How to Tell If Your House Smells Like Dog

Ever walked into a house and immediately catch a funky dog smell?

What comes to the top of your mind is, “Don’t the owners know the house smells that bad?”

 Well, there’s a high chance that the people living there are blissfully unaware of the smell.

Apparently, there’s something called nose blindness and it is where the nose gets adapted to a specific odor and no longer pays attention to it.

What ends up happening is that the receptors of the said smell will be shut down.

What initially smelled horrible doesn’t bother you anymore.

Despite loving your dog to the moon and back, you certainly don’t want their smell to linger in your house.

It is rather embarrassing to invite guests over only for them to be met with a nasty doggie smell.  

But how will you know if your home has a doggy smell when you’ve gone nose blind?

Here are a few tips to consider instead.

1. Pay Close Attention To What Your House Smells Like

When was the last time you walked around your house and took deep breaths while being wary of any weird smells?

Most of us get by doing the same thing over and over again.

We vacuum floors, open windows, mop the floors, and scrub the floors without noticing bad odors.  

We simply don’t seem to deliberately put our noses to work by taking deep breaths when smelling everything. You’d be surprised what you can catch just by doing this.

Take time and smell everything including your carpets, rugs, couches, curtains, blinds, and fabrics.

Things that cause your home to reek of pooch smell include pet dander, slobber, and fur.

Knowing where these might hide will make your work of looking for smells easier.

Pay attention to the dog’s bedding and other accessories used by the dog and placed in the house.

When you find anything with an extreme scent, it is safe to assume that the smell is projected to the entire house.

Find methods of cleaning the specific areas to eliminate the bad scent.

2. Ask A Close Family Member Or Friend

Asking someone if your house has a doggy smell is awkward and uncomfortable.

 The thought of it makes you shudder but it is by far the most effective strategy to know what’s going on in your home.

Persons that don’t live with you haven’t become nose blinded to whatever smell in your home. Their noses can still identify unfamiliar scents.

Think of a close relative or friend who is brutally honest and ask them if your house smells like a dog.

 You want to ask them upon arrival before their nose gets temporarily blinded by the smell of the house.

 The trick is to find a very honest person who will not tell you something just to put a smile on your face.

Pet owners love their pets so much and most people stay away from mentioning anything negative along those lines.

 Still, you must know someone who will step on your toes just to help you.

Once you do, invite them over and have an uncomfortable conversation.

If they confirm that your house does smell dog, take action.

Clean as much as you can and invite them back when the job is done.

Let them give you another honest review.

Do that severally until the smell is gone completely.

3. Leave Your House For A Couple Of Days

Another ingenious way to determine if your house is stinking is to go somewhere for a while.

 The last time you went on holiday, you probably noticed that your house smelled differently from when you left.

You must have thought that what contributed to the smell is the fact that the blinds weren’t opened and no one was home to clean the house.

Granted, these might have had something to do with it but the house probably smells that way all the time without your knowledge.

To get the best results, close all the doors and windows and shut the blinds if you have them. Seal the place completely before you walk out.

Get someone to dog-sit while you are gone.

Resist bringing the pet with you just so that you can ensure that your nose essentially ‘forgets’ its smell.

When you get back home, take a deep breath through your nose to catch any weird smell.

What your house smells at that point will tell you a lot about its freshness or lack thereof.

4. Work Up Your Nose

Many people don’t know this but our noses can become more effective with exercise.

Research shows that the sense of smell is heightened after physical activity.

A 2013 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association goes to prove this fact.

 Its findings point to the fact that people who exercise often are less likely to lose their sense of smell when they reach their sunset years.

The actual reason for a heightened sense of smell during exercise is still unclear.

Some experts believe that physical activity increases blood flow to the nose making it more effective at catching smells.

Others claim that exercise leads to a higher breathing rate enabling the nose to take giant loads of whatever is attached to the air particles.

 There’s a third theory stating that physical activity adds moisture to your nostrils thus stimulating the brain to take in more smells.

Whatever the reason, jumping around may get your nose to smell something nasty in your home.

Go to the gym or take a 10-minute brisk walk around the neighborhood.

Now come back to the house and take a deep breath through the nose.

If you catch a doggy smell, act accordingly.

5. Quit Smoking

This sounds bizarre but it can make the difference when you are trying to eliminate doggie smells from your home.

Turns out, when you smoke cigarettes and take heavy drinks, your sense of smell will diminish over time. This has been proven scientifically.

Nicotine doesn’t only damage your liver and brain but also tampers with the effectiveness of your nose.

If you are a heavy smoker, try quitting smoking and watch as your sense of smell is restored.

The same can be said for heavy drinking. Your sense of smell is directly proportional to the level of alcohol in your blood.

If you are wondering why you cannot smell the perfume in your dish soap after a night out, it is likely because your blood has elevated alcohol levels.

Skip both cigarettes and alcohol and go back to smelling bad odors from your space like you used t.

 As an added benefit, your body will thank you for it.

Closing Thoughts

When you enter your home, you barely catch any doggie scent in there.

 If you are like many dog owners, you are delighted that your frequent cleanliness has rewarded you with a pleasant-smelling home.

Nevertheless, your space may be smelling like a dog without you knowing it.

 You may have gone nose blind and can no longer pick out certain familiar smells in your home.

If you suspect you are nose-blind, use the above strategies to know what’s really going on.

While you are at it, implement natural odor removers for your pet’s safety.

You don’t want to harm him while you are at it.