have you believed about providing bitter apple spray a try to keep your puppy or adult dog from destroying stuff? Well, you’ve come to the right location since today, I’m going to cover exactly how it works, in addition to what you should be conscious of in order to utilize it safely as well as effectively.
Hi, I’m Barbara Rivers as well as I compose routinely for That Mutt. I’m a blogger, raw feeder as well as dog walker as well as preserve the blog K9s Over Coffee. This publish contains affiliate links.
Let’s begin by defining what bitter apple spray is.
What is bitter apple spray?
Bitter apple spray is an anti-chew spray for dogs that works to discourage a dog’s chewing as well as other poor habits. It’s essentially a bad, bitter tasting liquid you can spray on furniture, leashes, cables, your hands as well as dogs’ bodies to get them to stop licking or chewing that area.
It tastes bad, so they tend to prevent it. That said, it can be a useful tool in dog training in addition to wound healing, as well as it’s likewise offered for cats.
Pros/cons of bitter apple spray
Here’s a quick overview for you before I dive into more detail:
Pros:
Quick repair for many problems
Some sprays can be utilized for cats as well
Cons:
Not a long term solution
Trial as well as error
Can leave stains
How to utilize anti chew spray for dogs
You can utilize anti chew spray to stop:
Biting hands.
Chewing furniture.
Biting the leash.
Licking paws.
Destroying cables as well as wires.
Chewing kids’ toys.
Licking at wounds.
To do this, spray the product or your hands with the bitter apple spray, as well as make sure your dog gets a lick of it, too. Observe exactly how your dog reacts to it. If he doesn’t like it, he’ll make “faces”, repeatedly stand out his tongue, as well as shake his head. You’ll have to reapply the spray several times, likely for days as well as perhaps even weeks. Some dogs discover quickly, others are more stubborn.
Tip: comprehend your dog’s motivation behind his inappropriate chewing, biting or licking. That method you can integrate a long-lasting approach towards fixing the issue for great with the bitter apple spray as a temporary, quick fix.
Ask yourself these questions:
Is my dog bored?
Dogs requirement a decent amount of physical as well as mental stimulation every day, so think about walking him more as well as providing him gain access to to dog-friendly (chew-) toys. For example, a stuffed rubber Kong toy or a treat dispensing Kong Wobbler toy, a bully stick, a frozen beef trachea, or let him sniff out some treats you hide in a snuffle mat.
Is my puppy teething?
Puppies are looking to reduce their hurting gums when they’re teething as well as requirement appropriate chews and/or chew toys. If they don’t have gain access to to those, they’ll look for anything else they can chew on instead. For example, your furniture, shoes, or your kids’ toys. Stuffed puppy Kong toys as well as smaller bully sticks will provide enormous relief for your puppy.
Does my dog requirement to discover impulse control?
Teach him the “leave it” command for when you want him to stop chewing or biting on inappropriate products as well as human body parts. To do this, offer him a high value treat or a preferred toy when you want him to “leave” whatever he has in his mouth. Alternatively, you can likewise offer him a preferred toy. Whatever works finest to redirect his interest from one product to the other. likewise don’t failed to remember to offer verbal praise for a task well done. You can state things like great boy!, or Yes!
Is my dog anxious?
Anxious dogs quickly get spooked by unexpected noises they’re unfamiliar with. They may likewise refrain from doing well with being left alone. As a result, they redirect that fearful energy into chewing on inappropriate things like your furniture. To assist your dog cope with this, make sure you exercise him properly before you leave him house alone. A tired dog is much less likely to act up than one who’s full of energy. likewise leave him appropriate doggie chews as well as toys to entertain himself with. put up shoes, leashes, etc. to ensure that he can’t get to them in the very first place. close your kids’ spaces doors, as well as think about crating your pup or gating off areas you don’t want him in. Additionally, spray products like furniture legs or cables with the bitter apple spray.
Bitter apple spray ingredients
Now that you understand exactly how to utilize the spray, let’s discuss which one you should buy. After all, there are a range of bitter apple sprays with different formulas, as well as some are likewise offered as a gel. My suggestion is to utilize brands thatdon’t utilize harsh chemical components like isopropanol as well as propylene glycol. It likewise shouldn’t contain tea tree oil since it’s poisonous to dogs (and cats).
In general, I’d state the shorter the component list, the better. likewise look out for warnings that state not to spray it directly on your pet. Instead, go for something that’s risk-free to spray on your pet as well as plants, including his skin. For example, the complying with sprays are risk-free to be sprayed directly on your pet:
Fooey! Ultra-Bitter training aid Spray
Ingredients: Water, all natural bitter principles as well as extractives, preservatives.
