How to discipline your dog for getting in the trash?
Linwood Walter
2025-06-19 04:45:15
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: 9
Set up the game in the same way using a garbage in a controlled environment inside the house. Use your foot and step on the garbage to prevent him from getting to it. You might want to start with something less exciting first. Allow the dog the opportunity to get something inappropriately, restrict access to that thing if he tries, and give it to him when he's patient. Do not restrict access by pulling them back with the leash. Pulling on the leash creates what's called opposition reflex and actually makes him want the thing more. Once he's mastered it inside, try outside on your driveway. Keep working at this with different environments. Use different kinds of trash in different environments. You want him to fail sometimes so he understands there are consequences. For now though, try to stay away from the trash as much as you can.
Stevie Swaniawski
2025-06-11 08:47:02
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: 14
To discipline your dog for getting in the trash, make sure you have a lid on your garbage can and it is placed somewhere that your dog cannot reach it such as a closed cupboard. If you need to resort to corrections, it is important to react immediately so that the dog correctly associates the punishment with the undesirable behavior. As soon as you see your dog nose around the cupboard, or nudge at the trashcan, clap your hands and say “Off!” in a firm tone of voice. Afterward, lead your dog out of the area and keep him out by either closing the door or putting up a baby gate. If your dog resorts to undesirable behavior only when you are not around, try using environmental punishers. Environmental punishers are a bit like traps in that they work by punishing your dog directly, even when you are not around. Try placing cookie sheets on the edge of your counter so that when your dog jumps up the cookie sheets are moved or knocked on the floor. The loud sound will not harm your dog, but instead startle him, making it very unlikely for the behavior to happen again.
Rafaela DuBuque
2025-06-11 08:06:06
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: 6
You will need to ensure that your dog only has access to garbage when supervised so you can prevent her from getting into the garbage and being rewarded for that behavior. Put the garbage out of reach of your dog during the training period. Keeping household garbage in a closed cupboard, or in a room that your dog does not have access to, which can be accomplished with child gates or closed doors, may be advisable. Make sure your dog is not hungry, make sure she is not bored, and does not have access to the garbage when you are not present, or perhaps even when you are. Training your dog not to get into and eat garbage is important to keep her safe, and your house clean. Teaching your dog to leave garbage alone can take several days of vigilance and supervision but is well worth it. You will need treats to use as rewards while teaching your dog to avoid the garbage on command, and plain treats to use as bait if you are teaching a generalized 'leave it' command. Consistency and patience are important to achieve success and there will be a significant time investment on your part.
Kaela Hudson
2025-06-11 07:42:23
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: 8
When many dogs get attention, be it positive or negative, it is STILL attention. Which means your dog is getting something out of the situation. When we use aversive punishment, our dogs figure out to not do “x” while we are around. They are not actually inhibiting their behavior, which means the moment we are out of the picture, your dog goes right back doing “x”. This is often seen in the dogs that get into the trash, chew on items they shouldn’t and more.
In my world, I teach my dog to do something that is incompatible with bad behavior. For example, if my dog has a problem with jumping on people, I teach them to sit or down to great new people. You know the saying… ”practice makes perfect”, but really we are not going for perfect, we are training to bank out odds in our favor that our dog makes good choices.
You use a reward to teach your dog the right response to certain situations. When your dog performs the correct response on cue, you then start practicing with distractions and build up your dog’s ability to think even when super excited. Then the punishment becomes you giving your dog a cue so that they perform that task at hand, BUT the goal is to practice it so much that your dog actually offers the skill before you have to ask.
Maryam Crist
2025-06-11 04:27:15
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: 9
You can build up to it, but you must do it slowly. It's Yer Choice is the perfect game to teach your dog to stay out of the trash can, and you've run into a very common problem. Leaving something alone while you're not there can be very difficult for your dog to understand. You can build up in a couple of ways that can be done concurrently. Play IYC with higher-value objects (treats, toys, etc). Show your dog that no matter what the object is that he leaves, he'll be allowed access if he waits for your cue, and not allowed access if he tries for it himself. In the meantime, I would recommend either putting the trash cans out of sight / reach or ensuring they are secured well enough that he can't get into it. Every time he gets into the trash can is a huge reward that teaches him he can get into the trash whenever you're not there. Controlling the environment is definitely the hardest part. Place the treat / trash can between you and your dog, but closer to you. Use a mirror or listen to find out if your dog tries for the reward. If he does, you should be able to turn around and cover the reward before he gets to it.
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