Do dogs like the smell of lavender? Well, there’s no doubt that the lavender scent is so fragrant that there are now abundant detergent products and essential oils that use the plant as one of the major ingredients.
To be fair, dogs have sensitive noses, and they can sniff even the faintest scent up close. Even though dogs care little about what they smell, they seem to feel pleasant when they smell lavender. In fact, dogs can experience a lot of positive benefits from the scent.
What Are The Effects Of Lavender On Dogs
You can expose dogs to lavender scents at home. By using household products with a lavender ingredient or having a lavender plant in a small pot, dogs can easily smell the scent. Keep in mind that the dogs’ sense of smell is heightened, so having lavender in an enclosed area, like your house, can give them unlimited exposure.
Do dogs like lavender smell? Actually, dogs don’t seem to care that much if such an item is fragrant or not. They are mostly attuned to food and fear, which are only natural for animals. What you must be concerned about is when dogs smell the lavender scent, will they be safe or will they be suffering later on?
Positive Effects
Is lavender bad for dogs to smell? Fortunately, lavender is not a poisonous scent for dogs under almost any circumstance. Although there is no conclusive proof that dogs like the lavender smell, there is no doubt that they benefit from the exposure.
Here are some of the positive effects the dogs will have after being exposed to lavender.
- Relieving digestive discomfort
- Removing body odor
- Curing itchiness in paws
- Curing arthritis
- Improving patterns of sleep
- Reducing allergies
- Helping in managing anxiety symptoms
- Reducing skin infections
- Improving eating habits
- Providing calming effect
- Repelling bugs
- Curing ear infections
Negative Effects
As much as it is pleasing to the ears that the lavender scent has more positive benefits for dogs, it is to be expected that there will always be a catch. Too much of good things can be a bad thing, or so they say. So, do dogs not like the smell of lavender? That may not be the case.
As mentioned, there is no conclusive evidence that dogs care what fancy their noses. This means that they don’t care if what they are smelling is a lavender scent or not. Unfortunately, the lavender plant has a small trace of ‘linalool’. It is a substance that can be toxic to pets, both dogs and cats.
Some symptoms of being under ‘lavender poisoning’ include vomiting, reduced appetite, cannot properly defecate, a swollen abdomen, and fever. How can a dog experience such?
If a dog digests a lavender plant, then it may be poisoned later on, and immediate medical action is important. The good thing is that lavender poisoning seems like a very rare case especially when dogs encounter lavender only through the sense of smell.
How to Improve Dog’s Exposure To Lavender
Do dogs dislike the smell of lavender? Based on its positive effects, dogs definitely don’t dislike the smell. Based on its negative effects, however, dogs must not consume the lavender plant. If you prefer to add the scent to your home naturally, you can add a potted lavender plant, but make sure it is out of your dog’s reach.
There are other ways wherein dogs can be exposed more to the scent of lavender. You can use lavender-based shampoos or soaps so that when your dogs want to cuddle you or play with you, they can easily smell the lavender through you.
Aside from that, you can opt to buy lavender-scented shampoo for dogs also. If you have multiple dogs, they can sniff the scent of each other. When washing the fabric that your dogs used to stay on, you can use lavender-based fabric conditioners. If that is not enough, you can try aromatherapy.
In case you’re wondering, aromatherapy is an alternative treatment method with the use of scents from boiling different oils. You can use a machine or a humidifier, and with the help of lavender oil, you can already fill up the room with that particular scent.
Is lavender smell safe for dogs?
Lavender generally is safe for dogs to smell. If you have fragrant pillowcases, bed sheets, clothes, or hair due to the usage of products with a lavender ingredient, then that will be fine for the dogs. What you need to be cautious of is when dogs eat lavender plants since this will definitely cause lavender poisoning.
What does lavender smell do to dogs?
The scent of lavender can have many positive benefits for dogs. In fact, the benefits are similar to the experiences of humans. Among them are reducing anxiety, improving sleep patterns, aiding in digestion, and introducing calming effects. There is no evidence that dogs will suffer from the lavender smell alone.
What smell do dogs love the most?
It is hard to determine which smell dogs love the most. Food definitely ranks highly on their list since naturally, they are eager about it. Some say it’s their own urine while others say the vanilla flavor. The scent of the family owners, especially those that showed love and care, is also among the scents that the dogs love.
Conclusion
Is the smell of lavender bad for dogs? Definitely not. There are many great benefits that dogs can get from smelling lavender. This includes improvement in one’s health and mood. But even though there are positive impacts, there will always be a catch.
Be wary of lavender poisoning, especially when your dog ingests lavender as food. If such a thing happens, seek urgent help. Do you find the article helpful? Do you want to know more about dogs and the effects of different scents? Feel free to comment down below.
