i think most people in this situation just become so used to it, they don't even realize it's there. i once worked for a woman who had numerous cats. cats cats cats everywhere. i had to take something to her house once and when she opened the front door to let me in, the smell almost made me gag. it was so bad, i made up an excuse as to why i had to leave right away rather than go in and visit.

i have one good friend who isn't a huge dog person although she doesn't mind getting leaned on and pestered by my danes. she comes out for morning coffee often and every few times, i will ask her if my house smells "doggy". the first time i asked her, she wanted to know if i wanted her to lie or be honest (she knows that i know she'd be brutally honest). i told her i needed to know so be honest. she said nope, she has never noticed an odor. i did this to her so many times, now when she comes out, the first thing she says when she walks in the door is "nope, still doesn't smell doggy". lol

I agree with socks. This is for a friend or family member to mention, and, for all we know, they have, and the homeowner still did nothing.

It's truly none of your business how his house smells. Leave this be.

Cash the check, and be done. If this person calls again for service, tell them you‘re all booked...or some other excuse. Unless, of course, the money means more than having your olfactory system offended.

I don’t have a dog, but I’ve been in enough dog inhabited homes to know that a well trained, and cleaned dog, gives off no odor.

If it were me, I wouldn’t go back.

" I don’t have a dog, but I’ve been in enough dog inhabited homes to know that a well trained, and cleaned dog, gives off no odor."

No odor that you discern. It's present however.

A few years ago, the lovely large home across the street was purchased by a doctor with 5 kids, 3 badly trained (think obnoxious) barking dogs, a lop eared rabbit. Let me add, I love animals of all kinds.

They were having a bath remodeled and the contractor quit mid job. He couldn't stand the scent and interruptions the animals were making to his work.

I haven't noticed odors, but I've swept the kitchen cleaning up after dinners at my sis's enough times to know that feeding two german shepherds in the kitchen twice a day does not make for an animal hair free space ;0) Really great dogs but I might feed them in my mudroom if mine.

Hi Joe! In answer to the question, “How can they not know,” it’s possible that they have fewer olfactory neurons than you do, so they’re less sensitive to odors. More likely, sensory adaptation is to blame. Human survival rests on the ability to sense a change in our environment, so we are wired to become accustomed to constant, every day odors and pay attention to a change in those smells. It’s often referred to as “nose blindness” and there’s a great article about this in New York Magazine written by Melissa Dahl. Check it out if you get a chance.

"It's truly none of your business how his house smells. Leave this be."

Yes and no. It's his home, but it's my job site.

Years ago I worked for a solid surface fabricator who had the Home Depot contract. I did a template for a job and in the company's paperwork comment section, a "heads up" for the installers, I noted the breathtaking oder of cat pee.

When the homeowners got a copy, they complained to HD, but my boss said little to me. It was so bad that the installers would have gotten unemployment had they been fired for refusing to do the work. I'm talking eye-burning can't breath cat pee smell.

I would want to know! I have a pretty good sense of smell, but that could change as I get older, so I certainly would want a heads up that I wasn't aware of something smelly in my house.

Did you pet the dogs? Were they smelly themselves? Some people never bathe their dogs and the dogs will really smell, specially in your warm/humid climate.

I have volunteered with a dog rescue group in my area and the smell in the kennels is overpowering. They keep the place as clean as possible and they bathe the dogs regularly, but when you mix 100 large dogs, food, waste and disinfectant smells in a tight space it is hard to avoid, and that is with a dry climate.

Many years ago I went to a for-sale open house in a very upscale neighborhood andthought it was odd that the agent was outside chatting with other people. The second I walked into the door, the overwhelming scent of cat pee hit..I turned around and left.

That realtor was an idiot. Were I your realtor and you expected my time and effort to sell your home, you'd clear the clutter and it would smell like baking chocolate chip cookies when I held your house open. That or keep your listing; my time is too valuable to have people who are supposed to be on my team pushing against me.

It’s like the Febreeze commercial “you’ve gone nose blind”. I think every house has a smell of some kind, good or bad.

Blubird I’ve been touring houses lately too, and walked in a house that had a very strong smell of cat pee. My husband and I literally walked in and out. Nope.

Joseph Corlett - what outcome do you want for telling your client that his house smells? You said you did this job, so you are no longer there. Do you think he will immediately bathe all his dogs, get all the carpets shampooed, the upholstery professionally cleaned, and the floors re-finished? You said you’d never tell a customer until you cashed his check. At that point, do you just want the satisfaction of letting him know? What are you seeking from this?

It's not your jobsite. You can choose where you work, no one is forcing you to work there.

No. Move on. When they try to sell the house, it's the job of the realtor.

