Dogs are naturally curious and inquisitive. They like to investigate the world around them and their noses are often their primary source of information. Many pooches cannot help but exploring a good smell and to many dogs, there is no better smell than garbage.
Are you having problems with your pet getting into the trash every time you leave the house or even leave the kitchen? Nothing is quite as frustrating as walking into a huge mess of leftovers, used paper towels and who knows what else strewn all over your freshly mopped floor. Maybe your dog has a habit of getting into outdoor trash as well, ripping open the big black bags to investigate what wonderful treasures they might contain.
Not only is this habit frustrating, it is also dangerous. The food that your dog finds is likely rotten after having been in the trash for days. There may be things like broken glass or other sharp objects that can cut his mouth or worse if he ingests them. There might even be poison; chemical cleaners, anti freeze, or lawn fertilizers, to name a few.
You will want to do everything you can to help your beloved four-legged friend get over this bad habit. There are several approaches to modifying this behavior.
Make it a negative experience
One method is to make garbage-stealing a negative experience. This way, he won’t associate breaking into the trash with getting a reward.
Many dogs hate loud noises. If you associate the trash with a loud scary noise, that might be enough to modify his behavior. Buy some balloons and blow one up. Put it into the garbage can and bring the dog to the can. Use a pin or knife to pop the balloon and startle him. After you’ve done this once or twice, leave another blown-up balloon in the garbage can. Most dogs shy away from the trash if they learn to associate it with the sound of a popping balloon.
If that doesn’t work, try using a terrible tasting spray such as Bitter Apple on top of the garbage can. This product is specially made to discourage dogs by using a non-toxic formula that won’t hurt your pet, but will be a sobering reminder not to get into the trash. You can also use this spray to discourage chewing by spraying it onto items that your dog is attracted to, such as shoes or furniture.
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Eliminate the temptation
Another method is to move the garbage cans so that they are no longer accessible to your canine pal. Can you put your kitchen garbage can in a cupboard, perhaps under the sink? Or inside a pantry with a door that closes? Can you move your outdoor cans to the other side of the fence or put them in the garage so he will no longer be tempted to knock them over and see what’s inside? When your dog is outside, make sure he is on a leash and supervised so he can’t sneak over to a neighbor’s yard and get into trouble there.
If moving the garbage can is not possible, you might look into buying a different type of can that is very difficult for your dog to get into. A trash can with a lid and a foot pedal to open it up just might fix the whole problem. Also, get into the habit of taking the trash out every night. This will remove the temptation overnight and reduce the smell during the day.
Remember, no matter what, hitting your dog is not a good solution. While this might seem to solve the issue, it can lead to other problems. Coming up with positive solutions to address the behavior is a much better way to deal with this negative situation.
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