# What tastes nasty to dogs?



## thaiblue12 (Feb 14, 2007)

I have Bitter Apple but that only seems to deter for a short while. Cayenne pepper did not slow them down a bit. 
The bratty Doberman puppy has chewed a corner of my area rug despite being really doused with Bitter Apple. The chunky LGD puppies decided to sample a *live* chicken and got corrected for it but I wanted to make the rest of it taste bad so they would not touch them in the future so I sprayed the heck out of the carcass with Bitter Apple and then sprinkled alot of cayenne on it and put it on my outside step and sure enough they dragged it off and I had to get it away from them. 
Dogs will eat cat crap like it is a treat and so many other nasty things, but I need to find something that will burn their mouths or taste so bad they actually will spit it out. Does such a thing exist?


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

I would think that pepper would do the trick. For your dobie, is he attached to you at all times when not crated? You need to teach her leave it and trade the rug with little treats. I would also get her a Buster Cube and feed all of her food this way.

You need to also teach your LGD puppies leave it, and keep them confined when you can't be with them, at least when the chickens are susceptible.


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## thaiblue12 (Feb 14, 2007)

Leave it they all know... but the Doberman is grabbing the area rug while she is with me. I tell her to leave it and she pulls it as she is backing away from me  
I confine the chickens not the puppies. They need to be with the goats as much as possible since they are still learning their place. The goats are putting them there quite well. I wish they would sleep in the barn with them, but they received a few too many beatings from the goats. 
The chickens are not very bright and they get out at times. The puppies allow them to eat their food, drink their water and be very close to them since they have been tiny pups. I did this under supervision and they just were ignoring the chickens. But then last week they got a taste for chicken. They did find out that chickens even dead can hurt you. But they did not seemed to be bothered by the Bitter Apple/Cayenne pepper taste on the dead one. It was sprayed really well, probably overboard and then sprinkled on all sides with the pepper.


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## Willowynd (Mar 27, 2005)

I have had an older pup like this...soaked a recliner with bitter apple and thought - safe. Left for 15 mins to walk to the corner to get a pop and came back to the side ripped out of the recliner and he was still working on it. We then left to buy a crate....with the pup. 
The leave it command has not been taught...leave it means exactly that---leave it now. If he is dragging it with him- that is not leaving it. You have tried everything I would in regards to deterenets. My only other thought is booby trap it. I use mouse traps for counter/table thieves and trash. One other thought is to make it unaccessible until the appeal has worn off....put it away or block it or cover it with somthing heavy. Before allowing access again, you will want to wash out all of his scent he has left on it by mouthing it. Supervising is important...if he is sneaking over and grabbing it while you are supervising, then you either need to make that area further away from where you sit so you have enough time to stop him BEFORE he grabs or tether him to you. You may also want to cover the area rug with a hard clear mat...at least that would offer protection to the top while you are training her. Scat mats is another option (though they can be pricey).


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## Skykomish (May 28, 2008)

The dobie is PLAYING with you with the rug. Would ignoring the behavior and walking away work? Have you tried that? I've heard they don't like meat tenderizer but I haven't tried it myself.


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## deetu (Dec 19, 2004)

Have you tried spraying the bitter apple in his mouth directly? They don't like the taste and avoid it later. By just spraying what you don't want them to chew, it's like, "Okay, it's not so bad" but spraying it directly into their mouths is a total "yuck, yuck, don't like that" Then when they chew something that has it, they remember the strong yuck, yuck


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

Pepto bismol...my dogs hate it!


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## tab (Aug 20, 2002)

I understand about your dobie! I really understand!


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## sage_morgan (Dec 18, 2005)

toad. they hate the taste of toad. But I'm fresh out of places you can get essential oil of toad, sorry.


