7 Best Smelling Dog Shampoos for Odor (2026)

Get the CHI Gentle 2-in-1. It smells slightly fruity, with some jasmine and a little wood underneath, it conditions in the same wash, and it's about $14. One owner with a long-haired dog who's used it for years says the smell stays for weeks, which I'd count as a bonus rather than a promise.

It's a mild wash, though, and mild won't shift the grease on a dog who stinks again by Friday. That dog needs a stronger cleaner first.

See the 7 picks

Our picks

7 picks, best first

Best smellingCHI for Dogs Gentle 2-in-1$13.95
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Best for odorWahl Odor Control Shampoo$8.97
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Best fruity scentTropiClean Berry & Coconut Shampoo$14.99
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Best perfumeOUAI Fur Bébé Pet Shampoo$32.00
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Best for sheddingFURminator deShedding Ultra Premium Shampoo$10.82
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Best dry shampooWahl Waterless No Rinse Shampoo$6.94
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Best cheapArm & Hammer Deodorizing Dog Shampoo, Kiwi Blossom$5.96
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On this page

The dog shampoos, ranked

Top pick

Best smelling

1. CHI for Dogs Gentle 2-in-1

Fruity without being sweet, with some jasmine and a little wood, and it conditions in the same wash.

$13.95

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Buy it if

Your dog isn't filthy, and you want the smell on the couch after a bath to be a good one.

Skip it if

His coat turns oily a few days after a bath. A gentle wash won't cut that.

The scent is the reason it's first. It's fruity without being sweet, and the bit of wood underneath keeps it from smelling like dessert, so nobody asks what flavor your dog is.

CHI comes from salon hair care, and this bottle has silk, milk and soy proteins with aloe, pH balanced for dogs. The conditioner is already in it, which saves a second bottle and a second rinse on a long coat. The Wahl below does more against a bad smell. If a bad smell is your actual problem, buy that one, because a mild wash only goes so far.

What owners report

Two-in-ones can be stingy with suds, but the owner who's used it for years says this one foams up like hand soap and rinses out quickly.

Where it falls short

CHI doesn't sell this one as a deodorizer, so there's no odor-fighting claim behind the nice smell.
At 16 ounces it won't go far on a big double-coated dog.

Best for odor

2. Wahl Odor Control Shampoo

It came out on top in a wash-off of odor shampoos, and it cut the oil that holds the smell.

$8.97

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Buy it if

Your dog has an oily coat, corn-chip feet, or a smell that's back a few days after every bath.

Skip it if

You want a perfume that stays on him. The mint mostly leaves with the rinse water.

Whole Dog Journal soaked rags in coffee, washed each one with half a teaspoon of shampoo, and smelled them the next day. This was the best of the bottles it wrote up, and on a collie and a short-haired dog who goes greasy between baths, it cleared the doggy smell, feet included.

Where it falls short

It's the wrong bottle for dry skin, since cutting oil is what it does best.
The fresh smell is faint, so the dog ends up smelling of nothing much rather than of something nice.

3. TropiClean Berry & Coconut Shampoo

A sweet berry smell on a mild coconut cleanser, with colloidal oatmeal for the skin.

$14.99

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Buy it if

You like a fruity smell you can actually notice, and your dog gets properly dirty outside.

Skip it if

Sweet scents bother you. Honestly, if berry candles give you a headache, this will too.

For a smell people notice on a dog who gets into things, this is where I'd go. The cleanser is coconut-based and mild, there's colloidal oatmeal in it (oats ground fine enough to stay on the skin), and TropiClean sells it as free of soap, parabens and dye.

Where it falls short

There's no conditioner in it, so a long coat will want a second product.
On a truly greasy coat, a mild cleanser only gets you partway.

4. OUAI Fur Bébé Pet Shampoo

A hair-care brand's fragrance, Mercer Street, in a soft shampoo for dogs and cats.

$32.00

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Buy it if

You already like how expensive hair products smell, and you want your dog to match.

Skip it if

You've got a big dog and bathe often. A 16-ounce bottle at this price adds up.

This is the only bottle on the list that smells like somebody designed a perfume first. Mercer Street is the scent OUAI uses, with citrus, rose and jasmine in it, and the shampoo around it has aloe, panthenol and plant protein to leave a coat soft. It works on cats too, if the household has both.

Where it falls short

OUAI itself calls the result lightly scented, so don't expect it to last the week.
It makes no promise about odor. On a smelly dog, wash first with something stronger.

