Stinky beagles? Smell it and weep, it might be true

Quick, grab your beagle and take a whiff!

Tell me, how does he or she smell?

This isn't the start to a joke. What does your beagle smell like?

"If I have baths, how can I be stinky?"

While asking for suggestions for the recent Beagle Myths story I did, one of the suggestions I got was that beagles smell.

I had not heard this before until I started researching this. Beagles smell! I asked what they smelled like. People couldn't tell me exactly why beagles were such smelly doggies. They all say their beagles smell fine.

Was it a case of we've all lived with the stench so long that we don't notice it?

Well here's the deal -- we don't necessarily wash beagles as much. In my unscientific survey of beagle parents, I discovered most maybe wash their beagle once a month, if that. Some wash them every couple of months unless they roll in something!

Thundershirt means I can roll in the grass more!

 Now, every dog does have a certain smell. Ever see dogs sniff each others' butts? They secrete that smell in their anal glands. That's where the smell is strongest.

But that smell can also be found in fur follicles. It's a chemical ID, like a fingerprint. For beagles, some experts say that smell is stronger because beagles developed it to help identify other members of their pack while hunting.

I do notice that if the dogs are running around and get dirty Lulu will have a stronger smell than other dogs, but it's nothing to worry about.

So what about bathing? Well, if you bathe a beagle too much you can strip their skin of natural oils. That can lead to irritation and itchiness. I leave it up to you how long you go between baths. Lulu gets bathed once a month. I don't want to go too long because I don't want too much oil and dirt to build up on her skin either.

You should use a good sensitive skin shampoo that doesn't have a lot of harsh chemicals. EarthBath makes good shampoos. I also like Organic Oscar.

When bathing, I use this rubber bathing brush.

I got it at Petco. It massages the soap deeper into the skin. The dogs love the feel of it. Then, it's really important to rinse and dry well.

In between baths, makes sure to brush your dog to keep the coat nice and soft and shiny. I use a Furminator. It does an amazing job of grooming and de-shedding (yes, beagles do shed).

My doggies don't smell! At least no one's told me they do. :)

PS: Ever smelled your dog's feet? Do they smell like Fritos?

So tell me... what does your doggy smell like?

Lulu's Favorite Things: CritterZone knocks out pet odor *SPONSORED*

CritterZone USA is one of the sponsors of the Lulu's Favorite Things Campaign, which raises money for Harbor House of Central Florida's Paws for Peace Walk. Thanks to the help of companies like CritterZone, we raised $500 for Harbor House. You can continue to help us raise money by going to the Harbor House website.
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 I first learned about CritterZone last year at Global Pet Expo. I wrote a review you can read here. 

But keep reading below to find out how to get a coupon for $10 off one of these marvelous little units.

What is CritterZone? It's a teeny tiny machine that it amazing at neutralizing odors in the room. It can purify the air in a room up to 800 square feet in size, not just for pet odors, but for allergens, bacteria,  mold, and other awful smells.

CritterZone says the machine creates a continual charged plasma flow that cleans the air. It energizes the air like what you'd find outside. It does emit a very faint ozone smell, but the unit's emission is below the FDA standard of .05 ppm.

One cool thing the CritterZone can do is help remove the odor from pet accidents from carpet. The full instructions are on the CritterZone website, but basically after you clean the spot, place the CritterZone unit about six inches away and turn it on. Leave it for about half an hour to an hour.

Check out this great video from CritterZone via YouTube. I saw this demonstration firsthand at Global Pet Expo last year. CritterZone literally took the ammonia smell out of ammonia. This is great if you're trying to get animals to stop marking territory, or if you have a multi-cat household and controlling the litter box odor is an issue.



I wish I could show you the CritterZone ammonia test myself at home. I can't. I BROKE MY UNIT!

One thing that is really important with the CritterZone is to clean the unit. Over time little crystals can build up, and that can stop your unit from working. To clean it, you simply unscrew the back and brush the crystals off. Well I left my unit too long, and needless to say I burned it out. :(

But it does work amazingly well.

CritterZone has a corded unit for the house, a wall plug-in unit for the house, and a portable pack with a car adapter. All of these units can be purchased on the CritterZone website. 

A standard unit costs $99, still cheaper than buying one of the big units through a place like Sharper Image. And it has no filter to replace. If you take care of it, it will last a while. 

AND, if you use the code "lifewithbeagle" when you buy your CritterZone on the website, you get $10 off.


CritterZone also has a great blog where they offer pet tips and tricks for the home, plus news on their latest charitable works. Check out the post about Lulu's Favorite Things!

And follow them on Facebook and Pinterest for more great pet info:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CritterZone

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/critterzoneusa/

The fine print: This post is sponsored by CritterZone USA. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about CritterZone, but we only share information we feel is relevant to our readers. CritterZone is not responsible for the content of this article.