You walk into your house and see the upturned trash can lid; a greasy wrapper on the floor; remnants of eggshells from breakfast; and a sea of paper towel shreds. What is missing is your dog, who is normally frantically greeting you. Right now, your lovable pooch is avoiding eye contact-tip of the tail thumbing out a guilty rhythm on the floor-thump, thump, thump.
Or even worse (oh, gag me now), your dog has trespassed into the sacred ground of the bathroom trash and has been enjoying your personal unmentionables or perhaps has been indulging in a cat poop feast.
Wouldn’t it be great to know what what you can stop your dog from digging in the trash and know the odors that repel dogs from garbage to help prevent them from digging through the trash can?
Why Dogs Eat Garbage
When dogs dig in the garbage, we’re reminded that despite the fact that dogs are family, they remain dogs, canines, also known as canids, and are members of the wolf, coyote, jackal, and fox family. At times, we have to accept their ingrained dog behavior for what it is-totally natural. It’s our job to train them or prevent them from digging in the trash for their own safety and our sanity.
Aside from being our warm and fuzzy friends, our dogs are opportunistic scavenger/carnivores who will dine on just about anything that is tempting and convenient, regardless of how healthy it is.
Dogs are Opportunistic Carnivore Scavengers
The definition of the word opportunistic alone can enlighten us about dog behavior and the natural instincts that drive our dogs. An opportunist will “exploit chances offered by immediate circumstances without reference to a general plan or moral principle.”
A scavenger “is an organism that mostly consumes decaying biomass, such as meat or rotting plant material. Many scavengers are a type of carnivore, which is an organism that eats meat. While most carnivores hunt and kill their prey, scavengers usually consume animals that have either died of natural causes or been killed by another carnivore.”¹
By their very nature, our dogs may exploit opportunities. When you stop and consider their nature, it’s easy to understand why a dog will counter surf, train us to give them treats when they beg, steal food from our plate, or eat garbage.
Their scavenger nature is the reason why dogs will eat just about anything, no matter how harmful it may be. Sometimes, it’s up to us to protect our dogs from themselves because no amount of training is going to prevent their genetics from contributing to their behavior . In other words, our dogs may be trained to stay out of the trash but cannot be trusted alone with the trash 100% of the time. If you toss a temptation into the trash can, there is a chance your dog will dig through the garbage to eat it simply because its what dogs do.
This garbage, dog and human relationship is nothing new. It is believed that part of the reason dogs became domesticated is that they gathered near garbage dumps where they encountered people. In an excerpt of his article, Love your Dog, you should Thank Garbage, Jason G. Goldman, Ph.D, writes:
“Up to around 200 years ago, it was only the richest of the rich who had pet dogs. The rest were village dogs, living in and around human settlements, surviving on garbage and human leftovers, just as other carnivores occasionally do. Today, some 80 percent of the world’s domestic dogs survive by scavenging on garbage, and even a pet dog will go through your garbage can if you aren’t careful.”
Since the best trained dogs are capable of raiding the trash, those with little or no training hardly have a chance. The trash can is simply too much temptation and once our dogs realize there are goodies hiding inside, they never forget the reward for their scavenging efforts. Training, using odors that repel dogs from garbage, and removing the temptation are about the only ways to combat the problem.
By remembering that dogs are opportunistic scavengers, who for many years before domestication lived near out laying villages just waiting to scavenge human trash for their next meal, will help you understand and tackle with this problem patience and understanding. Since there are simple ways around your dog’s garbage addiction, it may be easier to meet your dog in the middle and simply use training and avoidance techniques to prevent the mess from happening in the first place.
Tips to Stop your Dog from Eating Garbage
There are things you can do to help keep your dog out of the trash and some are as simple as knowing what odors repel dogs from garbage. But, as we all know, there will always be a temptation that is just too good to pass up. Don’t expect your dog to have super hero strength if you throw a chicken carcass, hamburger package, or a slice of stale fudge cake in the trash before you leave the house.
Along that thought line, to stop your dog from digging the trash consider:
• Removing the temptation by keeping your garbage where your dog can’t get it, such as in the laundry room where you can keep the door closed.
• Toss the tempting, dangerous trash outside rather than the kitchen trash.
• Make a habit of taking the trash out each day as you leave the house.
• Try remote deterrents that you can use that emit a loud noise when your dog’s nose lifts the lid or use odors that repel dogs from garbage (see below).
• Training your dog to not dig in the garbage by reinforcing the leave it command and praising when he does can be helpful, while not 100% foolproof when you’re away from home.
• For owners of counters surfers, do what I do to avoid accidents and put chicken bones and such in a grocery bag inside the microwave until you have a chance to take the trash out.
• Install a cat door to the cat’s litter box to keep the dog out.
• Have an extra supply of small bags to put personal hygiene items in and toss rather than leaving in the trash can, if this is a problem.
Odors that Repel Dogs from Garbage
Dogs have a very strong sense of smell so certain scents placed in or near the garbage can may be enough to deter certain dogs from investigating and repel your dog from digging in the garbage. If each time a dog sniffs the trash can, they are rewarded with an odor that repels dogs from garbage, eventually your dog may stop looking. If you’re looking for what odors repel dogs from garbage that are non toxic and safe, you may want to try the following essential oils mixed in water in a spray bottle and misted in, on and around your trash can:
• Citrus (lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit) essential oil
• Cinnamon essential oil
• Sour apple essential oil
• Eucalyptus essential oil
• Vinegar and water*
For owners of dogs that constantly dig in the trash, this may seem like a lot of work and a bit of a nuisance but truly is really doesn’t take much time, can prevent a lot of headaches, remove unnecessary stress, and all the while protect your dog from getting sick or worse. Not all odors that repel dogs from garbage will work on every dog and some dogs are not deterred at all-yet it is worth a shot!
Simply add water and essential oil to a spray bottle and mist your trash can. Use enough oil to water ratio the the aroma is pungent but not overwhelming. You can also apply this mixture to other areas of your home and even use as a simple, refreshing cleaning solution for counter tops and more. If you have cats, they are very sensitive to essential oils and should have a means to leave the area.
Another benefit of using 100% natural, therapeutic grade essential oils is that citrus fragrances are known to leave you feeling energized, invigorated, and they help reduce mental and physical fatigue. They are great for cleaning and detoxifying. So next time you do come home to a mess, perhaps you’ll be feeling ready to face it. For more information about essential oils, feel free to contact me or visit this website.
¹ http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/encyclopedia/scavenger/?ar_a=1
² http://nautil.us/blog/love-your-dog-you-should-thank-garbage
*not an essential oil but is also effective garbage can odor absorbent and can be used on cotton balls or in spray bottle.