5. FURminator deShedding Ultra Premium Shampoo

It helps release loose hair in the tub, and it's made to take out the wet-dog smell too.

$10.82

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Buy it if

You've got a golden, a German shepherd or another double coat, and the hair is all over the house.

Skip it if

Your dog has a short single coat and barely sheds. You'd be paying for the wrong job.

No shampoo stops a dog from shedding. What this one aims to do is free the hair that's already loose, so more of it goes down the drain and less onto your sofa. At about $11, it's an easy thing to try before you pay a groomer for a de-shed.

Where it falls short

FURminator says it works best with its matching conditioner, which is a second purchase.
"Reduces excess shedding" comes with no figure, so judge it by your own brush.

6. Wahl Waterless No Rinse Shampoo

You work it in, towel it off and brush, so a dog who hates the tub never sees it.

$6.94

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Buy it if

Your dog hates the tub, or he smells a little off and the next bath is two weeks away.

Skip it if

He just rolled in something. That takes water.

You work it into the coat, towel him dry and brush, and that's the whole job. The scent is a mild lavender and chamomile, and at about $7 it's cheap enough to leave in the car. Wahl sells it as calming, which I wouldn't count on, but a dog who isn't being held in a bathtub is usually calmer anyway.

Where it falls short

It freshens a coat. It doesn't get a dirty dog clean.
The 7.1-ounce bottle goes quickly on a big or long-haired dog.

7. Arm & Hammer Deodorizing Dog Shampoo, Kiwi Blossom

Baking soda in a large bottle for very little money, if you don't mind a loud kiwi smell.

$5.96

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Buy it if

You're washing a large dog often, and the price of the bottle matters more than the perfume.

Skip it if

Strong fragrance bothers you, or anyone in the house, in a small apartment.

At about $6 for 20 ounces, you can stop rationing it. Baking soda does the deodorizing, it's free of sulfates, parabens and dyes, and Arm & Hammer sells it for dogs from 8 weeks.

Where it falls short

It left some residue on the coat even after a thorough rinse.
It left a slight coffee smell on Whole Dog Journal's rag, so a bad smell may not all go.

At a glance

Shampoo	Price	Best for	Scent	Its job	Bottle
1 CHI for Dogs Gentle 2-in-1	just under $14	A clean dog who should smell nicer	Fruit, jasmine, wood	Wash and condition	16 oz
2 Wahl Odor Control Shampoo	just under $9	A dog who goes greasy and stinky	Eucalyptus, spearmint	Strip oil and odor	24 oz
3 TropiClean Berry & Coconut Shampoo	just under $15	A dirty dog, and an owner who likes berries	Berry, coconut	Everyday deodorizing	20 oz
4 OUAI Fur Bébé Pet Shampoo	about $32	An owner who buys good hair products	Citrus, rose, jasmine	Soften and scent	16 oz
5 FURminator deShedding Ultra Premium Shampoo	about $11	Double coats in shedding season	Fresh	Loosen shed hair	16 oz
6 Wahl Waterless No Rinse Shampoo	just under $7	A quick clean between baths	Lavender, chamomile	Freshen, no water	7.1 oz
7 Arm & Hammer Deodorizing Dog Shampoo, Kiwi Blossom	just under $6	A big dog and a small budget	Strong kiwi	Cheap deodorizing	20 oz

Best dog shampoo for odor and stinky dogs

Oil builds up on the coat between baths, and that's a big part of the ordinary dog smell, along with whatever he rolled in. So a shampoo that cuts oil does more than one that smells stronger. That's why the Wahl Odor Control is the answer for a smelly dog, even though it isn't the nicest smell on this page. If you want a nice smell too, take turns with the CHI from one bath to the next.

A smell that comes back within a day or two is a different problem. The most common medical cause is a yeast or bacterial infection of the skin or ears, often set off by allergies, and no shampoo on this list treats it. See your vet if the smell comes with scratching, head shaking, red ears, crusts or bald patches, or if it keeps getting stronger.

Best deshedding shampoo for dogs, and which bottle for which coat

Golden retriever or German shepherd

A double coat that drops hair in clumps gets the FURminator in shedding season. Rinse down to the skin, because that thick undercoat holds on to shampoo.

Poodle or goldendoodle

Curls that tangle do best with conditioner in the wash, so the CHI makes sense. CHI says it leaves fur easier to brush, which is the part of bath day a doodle owner dreads.

