# when bitter apple doesnt work?



## Boom Boom's Mom (Jul 27, 2004)

Boom's got this thing for chewing on the carpet on the stairs. Used to be he'd do it only after I went back to bed after taking him out. Now apparently he did it last night while my mother in law was supposed to be watching him.

He doesnt mind bitter apple, likes lemon juice.. what else can i try?


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## LexiAndNikkisMom (Apr 13, 2004)

I have been told that you can use Nature's Miracle for this. One of my neighbor's told me about a product that is meant for children. It has cyan pepper in it. It is used to get kids to stop sucking on their thumbs. 

Lexi has been digging at spot on the wall in my bathroom. I have tried bitter apple and Nature's miracle nothing seems to work. I am going to try this cyan pepper product.


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## Guest (Aug 19, 2004)

When my black lab was a puppy I used apple cider vinager. He didn't like the taste at all. Maybe try?


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## doctorcathy (May 17, 2004)

are you sure you dont have termites? gruffi started digging in the backyard...turned out we had gophers.


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## LexiAndNikkisMom (Apr 13, 2004)

I am pretty sure. It is an apartment building. They have an exterminator come in once or twice a year to check each aparment. He was just in last month or the month before.


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## doctorcathy (May 17, 2004)

that totally sucks. i have no clue. maybe give lexi a physical correction. it sounds mean, but it really works wonders...and then they give you that look like "why are you abusing me, mommy??"







i feel bad. but--it works. and lexi is going to the same spot over and over again? i hope it gets solved. i know that ellie ripped up our carpet (and we're renting)....im scared we wont get our deposti back.


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## LexiAndNikkisMom (Apr 13, 2004)

The problem is she does it while I am at work. So I am not there to correct her. She has tons of toys to play with too plus she has access to her crate and water.


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## Toby's Mom (May 7, 2004)




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## LexiAndNikkisMom (Apr 13, 2004)

Yes Lexi is in the bathroom while I am at work. I only work a few minutes away from where I live. I get an hour lunch break so she is only in there for 4 hours at a time.

I can maybe put her into the kitchen. The reason I don't have her there now is that the opening is to wide for the gate. I will have to think of a new way to block the entrance. I measured it once and it was like 5 inches wider than any of the gates I could find. I will have to look at it this weekend and see if there is something I can do.

I only have a 1 bedroom apartment so I don't think I have enough space to set up a doggie play pen. The only way I can think of would be to get rid of my dining room table, which I don't really use. So it is possible. But the table is my aunt's grandmother's, so I would have to find a way to get it back to her. She lives back in Dubuque (3 hrs away) and there is no way it would fit in my 2 door Caviler. My parents are coming over to visit sometime in the next month or two and I thnk it might fit in there car. I will have to see. 

Can anyone recommend a playpen or a website that has playpens?

My luck I would buy one and Lexi would dig through the carpet. :lol: 

She was fine when I was crate training her. The problem started when I started feeling guilty and gave her more room.


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## Toby's Mom (May 7, 2004)




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## Toby's Mom (May 7, 2004)




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## Guest (Aug 20, 2004)

I read that somewhere...here maybe a while ago that said to use screening. From what I remember this person made their own gate using screen material and heavy duty velcro. They put the velcro on the wall and the screen. The screen material went across the opening and was attached to the wall with the velcro. The post said it worked really well and was cheap.

I myself have really wide openings and it would be very difficult to find gates so when I am not at home Lacey goes in her exercise pen. I can tell you that it has worked out great. The only great advice I can give you is to make sure that you get a very tall gate. These little ones are great escape artists. Sometimes when I put Lacey in it when I am at home she jumps so high that I can see that if I had gotten a shorter one she could get out. I also have her crate, bed, piddle pad, water bottle and toys in it and she seems to be very content. When I come home for lunch most times she is sound asleep in her crate and I have to wake her up.

Hope this helps.


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## LexiAndNikkisMom (Apr 13, 2004)

Last night I went into the bathroom and took a really good look at what she has done. Well, I noticed that it is not just the wall she is digging at. She has scratched the heck out of the door from and there are scratchs on some of the cabinets. Bathroom

I am afraid that if I put her in the kitchen with a wide gate she will just scratch those cabinets too. So I am seriously considering an exercise pen. PetSmart's start at $59.99. Could someone please recommend a specific pen? The ones at PetSmart (8 24" wide panels) made a 5 foot diameter octogon. The would fit in my dining room.

Jami: So you would recommend not getting the 24" high pen? What height do you recommend then? I have seen some that are 30" and some that are 36".


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## doctorcathy (May 17, 2004)

maybe wake up 30minutes early and take lexi on a really looooong walk. and then try getting toys that will make her think. like those cubes that you fill with treats and she has to roll that around. getting a baby gate might not help...she might chew through that screen. she could be bored. it MIGHT be seperation anxiety and they have medicine that will help calm the dog...you'd have to ask your vet though. i hope you find a remedy.


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