Dog De-SKUNK: The 1-Time Method

The first time this happens you’re never ready for it. It’s unexpected and you’re ready to throw the dog in the trash for bringing this foul odor in your home. You don’t have to throw the dog out with this dog de-skunk solution.

But the first thing you need to know about all of this is NOT to wet the dog first! I’ll explain a little later.

What You Need To Dog De-Skunk:

• 1/2 bottle Peroxide
• 2 tbsp Dawn dish soap
• 1/4 cup Baking Soda (and then some, bring the box)

#1 Do NOT get the dog wet.

I repeat, do NOT get the dog wet before this process. Getting the dog wet with water will close up the hair follicles and you’ll have a harder time getting rid of the smell.

#2 Sprinkle Baking Soda all over

You’re going to want to turn a black dog white with this one. You can’t use enough baking soda. Keep a 1/4 cup for later and just go to town with sprinkling the rest all over the hair.

Okay, so maybe we don’t want to get too carried away with the baking soda. Make sure not to get it in the ears, eyes or mouth.

#3 Mix the Dawn and Peroxide

This can go several ways. Either mix in a spray bottle and spritz all over the dog or mix in another bottle or cup.

Either way, to fully de-skunk your dog you want your outcome to be a good lather. Without getting anything in the eyes, ears, or mouth.

Sometimes this can be difficult, because let’s face it- the face is usually where they get sprayed. See what I did there..hehe.

So the best way to get the face is to rub the baking soda on with your fingers then add the mixture all together and take a washcloth to the face the best you can without getting it in the eyes, ears, or mouth. When you go to rinse it off (later on in the steps), take a clean, damp washcloth. Don’t actually rinse the face with running water as you chance some getting in the eyes, ears or mouth.

#4 Let sit 10 minutes

Letting this concoction sit gives it time to work it’s magic. This may be the longest 10 minutes of your life if your dog hates baths. So to pass the time you can do a couple of things

• Wrap them in a towel and set them in their kennel
• Threaten them with their lives if they ever do this again (jokingly of course)
• Trim their nails
• play music and karaoke to them for 10 minutes
• Clean their ears out
• pray that smell doesn’t get in your pores or linger in your nose any longer
• show them all the cute dogs on Pinterest or YouTube that don’t smell like skunk.

#5 Rinse the skunk smell off dog

Take a clean washcloth to the face first, getting off everything you can with the cloth. Then rinse the body well.

#6 Bathe in normal dog shampoo or conditioner

The dawn strips oils of the dog’s skin that are essential. We need to also fill pores and hair follicles with something good smelling to cover any skunk smell that may linger. Proceed with normal bath.

Using the de-skunk bath will remove any topical parasitic you will have applied to your dog in the past 30 days. This includes flea/tick preventatives and heartworm medicines that have been applied between the shoulder blades.

Congratulations!

Hopefully, the skunk smell didn’t have time to saturate your dog and you had great success with the 1-time dog de-skunk method. How did it work for you? Leave me a message in the comments!

Other items to consider for de-skunking the house:

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info. Thank you.

What’s Next:

Eliminating Stains & Odor

Should You Go To The Vet

Pandemic And Your Dog