Bubble Wrap as a Deterrent

Does your dog engage in an unwanted behavior even when you tell her "no"? Volunteer Liz Dietz shares a method that has worked very well with her adopted beagle Lucy.

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We were at wit's end trying to keep Lucy out of the dishwasher as we loaded dirty plates. Not only was she disobeying our no!'s, she was getting access to food we didn't want her to lick up and she was in danger of getting hurt on the utensils.

One day we got a package with large-sized bubble wrap packing material. When we popped one of the large bubbles, we noticed Lucy put her ears back and ran. Later when she started to climb in the dishwasher again, our visiting friend Ken decided to use the bubble wrap as a deterrent. She stayed away!

One or two little popping sounds kept her away. The unfriendly noise was coming from something other than mom and dad.

And Lucy remembered the lesson. The next day when I was loading the dishwasher, I reached for the bubble wrap and she ran back. Now she sits a good 10 feet away and patiently waits for me to finish my dish loading tasks.

This was such a good solution. Those couple of popping sounds could not have hurt her ears any more than our loud "Lucy, NO!" commands. Yet she learned the intended effect so perfectly. I still have the original sheet of bubble wrap with only a few bubbles popped because we didn't have to continually reinforce the training. Lucy is seven years old, and we stopped this bad behavior in one humane and easy step.

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For more Dog Tips about pet care, adoption and the work PAW does, visit our website at:
www.paw-rescue.org

Partnership for Animal Welfare, Inc.
P.O. Box 1074, Greenbelt, MD 20768