I really don't know what to do anymore. I'm a huge animal lover and I spent a long time volunteering at a rescue centre. When I met my husband, he worked in a pet shop and was into fishkeeping (as am I). I had a cat at the time and he seemed to like it, but after a few months, I had an unplanned pregnancy and we ended up building a life together because everything was going so well.
Gradually, he started to dislike the cat; he's a bit of a neat freak and once he saw the cat rolling in the compost, he eventually couldn't stand it anymore. He completely ignored the cat for 10 years but never hurt it, which I wouldn't have tolerated. After the cat passed away, being so passionate about animals, I found the house far too quiet. It's almost vital for me to have a pet (animals were like therapy for me when I was young and dealing with family issues), so I got a dog because he didn't want another cat.
Now, he doesn't like the dog either. He spends all his time telling me the house stinks, that I've forced this on him, and that I don't realise how much the smells are a nightmare for him. He wants the dog to live outside, but I'm not having it—he's an old boy from a rescue. Has anyone else been in this situation? I hoover every other day, mop the floors twice a week with a strong-scented cleaner specifically for homes with dogs, I feed the dog a raw diet, and I wash the dog and his bed covers once a month. The dog only has access to the living room, dining room, hallway, and basement—he's not allowed in the bedrooms or on the sofa. I'm really sad and would love some advice. I'm definitely not going to rehome him or give him up, that's out of the question; I'm just looking for ways to ease the tension regarding the dog. Thanks.
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Hello,
I honestly don’t know what to do anymore. I love animals and spent a long time volunteering at a rescue centre. When I met my husband, he worked in a pet shop and was a fishkeeper (as am I). I had a cat and he seemed to like him well enough at first, then after a few months, I fell pregnant unexpectedly and we built a life together because everything was going so well.
Over time, he started to go off the cat. He’s a bit of a neat freak and after seeing the cat rolling in the compost, he eventually couldn't stand the sight of him. He completely ignored him for 10 years but never mistreated him, which I would never have stood for. When the cat died, being such an animal lover, I found the house so sad. It’s almost vital for me to live with an animal (they were like therapy for me as a child dealing with family issues), so I got a dog since he didn't want another cat.
Now he doesn't like the dog. He’s constantly telling me the house stinks, that I’ve forced this on him, and that I don't realise what a nightmare the smell is for him. He wants the dog to live outside but I won’t have it; he’s an old boy from a rescue. Has anyone else been through this? I hoover every two days, mop the floor twice a week with a strong-scented pet-safe cleaner, feed him a raw diet, and wash the dog and his bedding once a month. The dog is only allowed in the lounge, dining room, hallway and basement—no bedrooms or sofas... I’m really upset and would love some advice. I'm definitely not going to rehome or give my dog up, that’s out of the question, I’m just looking for ways to ease the tension. Thank you.
Hi there, well as far as I'm concerned, my dogs come before my bloke. If he ever stopped liking my dogs, I wouldn't hesitate for a second to dump him. My dogs are my life. Giving up your dog would be the ultimate betrayal; your dog would never ditch you for another mum. 🤧
Hi,
I just don't know what to do anymore. I adore animals and spent a long time volunteering at a rescue centre. When I met my husband, he worked in a pet shop and was a fishkeeping enthusiast (as am I). I had a cat and he seemed to like him, then after a few months, I fell pregnant unexpectedly and we made a life together as everything was going well.
Gradually, he started to dislike the cat. He’s a bit of a clean freak and once he saw the cat rolling in the compost heap, he eventually couldn't stand him. He completely ignored him for 10 years but he never hurt him, which I wouldn't have stood for. The cat died and, being an animal lover, I found the house so sad. It’s almost vital for me to live with an animal (pets were like therapy for me as a child dealing with family issues), so I got a dog because he didn't want another cat.
Now, he doesn't like the dog. He spends his time telling me that the house stinks, that I forced this on him, and that I don’t realise what a nightmare these smells are for him. He wants the dog to live outside but I won't do that; he's a lovely old boy from a rescue. Has anyone else been through this? I hoover every two days, mop the floors twice a week with a special high-scent pet-safe cleaner, feed the dog a raw diet, and wash both the dog and his bed covers once a month. The dog is only allowed in the lounge, dining room, hallway and basement—no bedrooms or sofas. I’m really sad and would like some advice. I am categorically not giving up or rehoming my dog, I'm just looking for solutions to ease the tension. Thanks.
Hi there! Personally, my dogs come before any man. If mine stopped liking my dogs one day, I wouldn't hesitate for a second to dump him. My dogs are my life. It's too easy to just give up—if you part with your dog, it's the ultimate betrayal. Your dog would never let you down for another mum. 🤧
Thanks drey333, Snoopy’s already got some 'macho macho' cologne from the groomers... lol but it just masks the smell really... it's no miracle worker. I’ll give the white clay a go, I hadn't heard of that before...
I’m not really a fan of these kinds of products, but I’ll suggest it anyway:
(You’d need to check the ingredients first, but otherwise you could always find an essential oil that’s safe for dogs and use a couple of drops every now and then)
[A boutique range of dog perfumes]
Thanks @docline for that info, you’ve hit the nail on the head regarding the problem. My dog’s skin is actually quite dry rather than greasy, and there’s no dandruff, so I don't think it's seborrhoea... Some people say the smell is just down to the breed. Personally, I love dogs and have always had them, but I’ve never known a dog that smells lovely or of nothing at all; they all have their own little scent, they can't help it. As @docline mentioned, perhaps some people are just less sensitive to it. At the moment, I’m looking for ways for us all to live together comfortably. Putting my dog outside would break my heart, which is why I’m going to try using some room diffusers to avoid upsetting my husband. He’s got nothing against the dog, but he really struggles with the smells... anyway, thanks for all your advice. I hope I’ll eventually find a solution...
Lots of dogs have that typical "doggy" smell (!), and it’s usually nothing to worry about. If the odour becomes a bit much, the occasional bath is normally enough to sort it out. However, if a smell develops in a pet that didn't have this issue before, or if it persists despite regular grooming, or comes back very quickly, it’s likely due to a skin condition. This unpleasant smell is often linked to a kerato-seborrhoeic condition—essentially an abnormally high production of sebum and increased skin shedding, which leads to dandruff (scales).
You can usually tell if the skin is greasy just by looking at it or touching it. Seborrhoea, much like dandruff, is often localised in certain spots, but it can sometimes affect larger areas. The size and look of the flakes can vary (they might be dry or greasy).
Seborrhoea and skin scaling are signs of either a purely skin-based issue (such as walking dandruff, allergic dermatitis, Malassezia dermatitis, etc.) or can be a symptom of an underlying illness (like hypothyroidism, leishmaniasis, etc.). It’s definitely worth booking a visit to the vet to find out the cause and get the right treatment sorted.
Everyone has their own level of sensitivity to smells, and those gut reactions are really hard to control. (For instance, I’ve got a massive aversion to all types of cheese—I have to leave the kitchen if there's any in there, even if it's tightly wrapped up. When I was a kid, I used to be sick if I was anywhere near certain smells: rum baba, petrol, some of those trendy perfumes, and so on. There are plenty of objectively foul smells that I can handle without batting an eyelid, but when your body just says 'no' to a scent, it’s quite overwhelming and there’s nothing you can do about it.)
