How To Get Rid Of Dog Gland Smell

how to get rid of dog gland smell

If you are looking how to get rid of dog anal gland smell from your carpet or other surfaces from your home – you are in the right place. I’ve spent over 10years in the odor removal industry and a big part of that has been removing that offensive, somewhat fishy anal gland smell from dogs. 

Dog smell in carpet comes from the oil found inside the anal glands when a dog expresses it when rubbing its backside on the carpet. This is generally due to itchiness and from the natural oils found in the dogs coat. The anal gland oil can be very strong smelling regardless of the dogs diet or health and is often stronger in elderly dogs.

To get rid of dog gland smell in your carpet you need an alkaline cleaning solution and warm water. Spray the solution on the carpet and then inject warm water into the carpet using a steam wand connected to a wet vac. Extract the solution out and repeat the process. The odor comes from the oils found inside the dogs anal glands.

how to get rid of dog gland smell
A dog expressing oil from it's itchy anal gland

What Causes Dog Odor In Your Carpet?

Dog smell can be two things to two people. It can be urine odor or just the smell of dog. In this article, we deal with the latter which is the smell of a dog – mainly anal gland smell.

Dog smell in carpet comes from the oil in the fur and from the strong smelling discharge found in the anal glands at the rear end of the dog.

The discharge from the dogs anal glands is oily and penetrates deep into the carpet fibres, as does dog pee, and both odors can linger for years if not treated correctly. These dog chews help get rid of the smell.

How To Get Rid of Dog Anal Gland & Oil Smell In Your Carpet – DIY Method

Step One: Identify the worst areas.

Typically there 2 to 3 areas that are worst affected and these are usually the areas where the dog has spent the bulk of its time when sleeping or relaxing. Look for a darker area on the carpet, look for dirty areas, or any other obvious signs.

Look in social areas such as the TV room, near the dining areas and as mentioned a usual sign of dog odor is a darkening in the carpet caused by the oil in the fur.

It is also possible to smell the carpet up close which will find the dog odor contamination very quickly, however, a lot of folks won’t be keen on this!

Once you have located the main areas of dog odor, mark them by laying a small piece of cloth on the carpet or use a piece of chalk. This helps you remember where the main dog odor contamination’s are before applying the dog odor removal product.

HOT TIP: Spray our odor removal product on the floor and look for white foaming. White foaming indicates a dog odor contamination and is a good methodology to find the source of the smell.

finding dog gland smell in carpet

Step Two: Mix up a generous portion of our DIY odor neutralizer in a small bucket and pour into a smaller container with a spout for pouring.

diy odor removal formula

Step Three: Apply the odor neutralizer product to the contaminated areas you have located

Apply the odor neutralizer to the suspect spots where the dog has wiped it’s backside or where it lies and rubs the oil from its coat into the carpet. You can pour or spray a generous application onto the contaminated areas.

The worst spots will foam white if using our formulation (as shown). Apply the bulk of the product to the areas you have located only as they cause 90% of the odor.

how to get rid of anal gland smell

Step Four: Use folded dry towels and soak up surplus moisture by applying pressure.

Fold up some heavy duty towels so they are thick as possible and lay them on top of the area you have poured the DIY dog odor eliminator onto.

Place your knee on top of the towel and apply your full body weight to the area and do this multiple times changing towels if they get saturated.

fold towels to soak up dog odor residue

Step Five. Leave to dry overnight and reassess the smell in the morning

The product keeps working overnight so best to leave it so it can do its job. After 24-48 hour’s smell the area again and if odor persists apply again or get a professional carpet cleaner in to extract the area with alkaline and hot water

dog urine in carpet
Does the area still smell?

Instructions for Commercial Carpet Cleaning Operators

Step One: Identify the worst areas first.

Typically there 2 to 3 areas that are worst affected and these are usually the areas where the dog has spent the bulk of its time when sleeping or relaxing. Look for a darker area on the carpet, look for dirty areas, or any other obvious signs.
Look in social areas such as the TV room, near the dining areas and as mentioned a usual sign of dog odor is a darkening in the carpet caused by the oil in the fur.

It is also possible to smell the carpet up close which will find  the dog odor contamination very quickly, however a lot of folk won’t be keen on this.

Once you have located the main areas of dog odor, mark them by laying a small piece of cloth on the carpet or use a piece of chalk. This helps you remember where the main dog odor contamination’s are before applying the dog odor removal product.

Step Two: Apply an alkaline based carpet cleaner to the contaminated areas you located in step one and spray a heavy application.

Apply a generous amount of diluted alkaline carpet cleaning solution via a spray bottle onto the affected areas you located following instructions above.

Allow the solution to sit for 5 minutes and then simultaneously inject hot water and extract with a commercial grade carpet cleaning machine.

Put hot water into the Carpet Extractor Machine and proceed to inject warm water and extract all residues at the same time.

Apply a generous spray of water and extract at the same time as it flushes the carpet to remove chemicals and contamination’s.

Step Three: Spray or inject a heavy douse of warm water on top of the Alkaline solution

This pushes the alkaline solution deeper into the carpet and gets you ready for the next step which is the extraction step.

Step Four: Extract the carpet with an injection wand.

Put warm water into the Carpet Extractor Machine and proceed to inject warm water and extract all residues at the same time. If you have a wet vac then apply more water and extract the area to remove chemical and contamination’s . Open doors and windows to allow plenty of fresh air or alternatively put a heater or dehumidifier in the room.

Once you have extracted the area test for smell using your own nose. If you can still smell dog odor then repeat the process. Once you are happy to open the doors and windows to allow plenty of fresh air or alternatively put a heater or dehumidifier in the room and leave on until the carpet dries thoroughly.

TIP: A good indication is the color of the water. If it is brown and continues to be brown you know there is more contaminants in the carpet fibres and you have more work to do.

Watch our video below showing the steps to remove dog odor from carpet and furnishings

How to get rid of dog urine smell in carpet

Fortunately dog urine can only occur when a dog is a pup or when the dog is getting very old and in most cases owners see the dog urinate inside so the treatment is easy.

If your dog has peed on your carpet, head over to my article on Removing Dog Urine From Carpet and follow my 5 easy steps. 

In Summary:

Anal gland smell from your dog can be a foul, fishy smell. You should treat it quickly so the oils don’t soak right through your carpet fibers. 

If you use these 5 simple steps and our DIY formula, you can get rid of dog gland smell quickly and easily. 

Craig - The Odor Dude

Craig - The Odor Dude

Hey guys! Craig here, the Odor Dude. I have over 12 years of experience in the odor removal industry removing all sorts of odors. Now it's time to share what I've learnt so you can solve your odor issues fast!