The smell of your perfume seems like a good idea to have on your dog, especially if your dog is outdoor and helping you with your farming needs. But what dogs perceive as a pleasant smell is entirely different from what you think smells good.
Perfume is a billion-dollar market in the beauty industry. New scents and trends are developed regularly to suit the taste of almost every consumer on the planet. But dogs may not necessarily get attracted to the perfumes that humans find intoxicating.
It is known that dogs have at least 1,000 times more powerful sense of smell than humans. They perceive the world mainly by how things smell for them. While you find a particular perfume attractive, your dog senses a widely intense and stressful aroma. And this isn’t limited to just perfumes because it includes any product that contains fragrances.
It is understandable that dogs sometimes have a funky smell, but using perfume to get rid of their “dog smell” isn’t something you should always do.
What are Human Perfumes Made Of?
What are the components of human perfume that make it unattractive to dogs? Let’s talk about it in detail.
Perfumes are made of more dense and concentrated materials because they are intended to travel farther and linger longer in the body and clothing. Body Sprays are more diluted and less potent than perfumes. And perfumes have a higher percentage of fragrance oil mixed with alcohol that can be a little overpowering for dogs’ noses.
Dog Hygiene
According to Mark Braeden, dogs have an unusual smell that often comes up when they haven’t taken a bath for a few days to a few weeks. Some dog owners are so busy that they forget to bathe their dog or have enough time to bring their pet to the groomer. Instead, they try to mask their smell by applying heavy perfume on their fur.
Some dogs have been observed to roll on the grass, floor, or a familiar smelling object to try to get rid of the fragrance that’s been clinging on their fur from the shampoo and conditioner. Try to find one that is not heavily scented.
Furthermore, dogs have natural sebum and good bacteria on their skin that gives off this “dog smell.” This is an important part of their health and keeps their skin free from irritations. It has been proven that water “activates” the lousy dog odor, so the best way to remove the awful dog smell is to keep their skin and fur dry and away from wet surfaces.
Effects of Human Perfume on Dogs
You can occasionally squirt small amounts of human perfume behind the ears and on the tail. But it does not bode well for all dogs, especially if you are using heavily scented products. Some dogs get nauseous, dizzy, and weak after smelling human perfume. Others even lose their appetite because the smell of the perfume clings onto their nose, and it overpowers the smell of their food.
Worse cases that have been reported include dogs inhaling the perfume deeply, causing respiratory infection. Others say that their dogs have suffered from alcohol poisoning from removing the perfume off of their fur by licking it.
But not all effects are negative. Some studies show that natural scents like lavender and chamomile promote relaxation and grounding on pets without suffering from the unwanted side effects of fragrance. It is why you need to find the right perfume that works well for your furry friend.
Special Dog Perfumes
It has been observed in plenty of dogs that human perfume causes allergic reactions or irritation in their nose, eyes, ears, and skin. This is not a pleasant experience to put your dog into. It is why specially blended perfumes for dogs are created to avoid any unwanted effects. But if you want to be sure and safe, try to limit your dog’s exposure to perfumes and scented products because they like the natural scent of things around them.
Dog perfumes have been in the market for the past two decades. It has unique formulations to keep our dogs safe from toxic chemicals found in regular human perfume. If you can get dog perfume instead of using your own, it will be better.
Formulators removed alcohol from dog perfume to prevent them from getting poisoned and their skin drying out. Avoid using dog perfumes around their eyes, nose, genitals, and bald spots. The best time to put it on is after they get a bath. But do remember that everything in excess is never good.