Why Dogs Love To Dig Through Garbage And How To Avoid It

Of course, dog owners are always wondering why their dogs are so fond of digging through the trash. We’ve all noticed how our dog likes to rip the bag and take out the trash, as if he’s going to find lost treasure.

As everyone knows, smell is the most developed sense in dogs, so imagine how many odors he must smell in garbage cans, he must think the bags are full of delicious food.

But you must know that this poses a danger to them.

Why do dogs love sifting through the trash?

Most of the time, dogs eat garbage  due to their survival instincts, maybe you adopted a pet that went hungry or had to fight for food, so it will have that feeling and, even if satisfied, will go through the garbage. .

It’s also understandable for your dog to try to eat garbage, because his sense of smell is between 10,000 and 100,000 times more powerful than that of a human being, so he should smell all the delicacies that the garbage contains.

Dangers of digging through the trash

Under no circumstances should you allow your dog to go through the trash, as this can be very dangerous for him.

Remember that in addition to foods that can be harmful to him, other objects can also hurt your dog.

That’s why it’s important never to leave litter near your dog, try to keep the litter in a locked closet or in a bucket he can’t open, remember that prevention is better, and that it’s up to you to prevent yours. dog turn over the trash.

toxic food

We said earlier that there are some foods that can be very harmful to your dog, and that he can find them in the garbage, such as avocado, chocolate, tomato, etc. If ingested, your dog can be poisoned.

Ingestion of chemical products

Imagine that you throw a chemical in the trash and your dog, in an attempt to pick up food, eats one of those toxic products that can intoxicate him and cause his death.

Cuts and injuries

Your dog can be cut by a sharp or sharp object in the trash, such as a metal can or bottle cap, it can cut its mouth, cut a leg, and it can even choke on a bone.

Stopping the dog from rummaging through the trash

Prevention is very important to prevent the dog from sniffing the garbage, but it is also very important that you educate him.

When you see him trying to turn the trash, tell him bluntly and firmly that he shouldn’t, until he understands.

You may be able to avoid this situation at home, but if you are in the habit of taking your dog for a walk, when he tries to dig through other people’s garbage, you should firmly say NO.

But remember that you should never hit an animal, that’s not the best way to correct it, what you’re going to do with it is scare it, and it won’t understand.

Another way to keep him from poking around in the trash when you go out for a walk is to give him a bitter treat every time he tries to eat trash.

He will associate the bad taste of candy with garbage and, with patience and time, he will no longer go through the garbage.

When you’re at home, you can try peppering the rubbish with pepper, like you do on small children’s nails to keep them from biting.

That way he’ll start sneezing and, over time, he’ll lose interest in digging through the garbage.

Always bet on positive reinforcement and, each time he moves away from the trash without messing it up, you should reward him so that he understands that he is doing it right, you should make him understand that this is how it is done and that you are happy for your good behavior.