Cocker Specific Discussion > General Cocker Spaniel Discussion

How do you keep your house clean and fresh with a dog?

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fluffykins:
Hi everyone,

How do you keep your home fresh and clean with a dog?

I have a lovely 6-month old golden cocker who loves to play in water, mud and long grass! He's called Cooper and we love him! We live close to water and he's always wet and a little stinky. We do dry him with a micro-fibre towel and brush out burrs after his walks. We also have Spaniel bowls to keep his ears clean, and a few organic dog-friendly odor neutralisers for wet fur. But our house sometimes has a bit of a doggy smell, so maybe others have found good solutions?

A few questions I have are:

(a) How often do you wash your Cocker? What products do you use and what do you use between washes to keep him/her fresh?
(b) How do you keep dog odour in the house to a minimum? i.e. gadgets, products, methods.
(c) What is your cleaning regime?
(d) Any other top tips to keep the house in good order and smelling fresh and clean? i.e. air purifiers, baking soda etc

Thank you for taking the time to read and reply and I'll add in my own tips along the way.

Cheers,

Paul

bizzylizzy:
I‘m not very keen on commercial house deodorants, air fresheners and co. which very often full of chemicals but agree that there are times when the house can seem a bit „doggy“ but we‘ve learned to live with it.
We live in the country and very rarely come back from a walk with a clean dry dog - I have a hose fixed up by the back door and feet and under carriage often have a shower down if Humphrey’s particularly muddy, I also have one of the plastic feet washers (just a beaker full of water basically) if its only his feet. I try not to bath him, at least with shampoo, more than a couple of times a year unless he‘s in a particularly bad state, its not good for skin or coat IMO. I have dog drying towels and also a doggy hairdryer which I use occasionally. Ears do get a touch of shampoo a bit more often as they can get very mucky. I also try to avoid letting him on the furniture and carpet when he‘s damp and I‘ve got blankets and towels dotted around which are washed regularly and his bed also has a towel for him to lie on which I can change easily.
Keeping hair on his paws reasonably short helps.Other than that, lots of fresh air circulating and I vacuum a couple of times a week, - although we have tiles and short pile rugs so a bit easier than fitted carpets perhaps.
The one good thing I noticed after he‘d (unfortuantely) been  castrated was that he didn‘t smell anything like as bad as he‘d done before.
We‘ve learned to live with not having such a super clean tidy house and visitors have to accept that they might go home with a few dog hairs stuck to their clothes but its a case if „love me, love my dog“ and the joy he brings us every day makes up for a not so perfect house one thousand fold!  ;) :luv: .

Mudmagnets:
I can't say having a super clean house bothers me at all, I have two dogs and the joy and pleasure that they bring more than outdo the need for an ideal home. It's their home too  ;)

Like bizzylizzy I am not a fan of artificial air freshners, particularly those that plug in and give off scents or you spray about, yuck!! and I'm sure some of these products that are full of chemicals are not good for my dogs either.

They have hair cuts and bath every three months at the groomers and any other washes and grooming  they need I do at home.

I have towels they walk on as they come in the door and to wipe paws...and bodies if necessary

 I do enough to keep the home clean and tidy(ish) and that really is it. enough said!!  ;)

Pearly:
We have four working dogs that live in the house, did have five and will be up to six this time next year.  We don’t have carpet except on the stairs and living room (rug).  No air fresheners as they irritate my nose so I dread to think what they do to the dogs.

We have a Belfast sink and hose outside, a utility we can take the dogs in if they are really muddy but also a downstairs warm shower and bath in the “dog room” which is through two rooms and the hallway.

We don’t use products on the dogs unless covered in fox/goose/badger poo…… this to keep the natural oils in their coats which gives greater protection to the dogs and means they are easier to groom. 

Top tip is a robot vacuum that gets under furniture.  It’s transformed the house since it arrived (we’ve called it Nigel although my husband insists it is a she….) no more fluff or random bits of twig/stick/edge of vet beds/left over chews…

The dog beds do tend to get a bit pongy.  They are washed whenever I can smell the dogs or I remember, or there’s a need due to an accident  ;)

fluffykins:
Thanks for the replies everyone, some great suggestions in there.

Here are a few of my tips:

Use a washable bed
Wash down crates with vinegar
Use sodium bicarbonate to lift the doggy odour from carpets and rugs
Don't let wet dogs near sofas, beds or other soft furnishings

:)

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