Pet deterant?

Does anyone know of a decent pet deterant? Murphy has started pooping at the bottom of the stairs recently. I'm watching him like a hawk but if I turn my back thats when it seems to happen, even when he's just been out .
Been working on praising him loads when he goes outside but obviously this takes time. I used Get Off spray but doesn't seem to put him off the spot

I think Shaws do one - I think its a specifc repellent for poops and wees.
I thought Get Off was for cats! :lol:

Felt like an idiot there, had to run and check what it said on it but it says cats and dogs. That would have been a good reason for it not working. DOH! I'll check out Shaws

I've got the Shaws 'Natural' one and it doesn't work. The smell actually draws my lot, for a good sniff.

In my opinion, this is not a matter for a deterrent, but a house training issue. If he's less than a year old you probably need to confine him to a smaller area of the house and work on basic house training skills. Plus, if you use a deterrent he will most likely just move his accidents to another area of the house.

Also, when I think of a pet deterrent I think of something that is meant to keep them from chewing on stuff, like Bitter Apple.

I was having problems with Cody and his potty training and confining him in the kitchen has really worked. The area is small enough that he won't want to soil because he has to be near it (works in line with the theory as to why they don't soil the kennel). My kitchen also has direct access to the back yard so he can't have an accident on the way out. Limiting his meals have also helped. I used to just leave a bowl full of food for all three of my boys but I had no way of controlling his food intake. Now he gets a small meal in the morning (take him out), at lunch (take him out) and at dinner (same routine). If he actually goes #2 he can play around the house; if not, it's back in the kitchen. It really seems to be working for him, but my older dogs don't like the limits on their food. lol. oh well boys. Cody is just under four months, by the way.

Yea he's great when he's in his den, it's only 1.5m x 2m, thought we'd cracked it. He never messes in there, he holds all night now he's 8 months. Can't really understand why suddenly he's doing it. We praise him like mad when he goes outside. But with all this wet weather he refuses to go on the grass, I think he's trying to tell me to get chuckie stones down!

Kind of manipulative of me, but I will wave a treat in front of kosmo's nose in the rain and say "go potty for cookie."

He goes REAL fast and wants back in REAL fast.. point is, he does it!! :w**h**:

That's really funny that Kosmo knows how to do that! Cody would just stare at me and go nuts for the treat and completely forget he had to go in the first place!

murphy's mum said:

Does anyone know of a decent pet deterant? Murphy has started pooping at the bottom of the stairs recently. I'm watching him like a hawk but if I turn my back thats when it seems to happen, even when he's just been out .
Been working on praising him loads when he goes outside but obviously this takes time. I used Get Off spray but doesn't seem to put him off the spot

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Is there carpeting where he's been pooping? If so, you may want to use an enzymatic, biological cleaner to completely remove the scent. :flwr:

I think it's probably as much a house training issue as anything else... but I'll say that our two will still occasionally pooh on the same two throw rugs when they decide they're going to pooh indoors. One in the bathroom, one in the kitchen. They get washed every week, and I spray that deterrent stuff on there...but every now and then they still pooh there. No rhyme or reason as to the 'when'... just one day every two or three weeks one of them do it.

KC

What exactly do you mean an 'enzymatic, biological cleaner'? Sorry haven't heard of this before :? He has been doing it on a carpet. Although, he's been a super star for the last 2 days and hasn't messed in the house.

You need to clean the carpet with a cleaner -- biological washing powder in weak solution will work if it won;t damage the carpet, or an enzymatic cleaner from the pet shop for cleaning urine and poo stains -- because if you don't break down the chemicals in the urine/poo in this way they just keep returning to the same spot. That's one reason why they keep going there. Regular household cleaners will not work -- they mask thr odor for you but the dog still recognises 'this is the place where I poo'. Any pet shop will know what you are looking for if you ask for a cleaner for urine and poop. Four Paws is one brand widely sold in Ireland/UK but there are others.

This is indeed a training issue as well as a cleaning issue. You are going to have to totally restrict his access to the stairs part of the house at all times until this problem is solved -- which probably means a couple of months to program away from what is now a very ingrained habit aided by the smell (to them) of a familiar poo place. He can be in that area when you are with him and he can be easily taken outside if he goes -- eg within arms reach or on a lkead -- but otherwise do not let him in that area.

There isn't really any other way of dealing with the issue but the same approach you'd take with a puppy -- never ever allow a dog to be in an area where he has the opportunity to make a mistake as every mistake is another step backwards and you want all forwards steps from now on. . That means he needs to be on your lap, under your arm, on a lead at your side, or asleep if he is in the area that he likes to poop.

They get washed every week, and I spray that deterrent stuff on there...but every now and then they still pooh there.

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It's probably time to throw out the rugs then or run a wash with Nature's Miracle or whatever enzymatic cleaner you use IN the wash (normal washing powder is not going to get out the scent gfor the dogs). A spray also isn't going to help remove the scent they can still smell, but perhaps entirely washing the rug in enzymatic cleaner will. There comes a time though when it is so deeply marked that you are better off throwing them out.