Went with our favorite realtor to look at a house that had lovely pictures, good location. We expected a little bit of updating. The owner was the mother of a very prominent high end builder. He lived next door. The house had been on the market for a while. What you couldn't tell from the lovely listing pictures was the smell. We had been warned that there would be kenneled dogs. We love dogs and have a few of them ourselves. The three of us opened the door, stepped in and gagged. It was so bad. I can only guess that the lady was suffering from dementia and didn't realize how foul her dogs smelled. We walked out and crossed it off the list.

I just don’t understand this. Cat Pee Houses just give cats a bad name when it is in actuality a failing of the homeowner. Cats have zero natural odor. But if you use cheap cat litter and don’t scoop the box thoroughly at least twice a day, you’re going to get cat stench — and if your cat is finicky, they will choose another spot rather than go in a nasty box. But even that oops-out-of-box smell can be kept clean with an enzyme cleaner. My kid sis has had upwards of five dogs and four cats in her house at one time (she rescues strays) and I swear there has never been a smell. Ever. She runs roomba vacs daily, and does keep a tidy home but I wouldn’t say she is obsessive. How hard can it be to have a home that does not stink?

If a cat pees on the carpet in a spare room, good luck on finding out and using "enzyme cleaner". OR, misses the litterbox and gets the nearby carpet, and pad.

I did it once for a cousin’s foster cat that was peeing on her husband’s stinky running shoes. It took some time. It isn‘t ideal. Might not work on shaggy carpet, not sure. You use a black light.

IF you go searching later that week for a new source in the spare bedroom, not going to solve the pad and wood staining nor any pee that soaked thru to the subfloor.

As MizLizzie said......cat urine, and other stuff, can easily be located with a black light. Just be sure to use it at night. It can be scary to use the light since even lint will take on a glow and make you think everything is dirty. : )

Works well on most carpet and fabrics.

And as I said, if you don't get it taken care of immediately and before it gets thru to the pad and floor or subfloor, you are out of luck.

Joseph that would have been tough for me, and I love dogs! I think I'm a bit more sensitive to odors than some others, because smells hit me sooner and harder than other people. Back when we all could go to into an office for work, I hated getting on an elevator with people coming in from a smoke break - I'd hold my breath as long as possible because the smell just clings. And a woman at my health club (back when we could go) is very nice, but I hated having a locker near hers because her clothes just reek of smoke. I think the smokers just don't smell it on themselves or in their homes.

Last time my wife and I were house shopping we were looking thru a house. Opened the door to the basement and were hit with the stench of cat pee. Wife left immediately. Too bad cuz the house would've been a good choice and the cat pee smell can be eliminated. shame on the relator for not getting the homeowner to deal with the issue.

Does my house smell like dog? No because I don't have a dog. We had one in our previous house and it did not smell nor did the house. The dog was a Basenji who never smelled. I am sensitive to smells. I'm always the one saying "What's that smell?" No one else smells anything. I do remember visiting a friend of DH's who had a Golden Retriever. That house and the dog stunk to high heavens. I still pet the dog because I do love dogs but it left the stench on my clothes and hands. Yuck. I would never tell anyone their house smelled. I have told my sister her dog stunk though.

And some dogs just smell more than others, no matter how much you bath/clean them (or regardless of what you feed them). Our corgi never smells in the winter but come summertime he smells awful... even with regular bathing. He’s in and out of the water a lot all year but in the summer he smells like he’s mildewing :-(

I find it amazing that numerous people insist that their dog or cat doesn't have an odor or the house does not have an odor. What they are actually saying is that THEY do not smell the odor.

When I was a smoker I could not smell cigarette odor in restaurants and other people's homes - nor in my own home. Now that I am a nonsmoker I can detect cigarette smell from afar.

Stax why do you find it amazing? The dog smelled good and the house did too. Maybe the house had an odor and the dog but not a bad one. The dog breed I had does not have a doggy smell. Right from the AKC official website about the breed: Basenjis don’t have a “doggy” smell, and they usually don’t need to be bathed unless they get into something particularly messy."

"The dog breed I had does not have a doggy smell."

lol I rest my case.

Stax you rest your case how? The title of the thread is does your house smell like dog. When I had my dog the house didn't smell like dog because the breed does not have a doggy smell.

Keep a jar of Vicks Vaporub in your toolbox and apply some under your nose. That's what law enforcement does at homicide scenes.

There are definitely dog breeds that are more pungent that others.

If my house smelled that badly to someone, I would want to know. Just like if I personally stunk, I would want to know that too. I worked with a smoker a few years ago who stunk so badly. It smelled like stale body odor and cigarette stench combined and that was brutal in a small space.

Who wouldn't want to know if a first-time visitor to your home had an overpowering stench be their first impression?

However Joe, you're in a difficult spot. In your particular case if I were you, I probably wouldn't say anything if it was just a one-time job. Too many ways it could go badly for you with no real positives.

