I am proud to say that I have three advanced degrees from two very prestigious institutions, 33 years of life experience, a good income, and opposable thumbs.
And I cannot keep my 6mo Labradoodle puppy out of the garbage. I have locking bins of the sort that are usually used to store dog food and she somehow gets them open. Can someone suggest a solution that is puppyproof and doesn't involve complexities like a padlock?
Signed,
Doc "Outsmarted by a 6mo puppy" Lightning
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Outsmarted By A Puppy.
-Doc Lightning-
"The sky calls to us. If we do not destroy ourselves, we will one day venture to the stars."
-Carl Sagan
"The sky calls to us. If we do not destroy ourselves, we will one day venture to the stars."
-Carl Sagan
RE: Outsmarted By A Puppy.
As in real estate, we found our solution in, location, location, location. We relocated the garbage can into the cabinet beneath the sink, and secured the door with a simple toddler lock. Our dog could get the door open about 3 inches, enough to get a sniff, but could not get at the can itself. Eventually he lost interest and moved on to drinking from the toilet. We are still working on that one.
Proud OOTSK member
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RE: Outsmarted By A Puppy.
Which trash cans is the puppy getting into? Kitchen, bathroom, the ones that go out to the curb, etc?
Hydrogen is an odorless, colorless gas which, given enough time, turns into people.
RE: Outsmarted By A Puppy.
I wonder if any SC alumni were ever so outsmarted...
Pancakes are delicious.
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RE: Outsmarted By A Puppy.
So there really isn't enough space under our sink for garbage and recycling and compost. The compost was solved by gluing rocks to the lid. I think I'm going to go get really huge locking bins tomorrow and put a couple of milkjugs filled with water in the bottom of each one. That way there will be room for the garbage, but she won't be able to tip it over, and if she does get it open, she'll not be able to get very much out.
-Doc Lightning-
"The sky calls to us. If we do not destroy ourselves, we will one day venture to the stars."
-Carl Sagan
"The sky calls to us. If we do not destroy ourselves, we will one day venture to the stars."
-Carl Sagan
RE: Outsmarted By A Puppy.
| Quoting DocLightning (Thread starter): And I cannot keep my 6mo Labradoodle puppy out of the garbage |
Sounds like the same problem I have with my 11 month old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel...trust me it is and I can see that it will be an ongoing problem for me. Your puppy is much larger than mine.
I know he is being fed enough food and I feed him top of the line food but he still goes after the garbage...lol
I decided to remove my garbage tall flip top can and I now use smaller plastic bags/grocery plastic bags and I put it in the microwave during the day and outside each evening after dinner. For items that are recycled I have a small plastic bin under the sink - I have an elastic cord (bungie) that goes from one handle to the other which has stopped him from getting into it. It is very tight and if tries to get in it usually smacks his nose.
Good Luck!
vaporlock
RE: Outsmarted By A Puppy.
| Quoting DocLightning (Reply 4): So there really isn't enough space under our sink for garbage and recycling and compost. The compost was solved by gluing rocks to the lid. I think I'm going to go get really huge locking bins tomorrow and put a couple of milkjugs filled with water in the bottom of each one. That way there will be room for the garbage, but she won't be able to tip it over, and if she does get it open, she'll not be able to get very much out. |
But...but...I baited.
I prodded...I plotted, I planned, I prodded...and I baited...I threw down...I... I... I baited...
*staggers away, confounded*
Pancakes are delicious.
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RE: Outsmarted By A Puppy.
You could put the bin on a tallish pole with a slinky, and see if the puppy is similarly confounded as squirrels are: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUbwrE02Dpw
On a serious note, is there another room adjacent to the kitchen (ideally something like a cloakroom etc) that the bin could live in with the door closed?
On a serious note, is there another room adjacent to the kitchen (ideally something like a cloakroom etc) that the bin could live in with the door closed?
RE: Outsmarted By A Puppy.
| Quoting DocLightning (Thread starter): Doc "Outsmarted by a 6mo puppy" Lightning |
Don't feel too bad, Doc - my dear, departed poodle would outsmart me regularly, and they learn as they get older. They certainly aren't "dumb animals".