Pit bull or another short, oily coat

Short coats show grease quickly and have little to tangle, so the Wahl Odor Control goes on without any conditioner afterward.

Best dry shampoo for dogs, and what waterless really does

Dry shampoo, waterless shampoo and no-rinse shampoo are mostly the same idea here: a liquid or foam you rub in and towel off, in place of a bath. The Wahl No Rinse is what I'd keep around. It freshens a slightly stale coat before guests come over. For the dog who dreads a real bath, a LickiMat spread with yogurt gives him something else to think about. If you like berry better than lavender, TropiClean makes a no-rinse version too, for dogs 12 weeks and older.

What to look for in a dog shampoo

A cleaner, not only a perfume

A good cleanser takes smell out. Fragrance only sits on top of what's left, and it fades first.

Made for dogs

Look for "pH balanced for dogs" on the label. Your own shampoo can strip the oils that protect a dog's skin.

Conditioner if the coat is long

A two-in-one saves a step on a long coat. A short coat doesn't need one.

Enough for the dog you have

A Labrador takes a lot more shampoo than a Yorkie. Compare ounces as well as the price on the bottle.

The ones I'd leave on the shelf

Earthbath Deodorizing Rosemary

The rosemary is faint, and Whole Dog Journal's rag still smelled of coffee after the wash. It also took a lot of product to lather.

Burt’s Bees Oatmeal Shampoo

A kind, soft-smelling wash for ordinary days. On odor it failed the same rag wash, so it doesn't belong on a list for smelly dogs.

PAWFUME Show Dog

Its listing calls it a deshedding shampoo, an allergy shampoo and a deodorizer all at once. I'd rather buy a bottle built to do one of those well.

earthbath Mango Tango

You'd buy it for the mango, and some owners say the smell is too faint after the bath to notice. It also costs more than the CHI.

Also compared: DermAllay Oatmeal Shampoo, DOUXO SPA Odor Control, Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Dog Shampoo, Pet-Ag Fresh ’n Clean, Nature’s Specialties Plum Silky and Hempz Pet Shampoo.

How I picked

What it smells like after the rinse, not in the bottleWhether it removes odor or only covers itMade for a dog’s skin, with a pH-balanced formula or a named gentle cleanserBottle size against the priceOne option each for shedding, for no water, and for a tight budget

How I choose what to recommend

Pin: The Best Smelling Dog Shampoos, and the Ones That Get Rid of the Stink

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Common questions

What kind of shampoo smells the best?

For most people, something with a bit of fruit or flowers and some depth to it, rather than one loud note. The CHI is my pick. If you'd rather have an actual perfume, the OUAI is the fancy version. Scent is personal, so if you hate jasmine, go to the berry.

How do you get rid of stinky dog smell?

Wash with a shampoo that cuts oil, work it down to the skin, and rinse until the water runs clear. Then dry him all the way, because a damp coat is what smells like wet dog. If it's back within a day or two, have the vet look at his skin and ears.

Is scented shampoo good for dogs?

For a dog with healthy skin, yes. If your dog has sensitive skin or you've never bathed him at home, start with a fragrance-free wash and see how his skin reacts. Don't stir essential oils into the bottle to make it smell stronger: a few concentrated drops of tea tree oil can seriously poison a dog, even though a shampoo with under 1 to 2 percent is generally considered non-toxic.

Can I use human shampoo on my dog?

I wouldn't. Your shampoo or dish soap will take off dirt and smell, but it also strips natural oils and can irritate his skin, as Washington State University's vet hospital warns. Dog shampoo costs so little that it isn't worth the risk.

What shampoo is best for puppies?

Check the age on the label before anything else. The CHI and the Arm & Hammer are both sold for dogs from 8 weeks, and the CHI's mild wash is the one I'd start a puppy on.

How often should you bathe a dog?

When he needs it. Washington State University says once a week is safe with a veterinary shampoo, though bathing too often takes the protective oils off the coat. A prescription shampoo has its own schedule.

The verdict

Which bottle for which dog

A clean dog who should smell nicer: the CHI. A dog who goes greasy and sour between baths: the Wahl Odor Control, with a conditioner if his coat is long.

$13.95Check price on Amazon

Sources

The Best Dog Shampoo for Odor, Whole Dog Journal
Why Does My Dog Smell So Bad?, American Kennel Club
Bathing your dog, Washington State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital
Tea Tree Oil Is Toxic To Dogs, Pet Poison Helpline

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