My dog won't stay out of the trash.?

Question

I have and Australian Cattle Dog and she always goes through the trash when we're not home. We often come home to trash all over the kitchen. What can I do to stop her? We punish her by putting her in her cage and covering it for a little while but she'll walk up to it and pull trash out again. The other night I caught her with chicken bones in her cage which I know are bad for her. People have said to use a spray but is there a spray that I could use that won't stink up the room and make people feel uncomfortable?

Answer 1

Yes. There is a spray. It's called 'Bitter Apple'. You spray it around your garbage can so that it will detour her from the garbage can.

I wouldn't recommend using the spray. I would just place the garbage can in a location where she cannot get to. Maybe underneath the sink or in one of the cupboards?

If you purchase another garbage can with a tight lid, or one that you step on that opens.. it still won't work. She'll knock it over and get to the inside. So, don't spend your $$.

Let us know what you ended up doing. Good luck.

Answer 2

The simplest solution is out of sight, out of mind. Find a cabinet, closet / pantry or spot in the garage for your trash can and get it out of her reach. For some spaces, this may not be possible, so you've got to keep her out of the room where the trash can is kept while you can't be with her or supervising her. Gating her out of the kitchen is one possibility, although if the structure of your home won't allow for that, crating her while you're out is another choice.

There are lots of good trash cans out there now too, though a little pricier than your conventional can, that eliminate odors and are sealed and only accessible by foot paddle. If she can't get into it or tip it over, it might be worth a try.

I'm not aware of any commercial spray product that's designed to discourage dogs from going through your trash; if you use something homemade, remember that your dog might just take the chance and eat it anyway, so don't use anything toxic or dangerous. Spicy stuff might work, though, as might vinegar.

It's a tough one, no doubt, especially if the behavior is already occuring regularly. Cattle dogs are awesome dogs--you're really lucky! Good luck to you!

Answer 3

Alright, first of all don't make the dog think of her cage as a prison, it's supposed to be a happy place. You can get one of those trash cans with the lid instead. They have a spot where you step and then the lid flies up. If not, you can spray the trash can (and the trash) with bitter spray. Dogs hate the way it tastes. This way, when your Aussie bites down on the garbage, she'll drop it since it tastes horrible. Also, if she's eating garbage excessively, see a vet, because this could cause digestion problems. Good luck.

Answer 4

we used to have a family pet that did the same thing and the reason why is because she felt like we were ignoring her and she did not like being left at home by herself for long periods of time . stop punishing her because by putting her in a cage that only makes her feel worse the vet suggested that we go away for short periods of time and when we get back shower her with love and affection also you can leave the tv on or a radio on and that helps some too oh and if you are going to be gone for a while the vet told us to block off 1 room and put some of her favorite toys in there that way she has somthing to keep her occupied . our family dog finally stopped getting into the trash and we had her for a very long time hope this helps

Answer 5

Heres what you have to do..1. Cage her when u r not home. or 2. Always put trash away like in garage while u r gone. Those really are the only solutions that will work. No matter how big or small the dog, if the garbage is around they will get into it. My 14 yr old 10 pound dog, would knock garbage over that was 3x her size..Its like leaving candy in front of a kid and asking them not to touch it.....

Answer 6

Two things:

Don't leave the litter out where she can get it.

Or get a spray bottle of "Bitter Apple" (any pet store). Spray the trash can, item inside, etc. When she goes for the trash, it'll taste really bad (like intense bitter vinegar). The spray will last for several days, so she'll get the idea that all of the trash tastes bad. She should stop trying for the trash then.

Answer 7

I have australian shephards and we have the same problem. We had to put the trash in a room when we leave so that the dogs can't get to it. We also have to make sure the bathroom door is closed all the time they like that trash too... We put our 6 month old puppy in the create when we leave and at night when we sleep so she doesnt get into anything.

Answer 8

Our dog did this. The kitchen size trash bin was at her nose level and just too temping. She was a lab. We put the bin on top of a big popcorn tin we stored dog food in (about 2 feet tall) was enough to stop her. She could have knocked it down but she didn't. If that isn't enough put your trash bin on the counter or in the garage before you leave or go to bed.

Answer 9

You need to make it so your dog cannot access the trash. You can put the trash can in the cabinet under the sink, or get a can with a secure lid that your dog cannot open on it's own.

Dogs will be dogs, so if there's something you don't want them to have access to, you need to put it away.

Answer 10

How about putting the trash UP when you leave. I had a dog one time that did the same thing -- she would even get into it under the sink. We just got into the habit of putting it UP on top of the counter / washer / whatever when we left the house. If you have it under the sink, you could try one of those child locks, but bet she eats it.