KC-135 - Passing gas and taking names!
RE: Outsmarted By A Puppy.
Maybe I am underestimating the ability of dogs, but does no one else think that a recessed push-button style lock might do the trick? Humans have individual digits, dog's really don't. If you recess a button deep enough (say maybe an inch and a half) and make the spring stiff enough so a dog's tongue isn't strong enough to push it, I think you might have a decent shot at keeping the little guy outta there.
Just my initial reaction
Just my initial reaction
Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are
RE: Outsmarted By A Puppy.
What about relocating said containers to a closet or the garage?
You can cut the irony with a knife
RE: Outsmarted By A Puppy.
Dear Doc,
Are you kidding me?
Signed,
Are you kidding me?
Signed,
"In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem - government IS the problem." - Ronald Reagan
Comments made here are my own and are not intended to represent the official position of Alaska Air Group
Comments made here are my own and are not intended to represent the official position of Alaska Air Group
RE: Outsmarted By A Puppy.
Again Dr. Lightning,
I say bricks. Or put it in a closet. Closets can still be wonderful things, no need to fear them anymore.
UAL
I say bricks. Or put it in a closet. Closets can still be wonderful things, no need to fear them anymore.
UAL
"Bangkok Tower, United 890 Heavy. Bangkok Tower, United 890 Heavy.....Okay, fine, we'll just turn 190 and Visual Our Way
RE: Outsmarted By A Puppy.
| Quoting Airstud (Reply 3): I wonder if any SC alumni were ever so outsmarted... |
That would be a negative. My year-old puppy has not outsmarted me!
He has, however, out-witted, outran, outplayed, out-many-other-thing-ed me.
I'm watching Jeopardy. The category is worst Madonna songs. "This one from 1987 is terrible".
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RE: Outsmarted By A Puppy.
| Quoting AKiss20 (Reply 10): Maybe I am underestimating the ability of dogs, but does no one else think that a recessed push-button style lock might do the trick? Humans have individual digits, dog's really don't. If you recess a button deep enough (say maybe an inch and a half) and make the spring stiff enough so a dog's tongue isn't strong enough to push it, I think you might have a decent shot at keeping the little guy outta there. |
Where can I get such a product?
-Doc Lightning-
"The sky calls to us. If we do not destroy ourselves, we will one day venture to the stars."
-Carl Sagan
"The sky calls to us. If we do not destroy ourselves, we will one day venture to the stars."
-Carl Sagan
RE: Outsmarted By A Puppy.
| Quoting DocLightning (Reply 15): Where can I get such a product? |
I said I thought it would work, not that it exists
Let the record show that I came up with this idea, Doc if I see you making big $$s from it in 5 months, you got a lawsuit on your butt
Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are
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RE: Outsmarted By A Puppy.
Solution..... a 4th Advanced Degree.
signed....Puppy!!!
signed....Puppy!!!
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RE: Outsmarted By A Puppy.
Here is an idea that worked for us.
Go to Radio Shack and buy one of those battery powered door alarms. Stick the alarm on the side of the garbage can. Stick the other half of the alarm on the side of the lid. Arm the alarm.
Whenever the dog pops the lid on the garbage can the alarm noise will scare him away. It only takes two or three times for your pup to learn that the garbage can makes bad noises if it's disturbed. Those alarms cost $10-15.00. Well worth it.
Go to Radio Shack and buy one of those battery powered door alarms. Stick the alarm on the side of the garbage can. Stick the other half of the alarm on the side of the lid. Arm the alarm.
Whenever the dog pops the lid on the garbage can the alarm noise will scare him away. It only takes two or three times for your pup to learn that the garbage can makes bad noises if it's disturbed. Those alarms cost $10-15.00. Well worth it.
Fly North Central Airlines..The route of the Northliners!
