smelly black lab,.

[jimboharding]

ive got a black lab thats about a year old that i use for duck and goose hunting. all year round it has this horrible stinch to it. please give me suggestions to get rid of this smell.

[RockCreekRetrievers]

Hi, I posted this in the Waterfowl section too, hope ya get it, cause this really works,,,

Anyway, because labs spend so much time in the water !! because of their dense coat, it becomes a breeding ground for bacteria,,hence the smell,,first off make sure that her/his ears are cleaned after every hunt and her/his coat is rinsed in regular tap water from the hose or whatever, then what I do is apply a rinse of 2 pints vinegar to 2 gallons of water (I mix this together in a bucket) and then completeyly drench my dogs with it ( I promise they wont smell like vinegar) DO NOT rinse them after you apply the vinegar mixture,,,it gives thier coat a nice soft feel and the smell is gone!! also for a quick fix in the house,,I mix (about half and half) a bottle of original Listerine and water,,I spray it all over them and then rub it in,,works great for a quick fix,,,I have 4 labs that love the water and then like to come home and crash out in the house!! I like this because for one it works and second it is CHEAP!!!! and ya gotta love that! also you may have heard that frequent bathing strips the coat of the natural water-repellent oils that the lab has,,this is true!! So I dont bath them I just use the vinegar/water solution and the Listerine/ water solution! Hope this helps!

[wvvet]

Labs tend to be prone to ear and skin problems....so therefore a couple of questions....
1. Does he dig/scratch alot?
2. Does his ears look and smell clean?

[Doc E]

And, what kind of food do you have him on?

[jimboharding]

Thanks for the suggestions!!! I hunt two dogs together both black labs. the male never smells its the female that does. Im thinking it is not because of being in the water. Also her ears are fine. I will try the listerene and vineger though, thank.