Our beagle had terrible problems with her anal glands...and then when we got bowser i noticed that he too got a fishy smell...that and sometimes rubbing the butt on the ground, but usually not. Having stool that is too soft gets the glands impacted because they're not squished when the dog poops...too hard poop and the dog would be constipated, causing hemorrhoids and also possibly anal gland issues.
Switch your dog to food that has probiotics in it. If that's too expensive, then just hit the human vitamin section and get them some. Acidophilus works great. You can feed the dog some unsweetened yogurt with cultures in it as well, though not too much since some dogs don't handle lactose well. I would just stick with the pill form if the food is too pricey...and it is....but it does work WONDERS.
I still have to expel anal glands every now and then...Daisy's never (the beagle) now...but bowser's poo is still a little soft, so every month or two I have to squeeze them out. He's still a pup so his are very easy and (gross) practically shoot across the room...haha too much info i know! Imagine my surprise..... ANyway...
I did my mom's weenie dog and it came out like toothpaste...so that ought to let you know that is not good! I'm surprised hers worked at all. Her older dog was really bad but i couldn't get it to come out.
ANyway, it SHOULD shoot out like bowsers, but really you shouldn't need to do it that often, or so i understand, if their poo is the right consistency!
Yay poo and anal talk!!! : )