Most dogs have the urge to get in about the rubbish bin and waste baskets, and many dogs delight in collecting rubbish and other objects from around the neighborhood. Some dogs are not fed enough at home and go scavenging for food. Others are enticed by the food smells and by the pleasure of tearing up the papers and boxes. Others do it simply for the attention. Then there are the retrievers and types who are simply following their breed instincts.
There are a few tricks you can use if your best friend is a scavenger. Mousetraps can be set, unbaited, or you can sprinkle your rubbish with such things as Tabasco sauce or hot bitter mustard. A taste of these types of things may change your dog’s mind about raiding the rubbish.
Some empty tin cans, tied together and thrown towards the dog when he goes near a rubbish container, can be a deterrent. Another way to prevent scavenging is to make the odors from the rubbish less tantalizing to the dog.
This means emptying the container and washing it out with disinfectant so the odors will not tempt the dog. Odour-neutralising sprays are very useful both inside and outside the containers. There are probably no completely dog-proof rubbish containers, but it does help to use the most difficult-to-get-into ones. The type with screw top lids are quite difficult for dogs to get into. Another type has to be depressed in the center while simultaneously lifting at the rim. Although these containers are not the perfect solution in most cases, if nothing else it can delay the dog getting at the rubbish, giving you more time to realize what he’s up to.
