Sheepadoodles are lively, playful and a bundle of joy. They also have a forest of hair and thick coats over their skin. This means, bathing them to the skin is not easy.
While poor hygiene can be a good reason for that foul smell, what’s the rotting fishy smell when your sheepadoodle is around?
Do sheepadoodles smell bad?
By nature or genetics, sheepadoodles do not smell bad. However, a sheepadoodle can give out foul smells for a few reasons including bad mouth hygiene, improper bathing techniques, and timings as well. If the dog is suffering from skin infection or anal gland secretions, it might smell poorly.
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Do sheepadoodles stink?
If a sheepadoodle stinks, similar to rotting or fishy smells, you may assume that your pet’s skin, mouth, or ears have yeast or bacterial infection. Too much oil accumulation on the skin, due to an irregular bathing routine can also cause your sheepadoodle to stink intensely.
4 reason why does a sheepadoodle smell bad:
While a sheepadoodle does not inherently smell bad, there are a few factors that can make your pooch smell certain ways. If you notice yourself wrinkling your nose with a sheepadoodle around, you might have to assume any of the following reasons:
You are not bathing them the right way:
Other than the accumulation of dirt and grime, the real reason why Sheepadoodles might be smelling even after a bath is improper bathing techniques and timing.
If it has been more than 3 weeks since you last bathed your canine, body oils from the dog have likely gathered on its coat and became smelly. Since sheepadoodles have heavy coats, lost skins, food remains, dust, and dirt gets trapped in that oil as well.
Sometimes if the shampoo is not right, your poodle might be stinky even after a wash.
Your sheepadoodle has skin infection:
Even if you wash your dog’s hair every day, which you never should, your sheepadoodle will always smell foul if your pet has some kind of underlying skin infection.
When the skin underneath a sheepapoo’s coat is infected, smelly bacteria or yeast might be gathered for a while. If you don’t notice the signs early, the infection might have infested to make your dog really stinky.
One way to understand whether your pup has a skin infection is looking out for other symptoms like itching, irritation, or small bumps in the skin.
Your pet has mouth and ear issues:
Like humans, your sheepadoodles are prone to getting ear or mouth infections too. One of the signs, among others, is a foul-smelling mouth or ears with smelly discharge.
One common reason for ear infections is wax build up in alliance with other fluids and dirt. That’s why you would want to put cotton in their ears when you give them a bath.
Bad smell coming from your pooch’s mouth has connections to some sort of dental problem, ranging from tooth decay, or gum infection.
They might have infected anal glands or intestinal issues:
Flatulence is an issue that is related to a dog’s intestinal health that causes the dog to release loud and stinky gas, quite often. If the gas is not dissipated, you would notice the smell in your nose longer than you think.
Other than that, if your dog has a loose stool problem, it would have smelly anal glands that could lead to the sheepadoodle smelling quite bad throughout the day.
Why does my sheepadoodle smell like fish?
If your sheepadoodle is smelling somewhat like a fish, you would have to assume that the smell is coming from their anal region. This smell is often associated with anal gland secretion and can be quite strong on the nose.
The smell can also be coming from the dog’s vaginal area and possibly due to some urinary infection. In either case, the smell would be intense and you’d need to see a vet get a diagnosis.
Why does my sheepadoodle smell like she is rotting?
A pungent or rotting smell from a dog can often be related to the festering of infection, either on the dog’s skin or lower regions. When your sheepadoodle excretes too much oil from their skin, a skin inflammation may cause yeast or bacteria accretion.
When that happens, the buildup of bacteria, oil and dirt can cause such a smell. If you are bathing your dog and not scrubbing all the way to the skin, the smell is likely to build up. Anal or vaginal infections or secretion can also cause rotting smells.
How do I make my sheepadoodle smell better?
If your dear sheepadoodle is smelling like a rotten carpet, you’ll have to take care of it. Here are some things you can do to make your pet smell better:
Wash your dog properly:
The right way to wash your dog is using a high-quality shampoo that promises to break down any oils that may accumulate.
That wouldn’t be enough if you don’t scrub your pet’s skin with considerable effort. Make sure to bath your sheepadoodle once every 3 weeks, but not more often as it might dry their skin out.
Take care of its dental hygiene:
You may have to check and brush your sheepadoo’s teeth regularly to avoid the buildup of plaque.
Usually, veterinarians recommend that a dog’s teeth are brushed at least 3 times in one week. If they have had sticky, sugary food, brushing their mouth immediately after a meal is advisable.
Check them after bathroom:
After they have come from the bathroom, you may want to check if they are cleaning down their discharging passageways.
Oftentimes inadequate cleaning down the excretion areas is a major smelling reason. For that, you’d have to spray on water or ask the groomer for a thorough clean up if that’s the case.
Use a leave on spray:
For dogs like sheepadoodle that have thicker coats and a lot of hair, you can always use a protective leave on the spray.
Apart from keeping the coat shielded from heat damage, the smell that lingers gives a fresh feel to the pet.
How often should you groom a sheepadoodle?
When it comes to grooming, a sheepadoodle can be quite a lot of work. You can also take them to a groomer every 5 to 6 weeks for a thorough trimming, shaving, or groom session.
Depending on how much coat and what kind it has, you have to brush their coat for a minimum of half an hour every day. Preferably, you may also want to brush it every day.
How often should you bathe a Sheepadoodle?
You should bathe a Sheepadoodle once every 3 weeks for a clean coat and clean skin. Bathing them more often will dry out their skin. Also, if you bathe them after long periods, the accumulation of oil in their skin will cause foul smells.
To bathe them, use a scrub and a high-quality shampoo made for dogs. You need to scrub the skin of the dog instead of the coated surface. It is also important to dry the sheepadoodle’s coat very thoroughly.
How do you groom a sheepadoodle?
When you are grooming a sheepadoodle, you’d want to be careful as their long coats can get tangled up easily causing hair breakage and pain on their skin when you brush the coat.
For that, you may want to comb on the coat every day, or every other day for at least 20 to 30 minutes and remove mats. Bathe them every 3 weeks and give them sanitary cuts once in a while.
While brushing make sure to use a brush with pins that are either medium or large. You can use slicker, dematting brushes, as well as clippers, to groom your sheepadoodle.
How much does it cost to groom a sheepadoodle?
If you go to a professional groomer, it might cost you about $1000 yearly to groom a sheepadoodle. It would depend on the area or city you live in.
However, if you plan to groom your dog at home, all by yourself, the cost will be incurred in buying the tools which can be anywhere from $30 to $200, depending on what tools you are buying.
Do sheepadoodles drool?
Sheepadoodles are known to be non-drooling, as they are non-shedding. As they do not drool at all, they are a favorite type of family dog that is less likely to cause allergies.
If they drool, it would be related to a medical condition or poor dental hygiene. If they drool excessively, you may have to consult a vet.
Do mini Sheepadoodles drool?
Mini sheepadoodles are the smaller sized poodle and English shepherd breed that is quite similar to its original big sized sheepadoodle temperament. These cute little hairy dogs are non droolers, as well.
However, underlying health conditions or mouth bacteria can cause them to drool as well.
If you own a hairy sheepadoodle that suddenly seems to give off a pungent, fishy smell, you’d have to check the last time you gave it a proper bath.
If that’s been recent, you may have to check for its excretion pathways, mouth, and ears for a possible infection. It’s always wise to run a check with the groomer and the vet when you can.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How Big Does a Sheepadoodle Get?
Should Sheepadoodles be Shaved?