Once upon a time we only washed the dog once a year when the smell became unbearable, with a hose in the backyard.

These days, with many more people living in apartments and dogs being inside with their owners more often than not, bathing is becoming a more frequent (and necessary) event.

Dogs don't smell the same as we do... which is not surprising. But some doggy odors can be unbearable!

If your dogs smells, the first thing to check is where the smell is coming from. Is it the skin, or somewhere else? Odors can emanate from many body parts, including:

Itchy dogs are all too common. Itching can be an indication of many different skin diseases so, without a good examination, it can be very difficult to pinpoint exactly what is wrong.

So what can you do for your dog at home? Ideally, you should visit your vet for a correct diagnosis, but you can start by ruling out a few things yourself.

Up to 20 per cent of dogs have skin problems due to allergies. Amongst other things these can be triggered by food and contact, make the animal very itchy and drive both owner and dog crazy.

Up to 20 per cent of dogs have skin problems due to allergies¹. Amongst other things these can be triggered by fleas and pollen, make the animal very itchy and drive both owner and dog crazy.

Itchy dogs are all too common. Itching can be an indication of many different skin diseases so, without a good examination, it can be very difficult to pinpoint exactly what is wrong.

Some diseases are more common than others, however, so some can be ruled out easily without resorting to invasive diagnostic testing.

Itchy dogs are all too common. Itching can be an indication of many different skin diseases so, without a good examination, it can be very difficult to pinpoint exactly what is wrong.