Effective Tips to Stop Your Dog from Picking Up Garbage

Why Do Dogs Love "Junk Food" So Much?

It's no secret that dogs have an incredibly keen sense of smell. Their nasal cavities are home to approximately 125 to 200 million olfactory receptors, which is about 250 times more than the 5 million we humans have. This means that dogs can pick up on scents that are completely undetectable to us. From the moment they open their eyes, their noses are constantly scanning the air for various scent cues. Once outside, the myriad of smells on the ground can be overwhelming, which is why you often see them sniffing around on the ground.

How to Correct a Dog's Habit of Picking Up Garbage

For dogs that aren't simply going through a teething phase and are picking up garbage, it's essential to address this behavior. Groundlevel garbage is filled with unknown risks, and while dogs have impressive digestive systems, they can't completely negate these dangers. Moreover, dogs that have become accustomed to a single type of food may have altered their digestive abilities, with a diluted stomach acid concentration, making their digestive systems more fragile.

Training Methods

Training Tools: A leash, a reward (which should be more appealing than the temptation), and a temptation (this can be various toys or any object that the dog is interested in, but the temptation must not be more appealing than the reward).

Training Environment: The initial training should take place indoors to eliminate any distractions. Once the dog's performance becomes more consistent, you can then move the training to an outdoor setting.

Basic Training Steps:

1. Take the dog past a location where food has been placed beforehand.

2. Use the leash to redirect the dog's attention.

3. Teach the dog to observe the owner's attitude before eating.

Develop the dog's selfcontrol.

Selfcontrol training for dogs isn't about having a specific place or equipment. It can be practiced during every mealtime, with one simple rule: "Only when all four paws are on the ground, do you give the dog its bowl."

This training tests the dog's selfcontrol, which is also a demonstration of the owner's control over resources. If the dog masters this, it will have excellent selfcontrol even outdoors, always thinking to seek the owner's approval before approaching objects on the ground. If the owner thinks the ground object is safe for the dog to chew on, they can give the "OK" command; if it's an unknown piece of garbage, they should say "NO," reward the dog, and then take it away.