Question:
I’ve recently started coming home from work to find my dog has rooted through the garbage. My husband and I both work odd hours so it’s rare for her to be alone for long stretches at a time. She’s a five year old black lab that has always had a bid of an "odd" temperment (she’s been known to be "growly" at times – mostly around her food or toys) Any suggestions?
Response:
I’ve heard that some people have had success booby trapping the trash (mouse-traps or shake cans) so that getting into the trash becomes a negative experience for her. However, nothing we did ever mattered with our last dog, so we got resigned to putting the garbage on the countertop before we went out. Actually, when we remodeled the kitchen, concealed trash was a requirement for our architect, since we planned on always having beagles… -jill > I’ve recently started coming home from work to find my dog has rooted > through the garbage. My husband and I both work odd hours so it’s rare for > her to be alone for long stretches at a time. She’s a five year old black > lab that has always had a bid of an "odd" temperment (she’s been known to be > "growly" at times – mostly around her food or toys) > Any suggestions?
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Response:
You have a lot more to worry about with her growling at you than about dumping trash cans. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >I’ve recently started coming home from work to find my dog has rooted >through the garbage. My husband and I both work odd hours so it’s rare for >her to be alone for long stretches at a time. She’s a five year old black >lab that has always had a bid of an "odd" temperment (she’s been known to be >"growly" at times – mostly around her food or toys) >Any suggestions?
Response:
I’d suggest that you first take her to the vet for a checkup and bloodwork. Some illnesses, like thyroid disease, can cause a great increase in appetite and that could cause her to be looking for more disease. (other symptoms of thyroid disease include weight gain, lack of energy, poor coat quality). And any illness can cause a dog to be more grouchy. If the vet rules out any illness, then I simply suggest you keep your garbage cans locked or under the kitchen cabinets where she can’t get to them. And leave out plenty of chew bones. -Susan – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >I’ve recently started coming home from work to find my dog has rooted >through the garbage. My husband and I both work odd hours so it’s rare for >her to be alone for long stretches at a time. She’s a five year old black >lab that has always had a bid of an "odd" temperment (she’s been known to be >"growly" at times – mostly around her food or toys) >Any suggestions?
Response:
>>I’ve recently started coming home from work to find my dog has rooted >through the garbage. My husband and I both work odd hours so it’s rare for >her to be alone for long stretches at a time. She’s a five year old black >lab that has always had a bid of an "odd" temperment (she’s been known to be >"growly" at times – mostly around her food or toys) >Any suggestions?
Black labs seem particularly prone to chewing and swallowing all sorts of strange things, so it’s no surprise that the dog is interested in the trash. Training the dog to stay out of the trash is a great idea, but it might be simpler just to make the trash unavailable to the dog. It’s very important to keep your dog out of the trash, and watch out for other foreign objects the dog may be eating. It’s more than a matter of a messy yard. Broken bones or other sharp objects, string, old paper goods (read "tampons," gross as it is) and so on can and do kill dogs when they are swallowed. So yes, look for ways to to train the dog to stay away from the trash, and make sure it’s getting proper nutrition. But first of all just plain make sure the dog can’t get into the trash. Matthew Osborn — Author, "The Professional Pooper-Scooper." Visit http://www.pooper-scooper.com for Information, International Directory of Dog Waste Removal Services, and Scoopers & Friends Discussion Board.
Response:
I think it’s important that your dog learns not to dig in the trash. Our dog does this every time we leave the house! We are still working on correcting this behavior, but she is only 17 months old and still doesn’t "follow directions" well all the time. I don’t necessarily think that keeping the trash out of her reach is the answer. She needs to eventually learn right from wrong! Michelle Buettner – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->>I’ve recently started coming home from work to find my dog has rooted >>through the garbage. My husband and I both work odd hours so it’s rare for >>her to be alone for long stretches at a time. She’s a five year old black >>lab that has always had a bid of an "odd" temperment (she’s been known to be >>"growly" at times – mostly around her food or toys) >>Any suggestions? > make sure it’s getting proper nutrition. But first of all just plain make sure > the dog can’t get into the trash. > Matthew Osborn — Author, "The Professional Pooper-Scooper." > Visit http://www.pooper-scooper.com for Information, > International Directory of Dog Waste Removal Services, > and Scoopers & Friends Discussion Board.