# Are there any bad smells for a dog? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 27, 2012, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-bad-smells-for-a-dog/626470 "2012-06-27T15:42:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-bad-smells-for-a-dog/626470/1 "2012-06-27T15:42:05Z")
Dogs noses are way more sensitive than ours. But there are tons of scents that we recoil from with disgust… but I’ve never seen a dog pull away from a new scent. They always seem curious- even (sometimes especially) for smells that we find disgusting. So what’s the deal? Any smells that dogs hate? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-bad-smells-for-a-dog/626470/2 "2012-06-27T15:44:34Z")
Ammonia is a repulsive smell to dogs. Nor are they fond of butyl mercaptan. ---
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-bad-smells-for-a-dog/626470/3 "2012-06-27T15:56:59Z")
And skunks. Also, if Cool Hand Luke is scientifically accurate, cayenne. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-bad-smells-for-a-dog/626470/4 "2012-06-27T16:09:25Z")
My dog doesn’t like to take more than one sniff of hard liquor. ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-bad-smells-for-a-dog/626470/5 "2012-06-27T16:10:16Z")
Tar weed… …and it was hilarious.😃 > **[What I call "tar weed", and other aromatic plants.](http://ernielb.blogspot.com/2010/04/what-i-call-tar-weed.html)** > > Both, Joe Erwin and Naoma Holley steered me to these plant identifications. Thank-you! I'm going to do some more posts on smelly plants th... ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-bad-smells-for-a-dog/626470/6 "2012-06-27T16:11:19Z")
Farts… …and it was EVEN MORE hilarious!:D:D ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-bad-smells-for-a-dog/626470/7 "2012-06-27T16:15:21Z")
Trust me; dogs don’t care about farts. ETA: But yeah, when I leave my spare butyl mercaptan lying around, look out! ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-bad-smells-for-a-dog/626470/8 "2012-06-27T16:17:12Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > My dog doesn’t like to take more than one sniff of hard liquor. Yep, I never have to worry about my dog stealing my Martini ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-bad-smells-for-a-dog/626470/9 "2012-06-27T16:22:29Z")
That’s odd, because my dog will happily lap up an unattended brandy Manhattan. Must be a Wisconsin thing. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-bad-smells-for-a-dog/626470/10 "2012-06-27T16:25:33Z")
> [@August\_West](#): > > That’s odd, because my dog will happily lap up an unattended brandy Manhattan. > > Must be a Wisconsin thing. And UP, too. My dogs will happily lap up various drinks. I also had a parakeet when I was a kid that LOVED hard liquor. It would sit on the edge of a drink and dip down, taking multiple drinks. We once let it get a little too much, and it ended up IN the glass, taking a drunken bath. We have pictures. Crazy bird! ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-bad-smells-for-a-dog/626470/11 "2012-06-27T16:36:50Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > And UP, too. My dogs will happily lap up various drinks. > > I also had a parakeet when I was a kid that LOVED hard liquor. It would sit on the edge of a drink and dip down, taking multiple drinks. We once let it get a little too much, and it ended up IN the glass, taking a drunken bath. We have pictures. Crazy bird! My dad gave my parent’s sheltie beer, got her drunk so she wet the bed. My mom was pregnant at the time and thought her water broke when it was a false alarm. She was _piiiiiiiiiised_ ETA: also so was the bed! hoo ha! ---
**Author:** ![Sudden\_Kestrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Sudden\_Kestrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sudden_Kestrel)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-bad-smells-for-a-dog/626470/12 "2012-06-27T19:39:21Z")
My dogs don’t like lemons, oranges, vinegar or ammonia. They’re not too fond of menthol and eucalyptus cough drops either, and they don’t like minty-smelling stuff like toothpaste. ---
**Author:** ![BrandonR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@BrandonR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrandonR)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-bad-smells-for-a-dog/626470/13 "2012-06-27T19:41:33Z")
The only smell I’ve ever seen my dog actively avoid is coffee. Yet she’ll roll around on dead insects. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![tapu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-bad-smells-for-a-dog/626470/14 "2012-06-27T19:49:08Z")
My dog, Silas, reacts to the smell of a banana as though I squirted a lemon in his face. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-bad-smells-for-a-dog/626470/15 "2012-06-27T19:50:48Z")
I’ve heard dogs don’t like citronella, but it never stopped my dogs from coming out onto the deck when I have a citronella candle burning. Both of my dogs like minty flavors, like toothpaste, and spicy flavors to a point. One of my dogs got skunked several years ago, _and went right back for seconds_. Seems like they’re not too keen on sour flavors. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-bad-smells-for-a-dog/626470/16 "2012-06-27T20:47:40Z")
Interesting…dogs don’t seem to be repelled by odors…I had a dog who would gleefully roll on rotten fish carcasses at the beach. When bathed and cleaned up, the first thing he wanted was to get stinky again. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-bad-smells-for-a-dog/626470/17 "2012-06-27T20:50:26Z")
Dogs and cats hate the smell of oranges. ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-bad-smells-for-a-dog/626470/18 "2012-06-27T20:51:48Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Trust me; dogs don’t care about farts. You clearly, weren’t doing it right. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-bad-smells-for-a-dog/626470/19 "2012-06-27T22:40:02Z")
I’ve never seen a dog that could tolerate ammonia. Not only do they dislike it, they remember it too and will steer clear. My grandfather kept horses and would sometimes ride them around the backroads of the sleepy little town where he lived. He kept a squirt bottle of ammonia in a saddlebag and any dog that wanted to come up and bark at, chase or scare the horse got a shot of it. I don’t know if it was because the squirt bottle was like 40 years old and made when things were more sturdy or if it was just my young imagination, but it seemed like he could hit a dog from a good 40 feet away with that thing. He didn’t have to go crazy trying to hit the dog either. He was like Clint Eastwood and would draw, fire, and take 'em out with one shot. I do know that there were no repeat offenders. When I was with him I’d say “Looks like a mean dog up ahead, better get the bottle ready” and he’d often reply “Nah, that one knows better. I got him good about 5 years ago when those people first moved in.” Sure enough, even a big mean looking dog laying near the road would see him coming and jump up like they were going to start trouble, then make a beeline for their house when they realized who they were dealing with. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-bad-smells-for-a-dog/626470/20 "2012-06-27T23:44:56Z")
I’ve heard it speculated that dogs regard disagreeable odors the same way we regard ugly sights: A human can look at something, and agree that it’s ugly, but still continue to look at it without feeling any actual discomfort. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-bad-smells-for-a-dog/626470.md?page=2)