Dog Community

I've got a dumbster diver!

Posted : 3/5/2007 12:46:54 PM

So, for the last 2 weeks or so, Max has been getting into the trash can. It started with him just sniffing the can. Whenever I would catch him, I would say "Eh eh". He would immediately stop the behavior. It has gradually escalated into him getting things out of the trash while I'm not here. He never tore anything up, but he would just get things to eat out of it. I then decided to just relocate the object of his affection to another room that I could close off. It's pretty inconvenient but at least he's not getting into it anymore. I also bought some "dog repellent" spray that I used on the can.

Well today, I forgot to put the can into the other room. Angry

I was gone maybe an hour and a half. When I opened the door, all I could do was stare. There was trash EVERYWHERE. I didn't even know that the trash can could hold that much trash.

So my question is, what can I do to curb this behavior? I leave him things to do while I'm gone. I know that I could just continue to keep the can away from him, but I would really like to try and train this out of him if possible. I'm just at a loss right now, and cannot figure out how to go about this. I would like to use more positive methods if possible. I don't hit or use anything other than the rarely used verbal corrections (Eh eh, no, etc). Any help will be appreciated. So hit me with some ideas. I also comtemplated getting some of the bitter apple spray, but I'm not sure if that would work unless I sprayed it on every piece of trash that goes into the can. Thanks.

houndlove

Posted : 3/5/2007 1:09:32 PM

Just put a sticky note on your front door that says "Did you put the trash away?" so you remember.

We're talking about an easy to open receptacle that holds the treasures of the universe for dogs. No one is around, the glories of the trash await. To me this falls under the category of "picking your battles." It's easy to put the trash away, monsterously hard to train a dog who's discovered the trash to "undiscover" it when no one is home.

Scout in Canada

Posted : 3/5/2007 1:23:59 PM

I didn't even bother trying to train this, and that's my advice to you as well!! The trash is smelly, easy to get at, irresistable. I would either get a trash can that goes inside a cupboard, or has a locking mechanism type of handle, or put it away like you have been doing. It's just one of those things that's a million times easier to 'manage' than to train.

jenhuedepohl

Posted : 3/5/2007 3:28:49 PM

That is definitely a battle that is nearly impossible to win. I'd call a truce! We keep a small garbage can in the cabinet under the sink. A trash can is simply too irresistible, and the payoff is way to high for nearly any dog to be deterred. Frankly, I'm surprised it took him this long! I've even given up on stopping counter-surfing. We never keep food on the counters. I've even found out the hard way that we can't keep food on top of the refrigerator!

tiffy

Posted : 3/5/2007 4:10:42 PM

Sorry to say that your fighting a losing battle.. Just make sure you put it away, I like houndloves idea about the sticky note.

nGoldenm

Posted : 3/5/2007 5:07:37 PM

Alright sounds good. I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for a trash can that has a locking type of lid that doesn't take up much space. Thanks for the help.

Ruth

Posted : 3/5/2007 7:44:34 PM

I have a trash can with a lid on it. The lid attaches at the back and it has a foot pedal you can use to open the lid so you can throw something out.

For a while that was enough, but then Ace started showing interest in lifting up the lid with his nose to get at the trash underneath. I would say "eh eh" but once he got something yummy out of there when he was alone. I was worried I'd have to put the trash away. But the next time he tried to get in there, he dislodged the lid and it fell to the ground with a big clatter. It really freaked him out and he ran away. He hasn't tried to get into the trash again.

That was totally accidental, but it really worked. Maybe you could do something similar, and set up a "trash can goblin" to defend the trash.

Freereign82

Posted : 3/6/2007 3:35:32 AM

My dog gets in the trash too. He did it with his previous owner and they warned me about it so I knew what to expect. I just keep the trash in the mud room off of the kitchen so he can't get to it. Like everyone else said it's probably going to be too hard to train him not to mess w/ trash.

Liesje

Posted : 3/6/2007 8:33:13 PM

Our cats did this, so we used a taller can with a swinging lid and filled the bottom w/ rocks so he couldn't reach up and pull it over.

However, your dog looks big so this won't work. It probably would only work with cats and toy dogs.

Michelle

Posted : 3/6/2007 8:45:14 PM

We set a coke can filled with rock on top of the garbage can for a couple of days. That will deter her for a long time, then something irresistable will get put in there and Gracie will nose it open. At least she's selective and only takes out one thing at a time! We'd keep the can up all the time, but the kids keep getting at it and I won't let them because it, of course, scares the bejeesus out of Gracie when they shake it like a tamborine. I've seen an infrared can at Target that I've thought also might deter her, because I think it would spook her to have it open on it's own, but again, I think the kids would try and turn it into a toy. Plus it's kinda pricey!

Liesje

Posted : 3/7/2007 10:41:00 AM

Saveastray, we do the same for our cats to keep them off counters and tables. The "cat rattle" (soda can with some coins) is the ONLY noise they are afraid of. The important thing is to make sure they associate the noise with the can and not you. If they associate it with the can, they will fear the can and stay off the counters if the can is sitting there. [

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