Any suggestions? Might this work?

Question

My Australian Shepherd keeps getting in my trash while I'm away. I've thought about getting a trash can with a lid, but she's very strong, not to mention smart. I really think she's doing this because she's angry with me for being away. (She gets PLENTY of dog food.) I've also thought about spraying some ammonia in the trash to deter her. Do you think this will work? Any other ideas would be appreciated. Thank you.

Answer 1

Set a trap for her. Keep in mind that getting the trash is a reward and if mom gets on to her, she will do it behind mom's back. But if she "punishes herself" then she will not equate that with mom.
Take a board (cardboard, etc) and lay it across the top of the trash can. Then take several cans (coke cans, lima bean cans, etc.) wash them out really well and fill them with noisy things and tape shut (pennys, nails, marbles, etc). Make a loose pyramid on top of the board with the cans. Make it so that if she hits it, they will all come crashing down around her. When she goes to get into the trash - CRASH - and mom is no where around. It may take several times but before long, the crash will not be worth it. The more noise you can make, the better.
Ammonia smells like urine and may not be effective.
Good luck

Answer 2

You really should invest in a trash can with a lid. However, until then, you can spray the inside and outside of the trash bag with vinegar and that should stop him. I wouldn't use amonia because he if does go ahead and get in the trash then you could poison him.

Also, this is normal behavior. No matter how much you feed your dog he will still get into the trash when he has an opportunity. In order to make him stop this you will have to let him know that this is an unwanted behavior. Some of my dogs will get in the trash and some will not! Some will even do it right in from of me - so they are just being themselves and acting on nature.

Answer 3

Hi .......please do not take this the wrong way . . . .
you must be smarter then your dog ( no pune intended )
Do you have children ? What do you do about keeping your children out of harms way ? What i mean is like medications,
bug poison etc. etc. ? > you put it up out of their reach .. right ?
well the same rule applys to your dog and other pets...right ?
So..........spend 8 dollars mayby 10 dollars and get a trash can with a locking lid ... and if your dog is smart and strong enough
and still gets the trash can open then secure the lid with a bunge cord...now in the meantime keep telling your dog "NO" when ever he/she is near the trash can.
* now for outside trash cans all of the above still applys
with the exception you might want to build a inexpensive box
from ply wood a couple 2 x 4 paint it any color you like.
construct the box so that your trash cans fit snugg (cannot be knocked over) even construct a lid with hinges and a clasp of some sort to secure the lid.

* i live in the country , so i have to deal with racoons , oppossums,
coyotes , and local & wild dogs and cats gettn in my trash
and i finally got tired of picking up the trash scattered about
so.......... i built me a box with a lid for my trash cans...
now that problem is solved. Now the animals root around in my neighbors trash and not mine.

Good Luck / O'WyleeDawg

Answer 4

I've heard tiger balm on the rim of the can will do the trick, but am not willing to bet on that. I got a commertial trash can with the little hinged top (like you see in parks/ gocery store) and fastened it to the wall where it can't be dumped over either. My dogs, at least, just enjoy foraging to see if there's anything good.
the other Idea is a crate while you are gone

Answer 5

My dog did this when I got her from the humane society. I called around and did research and found that the ONLY way to stop this was to crate train her.

This kind of behavior is caused by boredom/separation anxiety. And you should know that Australian Shepherds are very smart and NEED a job or they will make one of their own. And you can see that it isn't YOUR favorite job for her. Dog do not punish us for going away, but it does bother them, and this is sometimes how they react. My dog was so bad that it I went to the mailbox she'd dump the trash while I was outside for two minutes!

At first I was unconvinced about the crate training, thinking it was cruel to cage your dog all day long. But literally everyone from vets to animal behviorists said to do it. So I did.

In three days all I had to do was tap the crate and she would walk right in. OK, so I didn't feel too guilty, and all my trash cans were still standing.

I became convinced when my dog suffered a very painful accident and once I rescued her she ran right into her crate to quake. Not to me. To her crate. Now I'm convinced. And better yet, after several weeks I could leave her out for short periods and trust her. Eventually I could leave her out for two or three days, and after about a year or so I did not need a crate at all. I finally gave it away to someone who needed it more than my Mollie.

Now for step two: Even if you crate train, it will be important to consider the mental activity of your dog. As I said Aussies need lots of mental stimulation to stay "sane". So here's two suggestions. First, have a nice relaxing and exhausting game before you go to work all day. Really tire her out. Second, give her a fabulous (safe) toy that she only gets to play with while you're not there. One of the best is a Kong. These are hard rubber toys with a hollow inside. Mix together a portion of their daily ration of food inside, along with some fabulous treats like cheese, dried liver treats, peanut butter, mine love Canine Carryouts, anything your dog thinks is GREAT. Mix it with enough canned dog food to make it hold together. Then stuff it inside the Kong and freeze it. This is what I call a "Pupsicle". Administer one Pupsicle when you go to work and your dog will spend all day trying to get at the great stuff inside. When you get home she'll be TIRED. And a tired dog is a good dog. Think about investing in two Kongs so you can always have one freezing while the other is in use.

Step three: Actually do this right now. Go ahead and get a heavy lidded can. Prevention is one key aspect to training. It is the only way to stop giving a fun, delicious and very positive reinforcement for the bad behavior. I actually bought a heavy wooden potato storage bin and lined it with trash bags. Molllie has never been able to dump that one!

I would not count on the ammonia trick working, since I suspect the sharpness of it would decline over time. Besides, do YOU want to smell ammonia everytime you come into the kitchen?You could try spraying with bitter apple, but some dogs don't mind the taste of that.

One more tip: I sometimes have good luck with mousetraps. The way to use them is to rig them up FACE DOWN so that they can't snap onto your dogs sensitive nose or feet. When the dog touches them, they snap and pop them in the nose. VERY SCARY! My mother's boxer respects mousetraps so much that all she has to do is clip on to the front of the trashcan and the dog steers clear of it. She used them to deter counter surfing too, by rigging up several mouse traps and balancing a cookie sheet on them. I use mousetraps wherever my dogs try to dig under the fence. (We live in the NC Sandhills where the digging is easy.) Of course one of my dogs is way smart and knows that once she snaps the trap she can continue digging with impunity. Naturally she would be my best excavator and the ring leader of the Great Escape.

Good luck and have patience.

Answer 6

There are many trash cans where the handles lock over the lid. I have one and never have problems with dogs. Or just keep it out of the yard she is in and put in another side yard or something.

Answer 7

Put the trash can where she can't get to it. Aussies are very smart dogs and she is doing it to show you that she is the boss and she is mad cause you left her. Ammonia won't do the trick and bitter apple spray won't do it. You would have to catch her doing it to get onto her for it. So the smartest and easiest is for you to put the trash can where she can't get to it.

Answer 8

I had a Lab who did the same thing.
We did not have room under our sink to store the garbage so
They make this garbage can that is like a cabinet that has to be pulled down. You have to buy it at a furniture store. It's usually in oak. It's about $100 but if you do not have the cabinet space to put your garbage can in, I would go for that. It cost us more than $100 to clean our carpets from the garbage she strew throughout our house.

Answer 9

Just get a lid with a lock to it. The ammonia might might make her sick

Answer 10

store trash under sink and use a baby lock to keep it shut. take trash outside. use a bungee cord to secure the trashcan. buy a trashcan with locking handles. she's not mad at you, she's investiaging all the yummy (to her nose) smells.