The daycare smell
Why does my dog smell after daycare?
You open the car door at pick-up and the dog who left smelling of home now smells of everyone else. It is one of the less glamorous signs of a good daycare day. Here is where the smell comes from, why most of it goes away by itself, when a bath is worth booking, and which smells belong to a vet rather than a groomer.
Borrowed smells
Most of the smell is other dogs: saliva, close play and a damp coat
Dogs greet and play with their mouths and noses. A morning of wrestling leaves other dogs' saliva on the neck, ears and face; a chase ends in a heap on the turf; a rest block means lying where other dogs have lain. On warm days the pools on the turf yard add a wet coat that takes hours to dry, and a coat that dries slowly in a car or on a bed tends to smell stronger than one that dried in the sun. None of that is dirt in the sense of a muddy trail. It is the smell of company.
There is one sharper smell worth knowing about. Dogs carry two small anal sacs lined with glands that make a foul-smelling fluid, which VCA describes as a territorial marker or calling card. VCA also notes that it is common for dogs to release the contents of those sacs, particularly when frightened. A startle in play, a tumble or a dog that came on too strong can leave a brief fishy smell on your dog or on another. A single whiff is ordinary; a smell that keeps returning, or scooting along the floor, is a reason to see your vet.
- Saliva on the neck, ears and face from mouthing play
- A damp coat from the pools that dried slowly
- The yard and the floors, picked up by rolling and resting
- A brief fishy whiff after a fright, from the anal sacs
Will it fade
Borrowed smells fade once the coat is dry; a smell from the dog itself does not
The test is where the smell lives and whether it lasts. A daycare smell sits on the coat, strongest on the neck, shoulders and back, and fades once the fur is completely dry and has had an evening to air out. A smell that comes from the dog, rather than from its day, stays in one place and comes back after a bath. VCA notes that infected ears often develop a bad odor, with a black or yellowish discharge, head shaking and scratching, and that a veterinarian has to diagnose the exact cause before the right treatment can be chosen.
Feet are the other place to check. VCA's first-aid guidance on pad injuries lists a foul odor or a moist discharge, or swelling of the toes, among the reasons to take a dog to the veterinarian. A smell that sits in one spot, such as an ear, a paw, the mouth or a healing scrape, is the same kind of signal, and a bath only hides it for a day. Dry the coat with a towel on the first evening, then work your way along your dog from nose to tail. Faint and everywhere is borrowed; strong and in one place is worth showing your vet.
- 01
Towel the coat dry and give it an hour
- 02
Sniff the neck, ears and back, where play smells collect
- 03
Look inside the ears for odor, discharge or redness
- 04
Check the feet and between the toes
- 05
Note any smell from the rear, or scooting on the floor
- 06
Faint and everywhere: borrowed. Strong and in one spot: call your vet
Book a bath
A bath is worth booking when the smell outlasts the evening, or before guests arrive
Many daycare dogs need a towel more than a tub. Book a bath when the smell is still there the next day, after a muddy or pool-heavy week, before visitors, or before your dog sleeps on the guest bed. At Dogtown the bath and brush is a warm wash, a full blow-dry and a brush-out, with no haircut, priced by size from $55 to $95. Grooming needs no evaluation, and a bath can be scheduled during a daycare day so your dog goes home clean; add it when you book online, in the app or by phone.
Add-ons suit particular coats. Shed Release, a de-shedding treatment and brush-out at $10, helps double-coated dogs in a heavy shed. The antiseptic or fungal shampoo at $8 is a medicated wash for itchy, irritated or sensitive skin; if your vet is already treating the skin, ask them before adding it. Book your next appointment at pick-up and you save $5 off the next service, and dogs on the $700 unlimited daycare membership take 15 percent off grooming.
| Bath and brush, by size | Price |
|---|---|
| Small dog, up to 25 lb | $55 |
| Medium dog, 26 to 50 lb | $65 |
| Large dog, 51 to 90 lb | $75 |
| Extra large, over 90 lb | $85 |
| Extra large, long hair | $95 |
| Add-on: Shed Release | $10 |
| Add-on: antiseptic or fungal shampoo | $8 |
| Add-on: nail clipping | $16 |
Between baths
Between baths, a dry coat and clean bedding do most of the work
The cheapest fix is drying. Towel your dog after pool days and let the coat dry fully before bedtime, rather than letting it dry into the bed. Brush the neck, chest and ears, where mouthing play concentrates. Wash the bed cover and the car blanket on a regular rhythm, because a dog that is clean on Friday will smell of Tuesday's daycare day if its bed does. The Pup Van, $10 each way in Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea, takes the car seat out of the equation altogether.
Cape Ann adds its own smells. From October 1 the Gloucester beaches open to dogs again under the city's rules, Good Harbor on even-numbered days and Wingaersheek on odd-numbered days, and a dog that goes from daycare to the beach comes home with salt, seaweed and wet sand in its coat. Rinse salt water out with fresh water when you get home and dry the coat properly. In winter, wipe the feet after salted sidewalks; the daycare smell and the road salt can go in the same towel.
- Towel dry after pool days, and again before bed
- Brush the neck, chest and ears
- Wash the bed cover and the car blanket regularly
- Rinse salt water and sand out after a beach walk
At Dogtown
A bath on a daycare day
Book a bath and brush during your dog's daycare day or on its own; grooming at Dogtown needs no evaluation.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
Is it normal for my dog to smell after daycare?
Can Dogtown bathe my dog at the end of a daycare day?
Why does my dog smell fishy after daycare?
My dog's ears smell after daycare. Is that from the other dogs?
How often should a daycare dog have a bath?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
- VCA Animal Hospitals: Anal sac disease in dogs
- VCA Animal Hospitals: Ear infections in dogs
- VCA Animal Hospitals: First aid for torn or injured foot pads
- City of Gloucester: Beaches, detailed information
Rules and dates change. We re-check every beach, licensing and ordinance page each spring and fall; the source above is the current word.
Keep reading
Next step
Send your dog home clean.
Book a bath and brush online or in the Dogtown app, on its own or during a daycare day at 210 Eastern Ave in Gloucester. From $55, priced by size.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