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RE: Outsmarted By A Puppy.
| Quoting AKiss20 (Reply 16): Let the record show that I came up with this idea, Doc if I see you making big $$s from it in 5 months, you got a lawsuit on your butt |
I'm Jewish. Half my family are lawyers. Don't try that. It won't be pretty.
-Doc Lightning-
"The sky calls to us. If we do not destroy ourselves, we will one day venture to the stars."
-Carl Sagan
"The sky calls to us. If we do not destroy ourselves, we will one day venture to the stars."
-Carl Sagan
RE: Outsmarted By A Puppy.
| Quoting type-rated (Reply 18): |
Not a bad idea, though, if Doc's dog is like mine were when they were pups (one is now 13, the other put down at 12 in April), the trash thing happens at night.
Doc, you need a trash can that is heavy (so the dog doesn't tip it) and that has a heavy foot pedal to operate. I'm guessing a Home Depot or Lowes would have something along those lines. Target may have some high end, stainless steel ones that will work. I have a foot pedal one that my son, when he was 3, had issues with. Expect to pay $60+.
You're looking for something with 'commercial' or 'heavy duty' in the description.
When seconds count, the police are minutes away, or may not come at all.
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Ego Bibere Capulus, Ut Aliis Sit Vivere
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RE: Outsmarted By A Puppy.
| Quoting fr8mech (Reply 20): I'm guessing a Home Depot or Lowes would have something along those lines. |
Guess again. Nothing where the lid locks to the bin. All of their lids can be easily knocked off. I can put a coupla milk jugs of water in the bottom to keep it from tipping, but the lid needs to lock.
-Doc Lightning-
"The sky calls to us. If we do not destroy ourselves, we will one day venture to the stars."
-Carl Sagan
"The sky calls to us. If we do not destroy ourselves, we will one day venture to the stars."
-Carl Sagan
RE: Outsmarted By A Puppy.
| Quoting DocLightning (Reply 21): Guess again. Nothing where the lid locks to the bin. All of their lids can be easily knocked off. I can put a coupla milk jugs of water in the bottom to keep it from tipping, but the lid needs to lock. |
Get one where the lid is part of the can.
Something like this:
http://www.target.com/simplehuman-st.../B000EGLYNC/ref=sc_qi_detailbutton
When seconds count, the police are minutes away, or may not come at all.
It’s hard to win an argument with a smart person, but it’s damn near impossible to win an argument with a stupid person. ~B. Murray
Ego Bibere Capulus, Ut Aliis Sit Vivere
It’s hard to win an argument with a smart person, but it’s damn near impossible to win an argument with a stupid person. ~B. Murray
Ego Bibere Capulus, Ut Aliis Sit Vivere
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RE: Outsmarted By A Puppy.
I think you are taking the wrong path with this problem. You need to teach the dog to leave the garbage can alone vs just trying to keep him out of it.
Locking lid or not if a dog wants to get into a garbage can, he will. You need to set up a negative reinforcement so that he learns not to get into the can in the first place.
Locking lid or not if a dog wants to get into a garbage can, he will. You need to set up a negative reinforcement so that he learns not to get into the can in the first place.
Fly North Central Airlines..The route of the Northliners!
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RE: Outsmarted By A Puppy.
| Quoting type-rated (Reply 23): I think you are taking the wrong path with this problem. You need to teach the dog to leave the garbage can alone vs just trying to keep him out of it. Locking lid or not if a dog wants to get into a garbage can, he will. You need to set up a negative reinforcement so that he learns not to get into the can in the first place. |
There isn't a negative reinforcement that I can arrange that works. I already tried spraying the contents of the garbage with "bitter yuck." Didn't work.
So what I am trying to do is teach her that there's nothing in there that she can have, so stop trying.
-Doc Lightning-
"The sky calls to us. If we do not destroy ourselves, we will one day venture to the stars."
-Carl Sagan
"The sky calls to us. If we do not destroy ourselves, we will one day venture to the stars."
-Carl Sagan
RE: Outsmarted By A Puppy.
I tell you, Labradoodles are conniving little buggers! They're so clever! Is yours Curly or Shaggy?
