Keeping a house spotless can sometimes be challenging if you have a dog around, especially if your pet keeps digging through the trash can often and not obeying you. Your four-legged companion’s habit may frustrate you and waste your efforts to maintain a clean home.
However, there’s something you can do about it. All you have to do is read this article, and you’ll learn Tips To Keep Your Dog Out Of The Trash!

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3 Tips To Keep Your Dog Out Of The Trash
How To Keep Your Dog Away From Garbage
While the waste in your trash can is unusable to you, it is appealing to your dog for several reasons. For one, your pet may be bored or hungry. Another reason is that they may be displaying this unsafe behavior due to a lack of or insufficient physical activity.
Anxiety might even be a factor too. Also, they could be doing it to seek your attention, or they have a medical condition that’s causing them to be hungrier.
To ensure your dog stays off the trash can, you must identify what could be influencing their behavior. The first step is to see a veterinarian who’ll assess if your furry friend is suffering from any kind of illness, particularly one that leads them to be hungry all the time.
One example of a medical condition that explains a dog’s increased appetite is diabetes. Another is intestinal cancer. The specialist will examine your pet, and if they find out that your dog is ill, they’ll provide medication or recommend a type of treatment that will be effective.
However, if the veterinarian determines that your dog is healthy, it could mean that your pet has been digging through the trash because they’re anxious, bored, or they’re not exercising enough.
If your dog is healthy but can’t stay off the trash can, below are some steps you could take:
- Prevent Easy Access To The Trash
If your dog can easily access the garbage container, limiting the trash can’s reach will help. You can do this by positioning the trash can at a higher spot or placing it in a hidden location, so your furry member can’t get to it.
Alternatively, consider buying pet-proof garbage containers. Many of these are closable, but some are more advanced than others.
For instance, you could find step cans with an excellent locking lid that can’t open even when the container falls. Also, you may discover others with sensors or buttons for closing and unlocking the covers, which will make it hard for your dog to open the lid.
Investing in these kinds of trash cans will be an effective way to keep your pet off the trash. If you’re interested in having this kind of container, do thorough research first to identify the best product for your home.
The good thing is that you’ll find many reviews or comments on most e-commerce stores. You’ll get to discover customers’ experiences with using the product. If most reports about your desired product are good, you can go for it.
It’ll also be helpful to find sites that examine commodities and offer customers insights on whether an item is good or safe to buy.
For instance, you can check out reviews at PetNewsDaily.com or on other reliable websites. A product with a lot of positive features and feedback will be worth buying.
- Teach Your Dog The ‘Leave It’ Command
Dogs are intelligent animals. They can recall information, read signals, and respond to gestures, such as pointing and waving.
They can even understand various commands from their handlers or owners. Therefore, teaching your dog the ‘Leave it’ order will help keep them off the trash.
There are several ways to train your furry baby in this command. These ways are rather simpler techniques you can apply and one of the easiest methods involves four steps:
- Hold a goody your dog enjoys in one hand and show it to them.
- Once they’ve noticed it, let them smell the treat and when they try going for it, say, ‘Leave it,’ and then close your hand.
- Once they stop sniffing and pull their eyes away from the goody, tell them, ‘Good’ or ‘Yes,’ and offer them the treat.
- Keep repeating the command to your dog until they get it.
Once your pet understands the ‘Leave it’ order, it’ll be easier for you to ask them to stop doing things you don’t like. Best of all, you’ll get to keep your furry friends off the trash when you notice them sniffing around the trash can or digging through the garbage.
- Ensure Your Dog Is Getting Enough Mental Stimulation And Physical Exercises
Mental stimulation is quite essential for your dog. Without mental stimulation, pets get easily bored, which is one of the factors that causes them to check out the trash.
There are several activities you can try to keep your dog’s brain engaged. You can teach them a new trick, hide a treat and let them find and eat it, or buy a dog puzzle.
Physical activity is just as important too because, like mental games, it helps them stay occupied. It can also help prevent some dog illnesses, such as obesity, bone and heart disease, and cognitive disorders.
Some physical activities your dog might enjoy are tug of war, hide and seek, fetch, and running or jogging.

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It’s said that dogs are animals of habit. Therefore, it’s crucial to establish a routine for their mental and physical activities. This way, they’ll have something to look forward to and know when to expect what they’ve been excited about. After establishing the routine, make sure you stick with it.
Having a dog can be quite beneficial. They’ll keep you entertained and offer you companionship. As a result, you become less stressed and happier.
However, dogs might also be frustrating to have around the house because of bad habits, such as digging through the trash can often.
This kind of habit not only affects the cleanliness of your home but can also make your dog experience illnesses like garbage toxicosis, which is caused by eating waste. Therefore, it’s critical to keep your four-legged friend away from the trash.
If you’re looking for methods To Keep Your Dog Out Of The Trash, this article offers some steps that you’ll find quite helpful. If you would like to add to this list, please leave your tips below in the comments. Thank you!