bathing

Question
I know that you are not supposed to bathe your dog everyday, but my boxer goes outside and plays everyday. What are some things I can do instead of bathe to get rid of the "dog" smell. Also are there any dog shampoos that make more frequent dog bathing okay?

Answer
I quite like the Earthbath shampoos - www.earthbath.com - and some of the formulas might be OK for more frequent bathing.  They also make between-bath wipes and spritzes to help with the dog smell.

That said, a strong odor, especially from a dry dog, is not normal; I've found that diet plays a large role in the amount of dog smell; the higher the quality of the diet, and the fewer artificial substances and waste products, the less odor.  This makes sense when you consider that much waste is exuded through the skin.  (Often dogs on poor-quality diets have dry, flaky skin and coarse fur, or oily skin an fur, as well.)  Odors are intensified when the dog is wet!

There's a good site for evaluating dog foods at www.dogfoodanalysis.com

Best,