Most dog smell is due to staph infection on the skin. Some breeds have coats that allow staph odors to grow. Others, not quite as much. I've got collies. You can't smell them. They are indoor dogs. They are groomed frequently. My rough collie, think Lassie, has a baby fine coat and never smells. My smooth collie (the rare short-haired version) has an oily coat with larger hair shafts. If I wash him weekly with an antibacterial shampoo, you can't smell him. If I wash him once a month, the staph returns and you can begin to smell it.

Cat pee is based either on behaviors that need to be addressed or lack of stringent attention to the cat box litter. Cats and dogs like to live in clean surroundings. It's the humans that are nasty or lazy.

Pet odors are the responsibility of the owner in one way or the other. Behaviors, sanitation and cleanliness are all matters within the control of the owner. Older pets need stringent washing and attention. It requires constant effort. Off to wash the dog at the dog wash.

Some people have a much more sensitive sense of smell than others. I smell anything out of the ordinary. My husband can’t smell something cooking that is starting to burn til it is practically on fire. I agree that lots of people’s houses have a unique smell. I don’t notice the smell of our house until I go away for a week or so. When I come back, it is obvious, but very quickly fades to normal background. The guy probably doesn’t realize his house seriously smells like dog because he isn’t particularly sensitive and it is what he is accustomed to. I don’t see anything wrong with telling him that you go in and out of a lot of houses and while he probably doesn’t notice it because he is used to it, his house has a strong enough doggy smell to be very noticeable - bordering on unpleasant. Maybe he could care less and will think you are out of line, or maybe you will help him realize this is why his friends always insist he go to their houses. Maybe he has noticed it and thought about doing something about it, but had not gotten around to it and you will motivate him to get to it. If you mention it, you give him the opportunity to do something about it if he didn’t realize it was that bad.

" Others, not quite as much. I've got collies. You can't smell them."

Oh yes you can. I've got friends with collies.

I've had Collies and agree they could readily be smelled. I now have one Greyhound that I cannot smell. I had many (English) Bulldogs and I did not smell them - except for methane gas. lol

All dogs have an odor.

I had a problem with my house smelling of spices! DH loves to bbq/smoke meats and had accumulated a large collection of rubs and spices, which he stored in their original containers and bags, none of which were truly airtight. We had remodeled the kitchen and I quickly noticed that the spice smells were "infecting" the new cabinet he had them in and I could smell it faintly when I came back from running errands.

I did some research and bought a few hundred dollars of airtight jars to store all the bbq stuff. It has made a huge difference and the cabinet is now mostly odor free and you don't smell it in the house. DH never noticed that it was a problem!

Are you advocating buying jars to keep your dogs in?

Pretty much we've been talking about dog smells here in the Pet Forum.

Conversely, some homes smell so good! I think of it as the smell of money, because it's the large gorgeous homes of my wealthier friends. I've tried to pinpoint if it's what they use to clean the home or their laundry detergent. (Back when our kids were little, we'd pass along hand-me-downs, and even old little boy tees smelled good.) Just walking in the door, there's a pleasant, not over-powering but detectable (to me) fragrance. Wish I could pinpoint it, because I'd try to duplicate! (And at least a few of these homes have a large dog.)

Joe,

You will smell my husband before you smell the collies.

I have made it clear to everyone I know to please tell me when/if my house smells like dog. When you live there, you become immune to noticing the smell so if I'm not staying on top of it (hint: NO CARPET) I want someone to tell me!!

Stax, yes, sure, I'm advocating keeping pets in jars!

Maybe you didn't notice that the thread was also posted under Kitchens and Home Disasters, so I brought up another potential source of smells in a house, one that can be equally as bad as pet smells. Feel free to ignore any comments you don't like.

chispa You continue to be condescending., don't ya? lol

Oh, the Subject of this thread is Dog Odor and the OP's initial post is on that subject. Not cooking odors nor dead rats in the attic - sorry I tried to introduce some humor. I should have known better with you. lol

Condescending? You are the one that criticized or didn't like what I posted on a public internet forum and told me what I should be writing about, not once, but twice.

As I said, feel free to skip, or ignore, any comments that don't meet your approval.

As a Realtor I have had to convince several homeowners over the years that their animals weren't perfect in their potty habits. One time the house was vacant and it had been professionally cleaned including the carpets. All the feedback was that the basement smelled of cat pee. Had to take a black light over there and show the owners the evidence. In one area the walls were streaked with urine spray and the carpet really glowed! Able to remediate by pulling back the carpet, cutting out the pad, treating the subfloor with Kilz. Carpet and walls were treated with an enzyme cleaner and the carpet pad replaced. Most pet owners are oblivious to the problem and don't believe their Realtor right away. Cookies smell great but won't hide the problem.

I visited a friend out of state last year and each time I entered her house, wet dog smell hit me smack in the face (two large dogs). Honestly, once the dog is stinky and it lays on the carpet/furniture/bed, I think it is hard to get rid of the smell. Cats, in general, have zero odor. Litter boxes can if they are not tended to every day.