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## Willowynd (Mar 27, 2005)

toad is poisonous and pepto bismol stains....but how about something like ground up asprin rubbed in? Seems when you try to give a pill it is always bitter and the dog will spit it out if given the chance


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## thaiblue12 (Feb 14, 2007)

I have no clue if we have toads or frogs but I know my dogs do not put them in their mouths. We had one not to bright Golden visiting here and she tried to get a huge one it her mouth and all you could see were back legs kicking. It made her drool a bit so I won't try those. 
Pepto might work on stuff that is not my rug, it is not pink and I would like to keep it beige, lol. 
Willow I should rephrase, she knows what leave it means just like she knows what Come and Let's go means. She chooses when to listen. Leave it works when she knows I am loosing my patience or it is not as fun or interesting. 
Come works 75% of the time except for the last 5 days around noon. Then it means run all over the property like an idiot, down the driveway which is forbidden and etc. Today I really had had enough of trying to make myself interesting to get her to come back. She was busy on the driveway eating some kind of crap so I snuck up on her, clipped a leash to her and she blew a fit, refused to walk so I dragged her butt all the way home, fighting and crying like she was being murdered. She is so stubborn at times I could scream. My husband thinks she is not too bright and refuses to learn. I know better she wants to do what she wants and that does not work here.


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## Ronney (Nov 26, 2004)

My dogs live outside so destroying my living space doesn't come into it but in the past when wanting to teach dogs not to eat eggs, I'll clear the nest, blow out a couple of eggs, fill them with mustard and that's the last time they eat eggs. 

I can't really recommend spreading mustard on the rug as I don't know how it would clean out but you could try leaving a bit of meat filled with mustard on the rug and it might associate the nasty taste with the rug, or temporarily attach a bit of fabric to the rug and smear that with mustard so the same lesson gets through. 

Cheers,
Ronnie


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## giraffe_baby (Oct 15, 2005)

WE have done a q tip of NAIL POLISH remover on anything i dont want chewed. They cant STAND the smell and works every time!! Just take a q- tip dip in nail polish remover and wipe in on what ever they chew ... now this wouldnt work for the chickens.. i dont know what you could do there but to "CAGE" the chickens better.


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## cjb (May 2, 2006)

Oh no... let me tell you what works - ANTIPERSPIRANT!! Rub it on anything that you don't want them to chew. They absolutely hate it.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

She isn't really completely trained. I agree that she is probably trying to play with you. Keep treats in your pocket. When she has something in her mouth, kneel down, hold treat in your hand and put it in front of her nose when you say leave it. She'll drop the object. Praise and pet, wait a second before giving the treat. You are rewarding her for dropping the object. Use a nice tone of voice, don't be harsh when you give a command.

What else does she have besides the rug to chew on? Real bones are supposed to satisfy chewing urges better than toys, so try giving her a nice bone. And think about the buster cube.


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## EasyDay (Aug 28, 2004)

Like people, dogs have different tastes.

We had a dog that would pick up toads. She obviously hated the taste, and she'd foam at the mouth for about 10 minutes. But she'd run grab another for a short second... and foam all over again. 

Antiperspirant wouldn't work on the lab-mix dog we have now. Molly is forever trying to lick my armpits when I have on a sleeveless shirt. The antiperspirant dries her mouth out, so maybe it's one of those things... "hey, that feels/tastes so weird... let's do it AGAIN!".

I agree with those that said to teach the "leave it" command. It comes in handy anywhere, for anything.


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

cjb said:


> Oh no... let me tell you what works - ANTIPERSPIRANT!! Rub it on anything that you don't want them to chew. They absolutely hate it.


Rocky doesn't want antiperspirant on me so he is constantly trying to lick it off...it tickles and can get a little annoying:viking:


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## Willowynd (Mar 27, 2005)

Maybe it is cjb's brand....what brand do you use?


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## Willowynd (Mar 27, 2005)

