How to de-stink a dog

As my friend, Nancy, and I emerged from a forested trail at Clendenan Dam into meadowlands last fall, we suddenly hit a wall of, well—smell.

It was like a stink bomb had gone off at our feet.

We looked at each other querulously. “Do you smell that?” I asked. “What is it?”

Nancy said it smelled like farmers had just put manure on the land. But the land we were looking at wasn’t tilled.

Then our dogs bounded up behind us. There was a second’s pause while we were still focused on working out what that horrendous odour was.

Then it hit us: It was our pups. They’d been skunked! Or maybe rolled in a cache of dead salmon.

Whatever, it was a knock-out punch for us and a thing of beauty to them.

They were running around excitedly at our feet, wagging their tails, tongues lolling out, happy as clams at high tide.

First challenge: How to get them home without weeping from the odour. We rolled down the car windows, screwed up our courage and drove home like bats out of hell.

Second challenge: How to de-skunk a 55-pound, strong-as-a-tractor-trailer husky mix?

Let my misadventure be your guide to a quicker, more sensible, and less expensive solution that will have your dog smelling like a cake.
My first mistake was trying to wash her in the bathtub with one hand, while I had to use the other hand to hold her in place. I was not successful. She leapt from the bathtub at every opportunity and covered carpets, furnishings, and even the bed in her sour smell as she tried to hide from me.

There is an easier way.

In a perfect world, you could take your dog to the groomers. But the reality is, because of the pandemic puppy boom, groomers are booked up two months in advance.

Courage.

Stores like Pet Value and Cuddle Cravers have everything you need to bathe your own pet at their facility. There are rings on the bath walls for fastening the leashes. Brilliant. No leaping, wet, wiggly, maniacal dogs to wrestle with.

If your dog gets sprayed after-hours, try a self-serve dog wash, like the one offered at Star Car Wash in Collingwood which lets you dial up the type of shampoo you want and hose your doggy down in its own private bath.

Challenge three: Now that you’ve figured out where to wash your dog, the next question is “with what?”

In my panic I desperately called around to find out. Then I had to take her in my car—eau de merde now sinking into the carpet and upholstery—to buy the special shampoos from pet stores and the ingredients for homemade de-skunking brews from the grocery store, because who knew what was going to work?

The lesson here? Buy what you need beforehand!
Now, clip this and tape it to your bathroom door: remember, it will probably take more than one bath before your pooch will pass the sniff test. In fact, it took eight baths before I could get Daisy’s thick coat to a tolerable stink level. And even then, she still reeked around her neck for months. I told myself her fur was thicker there. But a friend of mine nailed it months later when I told him about it: “Did you change her collar or wash it?” he asked.

Colour me sheepish.

Here are the four ways I washed poor Daisy—twice with each mixture.

First, I tried pet shampoos especially formulated to de-skunk dogs. A lot of money for no results, in my opinion.

Second, I put out a plea over Facebook, and several people recommended the readily-searchable recipe from the U.S. Humane Society—a mixture of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and liquid dishwashing soap.

Let me reiterate: Have these products on hand before your pet gets skunked (but, as the instructions warn, don’t store them pre-mixed or they may explode).

This solution was no fun to put on Daisy, but it helped.
When she still smelled like skunk, I went to the next solution: vinegar and water.

The vinegar is like the acid in tomato juice, which does the same trick, but vinegar is much cheaper. Plus, you never, ever, want to put tomato juice on a light-colored dog unless you really like the colour pink.

So, I tried bathing her in two parts water, one part vinegar.
Even then, Daisy still stank, so I moved to a tried-and-true method I had used decades ago on my sister’s HUGE German shepherd (who also didn’t want to be held down in a sink).

Pour a solution of a few teaspoons of vanilla extract in a gallon of water over the dog’s whole body. Don’t rinse.

Now you have a dog that smells a little like skunk, a little like baking soda, a bit like vinegar, and a lot like a vanilla wafer.
Much nicer.

Home Alone

As we go out in the world, tips and services to ease the transition for your pet.

by Dianne Rinehart

It has always been tough to leave a pup alone, but pandemic lockdowns made it even harder.

Our pets got used to having us around 24/7. Also, they weren’t exposed to the new environments and situations that would help them build their independence, says Dr. Jennifer Dodd, a vet with Mountain Vista Veterinary Hospital. She says that as people return to work, they are seeing the stress and anxiety their pets feel show up in destructive and aggressive ways.

So how do you make a healthy departure that leaves both you and your pet in the calm zone?

First, says Dodd, breathe. We don’t need to feel anxious that our pets will resent our leaving. Pets are “full of love and forgiveness.”
“Our pets are very resilient and adaptable, so all we need to do is support them through the transition.”

Here are some tips from local experts on how to do that.

1. Practise departure cues without actually leaving, says pet trainer Jodie Hawker of Happy Paws Canine Solutions. Make a routine to pick up your keys, put your coat on, without actually leaving.
2. Add something pleasant to departures. A treat, a walk, or a game of fetch before you go, Hawker adds.
3. But do not give extra attention just before departure. Instead, ignore your dog for a few minutes before you leave, says Hawker. Christian Heller of Irondog emphatically agrees: “Don’t make a fuss.” Dogs sense this and think your leaving is a bigger issue than it is. “Make it seem like no big deal.”
4. The same goes for your return. Do not over-treat, says Heller. Dodd agrees: “We reinforce anxiety in our pets (and by proxy ourselves) by immediately having a party the second you walk through the door.” That expectation of “a high can become so addictive that pets will sit by the door and stare, or bark, or howl for hours on end, waiting for that feedback,” she warns.
5. Increase the duration of your absence, gradually, and aim to be back before your puppy shows signs of stress. Try leaving for just 20 to 30 minutes at first, says Dodd.
6. If you’re going to be gone for a few hours, ask a neighbour or a dog walker to take your dog out for some exercise. For additional help, see the pet sitters in the list of dog services below.

Collingwood-area Dog Services

Christian of Irondog takes his lucky clients’ pups on group dog walks—literally over hill and dale. He’s a super athlete himself, so your pet will get a good workout with him and come home pooped and happy. irondog.ca

Roman operates Dogs at Blue which offers everything from private one-on-one walks with your pooch to dog-sitting in your home. dogsatblue.ca

Meg at MegWalks Canine Services provides one-hour walks for your dog in Collingwood to four-hour “adventuring” in forests, followed by time in the “social club.” megwalks.com

Sarah runs the fun-sounding open-concept facility, The Bark Park, where your dog can socialize with other pups inside and out. @barkparkcollingwood on Facebook

Jodie Hawker of Happy Paws Canine Solutions is the head trainer at the Georgian Triangle Humane Society. She offers group and private dog-training, as well as “walk and train” to give your dog the advanced leash training it may need. happypawscaninesolutions.ca