Do Pugs Stink All The Time?
There are affiliate links in this post.
One of the questions that I get asked frequently as a pug owner is – “Do pugs stink all the time?” or “Does your pug stink? I heard pugs stink.”
I’m not really sure where this idea comes from but I’ve been asked that by at least half a dozen people in the past couple of years which seems unusually high. I don’t know why that idea gets passed around but I thought I would address it, anyway.
My answer is no, my pugs don’t stink all the time. At least not any more than the next dog. All dogs have a mild smell if you really scratch around and pet them hard you’ll get a tiny scent on your fingers. But if my dog were to sit down next to you, you wouldn’t smell anything.
However, pugs do have some unique health needs that can contribute to a bad odor if they are not well taken care of. Some of them are unique to pugs while others are just for dogs in general.
Pugs usually have wrinkles in their face, due to their flat faces. This creates little crevices that can collect fur that has been shed, moisture, dust, etc. I researched pug ownership before getting my two pugs and read that cleaning the nose and face wrinkles with a wet wipe once a day did the trick. I’ve found that my dogs don’t even need it to be done daily. With a daily wipe, my one pug was losing his fur in the crevices so we only do it about twice a week and that seems like a good balance for my dogs. If you don’t keep their face wrinkles clean and dry they can get irritated or infected. When they get infected that’s usually a yeast infection which has a bad odor, and is why some pugs may have stinky faces. I’ve read that some dogs are sensitive to alcohol in most baby wipes because it is drying, so going with an alcohol-free brand might be useful. Most stores have an alcohol-free wipe option though they can be pricy. Amazon element baby wipes are alcohol-free and work out to just .02 per wipe.
Dogs can also get yeast overgrowth in their ears. A couple of times over the years my dogs have had yeast infections that start in their ears. Just like with the wrinkles, this is caused by a the crevice of the ear getting damp and not being aired out or getting dried out. For treatment my vet told us to buy Virbac PH ear wash and a prescription cream (tri-otic ointment) to use for a few days. Now as maintenance to avoid a new infection we use the PH wash in their ears after a shower and make sure to use a towel to dry deep into their ears.
Dogs can also be stinky due to anal gland issues. Dogs have glands on either side of their bottom that are supposed to express themselves when the dog has a bowl movement. If they have soft or small stools regularly, sometimes the glands don’t naturally expressed and build up or get infected. Some pug owners have to have their dogs anal glands expressed at the very regularly. We had this issue once, but we had switched to a food that was causing loose stools so we switched food and their bathroom habits improved and they haven’t had any anal gland issues since.
Dogs can pass gas. My pugs are the first dogs that I’ve had as my own as an adult. Growing up we always had at least one dog, though. Of course, my experience is very anecdotal but my pugs seem to have bad gas far less frequently than the dogs we had growing up. Once every few months they might have an off day where they have really stinky gas (usually lots of tummy grumbling and/or trying to eat grass on the same day). Outside of those “bad tummy” days they don’t usually have stinky gas. My one pug coughs daily, and she always toots (out loud) when she coughs but we don’t notice any scent from it. If your dog has really bad gas I would talk to your vet or research their diet as something may be off there.
When we had an apartment with no tub we put this bin inside of the shower to bathe the pugs because they didn’t like showers.
Outside of those three issues, dogs need to be bathed, of course. We usually bathe our dogs once a month, and we line it up with their flea treatments for convenience. My pugs stay inside most of the time so they don’t run into stinky things very often, but if they were outside getting dirty or rolling in filth outside I would probably bathe them more often. We tried a few types that smelled a bit chemically which was off-putting. I also dealt with same dandruff after using Hartz dog shampoo. For the past 2.5 years or so we’ve been using Burts Bees Oatmeal Dog Shampoo. It has a gentle scent that isn’t too overpowering but smells fresh or clean, and it doesn’t cause dandruff or dry skin in my dogs.
If your pug (or other dog) stinks regularly despite being kept clean I would recommend seeing a vet to determine the cause. Tooth decay can cause stinky breath, some skin infections can cause odor, and so on. I don’t believe that a regular odor is normal for pugs or other dogs.
Do you have a pug? Do you find them to be stinkier than other dogs? Leave a comment if you want to share your experience.
Comments 15
Leave a Comment
Subscribe Via Email
My pugs all pile on top of each other I think that’s why they smell more as they sweat
I clean their faces with a baby flannel each day and try to express their glands.. one of mine has a skin problem so smells more and two lick everything and anything so their breath stinks bad
My first pug, that I rescued, had a smelly odor when she was stressed & I think she was sweating, such as in a setting that she wasn’t used to or the atmosphere (people, general smells in the office or home of others,…), otherwise she smelled just fine. My second pug, that I adopted from a rescue group & was companions with my first pug, never smelled bad, she always smelled good.
Speaking form experienc , my girlfriend has a 10 year old pug and we live together for the past two years.
My girlfriend washes the pug regularly / weekly
It doesn’t matter what she does the pugs stinks all the time , I have come into brief contact with some other pugs and they all have the same stench , anybody that tells you different are probably trying to sell you one !
MFS
I have two pugs, one has smelly feet no matter what and the other licks the floor all of the time so he has bad breath. They both love carrots and I give them as treats rather than fattening treats.
SAM
I adopted my moms three year old pug and he smells! I bathe him and he still smells, I clean his ears, his face , clean his teeth, nothing helps. Ugh!
I happened upon this post, while trying to find an answer for my smelly pug. He’s almost 8 years old, and has smelled horrible for a few years. Nobody wants to pet him because of his odor, and I have to keep him off the furniture. He’s been to the vet, no health issues, even had a dental done pretty recently. Even after professional grooming, he still stinks. I love him to pieces, but will never get a pug again.
Our pug has always smelled since he became an adult pug.
He is very loving always , but always stinky and is even nick named “stinky”.
We’ve tried every kind of shampoo for dogs!
Within the day of a new bath , his stink returns! We love him so !
I’m having the same problem with my pug he’s a rescue dog he’s 4 years old I clean him daily bathe him every other day the smell comes back in about 2 days it’s not his face it’s his bottom don’t know what to do he’s so loving n no one wants to pet him he wants to sleep on my bed because my other pug sleeps with I feel bad so he’s on a ottoman next to my bed I pet him n he’s happy
He may need to have his anal glands expressed regularly? And/or he may eed to change food so that his glands will express themselves naturally when he defecates. From what I understand, if a dog is having loose or small stool all the time it won’t clean their glands out so they get backed up, infected and stinky back there.
My 3 yr old pug stinks. Its like unwashed nether region human smell!!!
I wash him and he cleans himself regularly. He is not overweight either.
I have a 7 month pug with no problem at all. I can not source reason!
That’s odd. Do both pugs eat the same diet?
Our dogs have that unique pug smell which makes them special and we don’t mind the smell. We have 4 and they all love raddishs, lol
My sisters dog is 11 years old and stinks. She has from a young age. It’s so bad that nobody wants to be near her which is sad as she is so sweet. She also sheds really badly, like nothing I’ve ever seen before.
My sister can’t take care of her anymore. I’d take her in but I already have a dog that has some health issues. He has epilepsy and food allergies. Any suggestions on where I can turn to have this sweet, smelly senior be loved and taken care of for the rest of her days. I really want to see her go to a good home.
Maybe google for pug rescues in your state?
What state are you in? I might possibly want him if you’re in driving distance from me! I am in SLC Utah. Please let me know. I already have a 12 year old female pug and I would love to give him the best for the last bit of his life 🥰