Oh she is very bright...she has figured out how to get out of doing what you want her to  75% of the time is not a good ratio. That 25% would scare me. Time for the tether. A 6 ft lead that you can tie to your waist or belt and a 20 ft or longer line for outside and teaching to come even when she does not want to. You will still crouch down to call her to you once and when she ignores you, reel her in without saying a word and praise her as soon as she reaches your feet- you can even give her a cookie. For the first year of my pups life, I swear they see me as the cookie machine....that's a good thing as they know listening to me means there is a good chance they could get a cookie. Inside if she is tethered to you, she will not have the chance to pull the rug as she backs away affter giving the leave it command. Tell her to leave it and then toss a cookie in the air in her sight. Soon as she drops it (which will be quickly as she will have to let go of the rug to look up at the cookie), hand her the cookie. Practice sits and downs, especially before going outside and eating. You should be the first one through any door. She should be tethered to you while you cook...great time to teach sits and downs. I do most of my puppy training during lunch and dinner meal prep. Short sessions while waiting for something to cook. You already have raw meat and veggies right there in front of you and the dog is right there too. Its where I perfect my adults sit/stays and down/stays and give refreshers if needed...they look forward to it as they know cooking time is training time and treat time. When she is not tethered to you, she should be in a crate or dog proof room (which means steel or tile walls if she likes to chew drywall LOL).



thaiblue12 said:


> Willow I should rephrase, she knows what leave it means just like she knows what Come and Let's go means. She chooses when to listen. Leave it works when she knows I am loosing my patience or it is not as fun or interesting.
> Come works 75% of the time except for the last 5 days around noon. Then it means run all over the property like an idiot, down the driveway which is forbidden and etc. Today I really had had enough of trying to make myself interesting to get her to come back. She was busy on the driveway eating some kind of crap so I snuck up on her, clipped a leash to her and she blew a fit, refused to walk so I dragged her butt all the way home, fighting and crying like she was being murdered. She is so stubborn at times I could scream. My husband thinks she is not too bright and refuses to learn. I know better she wants to do what she wants and that does not work here.


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## thaiblue12 (Feb 14, 2007)

I am so glad I do not have dogs licking my underarms! Eww that would feel gross and tickle.

As far as what does she have to chew? The question would be what doesn't she have! She has plush toys that she adores because they squeak, once she gets started squeaking she can go and go, till you want to toss that toy in the trash. Rope bone, Nylabones, my occasional shoe :flame: pressed bones, Kongs and so much more. I switch them around to keep things interesting. I really do not like to give them those bonews you can get frozen in the supermarket as they really turn gross and do not want them on my carpet. 

LoL Willow I too think she is a bit too smart. My husband thinks she is not very bright. I think she chooses to be stubborn. Like she knows that when the mud room door is shut it means that there must be trash or cat litter going to be put out. So she will *open* the door and get in there before it is taken out. She is a food troller right now and do not allow her in the kitchen when cooking but I guess I will have to change that. My other two dogs know not to bother me while in the kitchen and go and sit/stand near their bowls waiting to be fed. This little booger would wait near my feet for me to drop something. I am starting to think that dog proof with her means a steel cage. She has learned to climb baby gates and knock plexiglass out of the door frames. I have the plexiglass from my ferret days and they were great to just bend into the doors and easy to put anywhere but she is not held in by them. 
She is a challenge alright and I have vowed to get even with my sister. I think I will get her a psycho cat that runs across her face while she is sleeping, lol.


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## beccachow (Nov 8, 2008)

OK, when my oldest chow went for some kind of surgery they gave me a vial of atropine, it is the most bitter, foul tasting stuff known to man. I was to dab a few drops on his dressing to keep him from chewing it, and it worked. I was concerned about the obvious heart affects (atropine is a cardiac drug) but when dribbled onto a surface and licked, it will not cause any (this was recommended by a vet). The down side-it is a prescription drug, but may be well worth asking the vet about. I still have the entire vial here, he literally licked one drop and that was it.


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## Stonybrook (Sep 22, 2007)

There is a product called Bitter Orange. It made my barbaric dog puke the first time she licked it because it is so nasty (I put it on a wound). She wouldn't even look at her foot.


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## Willowynd (Mar 27, 2005)

For preventing them from opening doors...go to any store that carries child proof items and get knob covers. They are plastic and larger....you have to be able to grip the plastic hard enough while turning to turn the knob. They worked for my door openers. You should also buy child cabinet latches....the latch has to be pushed down for the cabinet to open. If the dog has not opened them yet, it is only a matter of time of he already has doorknobs down. Also, make sure all the locks on your windows work and are present. If not, get them fixed or installed. Can you tell I have been through this? Get the plexiglass replaced by either thicker plexi or the real thing (get double strength not regular single strength since the dog is used to pushing it out).


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