BAguy
BAguy
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RE: Outsmarted By A Puppy.
| Quoting type-rated (Reply 23): I think you are taking the wrong path with this problem. You need to teach the dog to leave the garbage can alone vs just trying to keep him out of it. Locking lid or not if a dog wants to get into a garbage can, he will. You need to set up a negative reinforcement so that he learns not to get into the can in the first place. |
That is correct.
I have a 3yr old Basenji, and they are very intelligent dogs. They do not take NO for an answer, and will always try a new method. However, negative reinforcement works well with her...when she sees me approaching she rolls over for me to pat her belly.
“They bought their tickets, they knew what they were getting into. I say, let 'em crash.”
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RE: Outsmarted By A Puppy.
| Quoting DocLightning (Reply 24): So what I am trying to do is teach her that there's nothing in there that she can have, so stop trying. |
But your dog's nose is telling her otherwise.
For the life of me I can't figure out why you aren't listening to what people are telling you. I gave you the solution in reply 18. You either solve the problem now or later on it becomes a bigger problem. It's your choice.
Fly North Central Airlines..The route of the Northliners!
RE: Outsmarted By A Puppy.
| Quoting DocLightning (Thread starter): And I cannot keep my 6mo Labradoodle puppy out of the garbage. I have locking bins of the sort that are usually used to store dog food and she somehow gets them open. Can someone suggest a solution that is puppyproof and doesn't involve complexities like a padlock? Signed, Doc "Outsmarted by a 6mo puppy" Lightning |
Doc, I can only offer and second the following suggestion:
| Quoting fr8mech (Reply 22): http://www.target.com/simplehuman-st.../B000EGLYNC/ref=sc_qi_detailbutton |
We've had this trash can for 8 years now and it is still a great trash can, still shiny and in good shape.
At first I thought my wife nuts for paying $100 FOR A TRASH CAN! But now, well, if you can praise a trash can... well, this one has lasted 8 years in a house with two kids and lots of their toddler friends and two dogs and numerous dog sittings for friends and family. It been the best $100 spent for a trash can (it still sounds crazy). The key is the light lid that sort of seals down into the top of the can. It can't be easily opened unless you use the foot peddle, at the same time it is easy to open as it is not one of those heavy "cap" type lids. And finally it "slow closes" once released so it doesn't slam down.
Can't imagine I would ever think that spending $100 on a trash can is a good deal/idea but it was.
Tugg
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There are many kinds of sentences that we think state facts about the world but that are really just expressions of our attitudes. - F. Ramsey
There are many kinds of sentences that we think state facts about the world but that are really just expressions of our attitudes. - F. Ramsey
RE: Outsmarted By A Puppy.
| Quoting DocLightning (Reply 19): I'm Jewish. Half my family are lawyers. Don't try that. It won't be pretty. |
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RE: Outsmarted By A Puppy.
| Quoting type-rated (Reply 27): I gave you the solution in reply 18. |
I missed it. Thanks, that's a really good idea.
But I think I'm going to swing for the $100 trashcan. I feel like a chump, but...
-Doc Lightning-
"The sky calls to us. If we do not destroy ourselves, we will one day venture to the stars."
-Carl Sagan
"The sky calls to us. If we do not destroy ourselves, we will one day venture to the stars."
-Carl Sagan
RE: Outsmarted By A Puppy.
| Quoting DocLightning (Reply 30): But I think I'm going to swing for the $100 trashcan. I feel like a chump, but... |
You're a gay Jewish doctor with no kids, aren't you the definition of disposable income?
Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are
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RE: Outsmarted By A Puppy.
| Quoting AKiss20 (Reply 31): You're a gay Jewish doctor with no kids, aren't you the definition of disposable income? |
Yes, except the Jewish part. That bit of me doesn't like disposing of it. Especially for... disposal.
-Doc Lightning-
"The sky calls to us. If we do not destroy ourselves, we will one day venture to the stars."
-Carl Sagan
"The sky calls to us. If we do not destroy ourselves, we will one day venture to the stars."
-Carl Sagan