the restroom. Congrats and goodluck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!