Salmon Dog Treatby Sniff and Shift
The Sniff and Shift store

Guide

How strong freeze-dried salmon smells, honestly

Updated

Does freeze dried salmon smell? Yes. It is salmon and nothing else, so it smells like fish. You notice it most when the pouch opens and when you break a piece, and it stays on your fingers until you wash them. Reseal the pouch each time and wash your hands afterward.

Does freeze-dried salmon smell fishy?

It does, and we are not going to dress that up. The pouch holds one ingredient, wild-caught salmon, freeze-dried raw in small batches in Malvern, Pennsylvania. There is no flavoring, filler or coating to soften it, so what you smell is the fish.

We have no measurement of how strong it is, and we will not pretend to. What we can describe is when you meet it: at the open pouch, at the snap of a piece, and on your hands afterward. A sealed pouch on a shelf keeps it in.

If a fishy smell is a dealbreaker in your house, you want to know that before you buy. That is the reason this page exists.

How strong is it next to other seafood treats?

Our only comparison comes from the listing for the seafood sampler, which holds three single-ingredient bags: salmon, shrimp and blue-lipped mussels. The listing says the mussels are the strongest smelling of the three. So salmon is not the strongest smelling bag in that box.

We do not rank the smells any further than that, because we have no measurements and would be guessing. Noses differ, and yours is not your dog's.

The same listing describes the salmon as the softest of the three, flaking apart easily. That is texture, not odor, but it is why pieces break into crumbs with very little handling.

Why do dogs care so much about the smell?

We cannot give you the science of a dog's nose, because we cannot source it here. What we can tell you is what owners see at the pouch: the sound of the seal, a sudden audience, a dog that has appeared from another room.

The store lists salmon as a "high value" reward, scored on its own scorecard and not measured on any dog. That is our rating, not a claim about every dog. Some dogs sniff and move on.

How do you keep the smell in the pouch?

Containment is mostly habit. Four things do most of the work.

  • Reseal the pouch every time, pressing out the air as you close it.
  • Keep broken bits in a closed container, not loose in the bag.
  • Use a small pocket pouch that can be washed, if you carry treats around.
  • Wash your hands with soap and water after handling.

The bag says: "Reseal the pouch once it is open and store it cool and dry." That is the same advice here. Our product page has the rest of the feeding and storage notes.

Only wild-caught salmon in the pouch, so you know exactly what you are smelling.

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  • Pink salmon is the only ingredient
  • Freeze-dried by Sniff and Shift in Malvern, PA
  • Free standard shipping once an order reaches $50
  • Orders are placed on Sniff and Shift's Shopify store

How do you get salmon smell off your hands?

Soap and warm water, and a little time. The salmon is raw before it is freeze-dried, and the label asks you to wash your hands after handling it, so this one does double duty. Scrub your fingers and under your nails, rinse well, and dry with a clean towel.

If a trace lingers, that is the fish talking, and it fades. We do not have a trick beyond washing, and we would not make one up. For raw handling beyond that, the product page covers it, and your veterinarian can fill in the rest.

For other questions about living with the pouch, the guides hub lists everything we have written so far, and each guide stays on one question.

Questions

Will the smell fill my kitchen?

We have no measurement to promise either way. You will notice it most when you open the bag or break a piece. Keep the pouch resealed between uses and the broken bits in a closed container, and the smell has less room to travel.

Does it smell more once the pouch is open?

You will smell it most at the moment of opening and while the pouch stays open. The bag's advice is to reseal it after each use and store it cool and dry, so close it as soon as you have what you need.

Does the smell stay on my hands?

For a while, yes, if you skip washing. Soap and water takes care of most of it, and the label asks for handwashing after handling anyway because the salmon is raw before freeze-drying. A second wash handles anything left over.

Will my dog find the pouch in my bag?

Possibly. It smells like fish, and we cannot promise your dog will ignore it. Resealing it firmly and keeping it in a closed container or a zipped pocket makes it harder to find.

Is a strong smell a sign it has gone off?

Not by itself, because the pieces smell like fish from the start. But if the smell seems different from when you first opened the pouch, do not feed it. The label says to store it resealed, cool and dry.

Does the smell bother cats?

We cannot say what any cat thinks. The product page lists the pouch for cats as well as dogs, with the advice to break it small or crumble it over food. Beyond that, we make no claims about cat preferences.