NaturVet – Bitter Yuck – No Chew Spray
Ingredients: Bittering agent, deionized water, as well as citric acid.
Rocco & Roxie No Chew extreme Bitter Spray
Ingredients: Purified water, emulsifier, copaiba oil, bitter agent, preservative.
Bitter apple spray for dog training
The very first brand Lindsay tried about 20 years back was Grannick’s Bitter Apple. She’s the creator of That Mutt as well as got it for her golden retriever puppy, Brittni, to prevent her from chewing objects, particularly her leather leash during walks. It worked, however it is alcohol based. These are its ingredients: Water, Isopropanol 20%, Bitter Principles as well as Extractive.
Of course, there are other methods to teach a dog not to chew something, however the spray is a quick fix. Brittni did not chew her leather leash once again after she got a taste of the bitter apple spray.
Puppies requirement to be taught limits, like what they can as well as cannot chew, whether or not they are enabled on the furniture as well as not to bite hands.
Obviously, a dog owner can’t spray whatever in the home with bitter apple. however for an particularly difficult puppy that keeps chewing something in particular, or if you requirement to put a stop to something right away, this spray truly does do the trick.
Another plus: Humans can generally not odor it, as well as most sprays will not discolor furniture or clothes. We can taste it though, which you will soon discover if you get it on your hands as well as then touch your mouth.
Bitter apple spray for wound healing
If you’ve ever had to find up with methods to keep your pup from licking a wound after surgical treatment or a skin irritation, you understand exactly how potentially frustrating this experience can be. While stiff cones as well as clothes are useful with keeping your pup away from their wounds, they don’t care much for them. as well as honestly, that’s completely understandable since when you believe about it, getting dressed is a human thing, not an animal thing.
That said, bitter apple spray can really be a great alternate to the cone of pity or dog jackets. That’s since you can apply the spray directly onto your dog’s coat to keep him from chewing his fur. Or to keep your other dog(s) to lick your patient’s fur or wound! You can likewise spray it directly onto the bandage that’s covering a wound.
However, you don’t want to spray it directly into the wound. That would sting as well as be extremely uncomfortable.
Does bitter apple spray work?
Yes as well as no! let me explain what I mean by that.
Some dogs instantly react to the spray in precisely the method we want them to. like the method Lindsay’s golden retriever puppy Brittni did. They taste it, choose it’s gross, as well as then leave whatever it was they were licking or chewing. In Brittni’s case, her leather leash.
Other dogs don’t seem to mind the taste one bit. As in, they continue to lick or chew although it’s covered in bitter apple spray. I made that experience with my previous Boxer mixes Missy as well as Buzz. Neither of them was phased one bit by the very first anti chew spray I bought to keep them from chewing on the baseboards. However, they hated the second one I tried. In combination with mentor them the “leave it” command as well as crating them with puppy appropriate toys when they were house alone, this was a winner.
That’s since different dogs react in a different way to different formulas! So while one dog will be repulsed by Grannick’s Bitter Apple Spray, the next dog won’t mind it, however he’ll dislike Fooey’s Ultra-Bitter training aid Spray instead.
That’s why I suggest to try out a few different ones if your pup doesn’t seem to be phased by the very first anti-chew spray you buy.
Bitter apple spray for cats
Last however not least, let’s talk about bitter apple spray for cats because, let’s deal with it, they can be quite destructive too!
Some chew deterrents are indeed formulated for both dogs as well as cats, which is fantastic news if you’re looking to stopyour kitty from chewing up cables as well as scratching your furniture.
Apply the spray to inappropriate products as well as surfaces your feline targets, however likewise provide your feline with lots of outlets for her bursts of energy. For example, you might get her a scratching tree or a cardboard feline scratcher, as well as engage her in playtime with toys like feather toys as well as rattling mice.
The Fooey! Ultra-Bitter training aid Spray can be utilized on cats as well, as well as so can the NaturVet – Bitter Yuck – No Chew Spray as well as the Rocco & Roxie No Chew extreme Bitter Spray.
Now we’d like to hear from you! have you ever utilized a bitter apple spray? Did it work?
Barbara Rivers composes routinely for That Mutt. She is licensed in raw dog food nutrition from Dogs naturally magazine as well as the author of three ebooks about balanced raw dog food. She is a blog writer at K9s Over Coffee.
This publish contains affiliate links.
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