Bitter Apple... does it really work?

dufournf4 said:
one thing our breeder had told us about using the bitter apple spray, is that first your MUST soak a cotton ball in some bitter apple, and hold it in your puppy's mouth until he shows displeasure. They will then associate that smell with that nasty taste in their mouth. Because just lightly spraying something once isn't enough to deter a dog for chewing something he really wants to go for.

ps. I know it seems mean...I felt like a bad puppy mom. But it did really work, whereas just the spray alone did not....To each their own, I suppose.
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I've heard something similar...I was told to spray it directly in their mouth first. I didn't have the heart to do it, though :o
 
Toffee's Mom said:
Worked really well for me..
on my baseboard and the wicker furniture...
also works well when you forgot you just sprayed it and your hands touch your lips :eek2::o:biggrin2: quite the surprise... lol
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I tasted it once, I can't remember if it was on purpose or not. YUCK! I can't believe some dogs like the taste!

Bitter Apple seemed to work for Sadie when she was a small pup, I sprayed it when she tried to chew our hardwood floor and she never tried it again. It may have been the spray that she didn't like, not the Bitter Apple because when she got older she seemed to like the taste and ate a basket handle I was trying to stop her from gnawing.

Bitter Apple Spray worked VERY well for Ginny though and is working well for Toby. Both were stealing wood chips from a faux plant in our bedroom until I sprayed it. It also stopped Toby from stealing tissues out of the garbage and from chewing his crate. Ginny used to constantly try and chew on our throw rug and various telephone books and magazines when she was a pup. She stopped after I sprayed everything lightly with Bitter Apple.
 
Never worked for Trapp.he just kept coming back for more.

Our patio table,which "had" a woven wicker shelf on the bottom,and an area rug under the patio furniture that got totally ruined by him, I resorted to cayenne pepper.

i made a paste of it using just a bit of water,and rubbed it wherever he showed interest in chewing. It worked,or either he grew out of the obsession for chewing.

Jasper has never been one to chew to the extent of destruction.Thank goodness.


The bitter apple however is working for Mia. But I do think her sense of smell works in overdrive to compensate no sight or hearing.
 
I've not tried it with my dogs, but my moms dog LOVES bitter apple. He also LOVES citronella. He is our first dog (now 14), and our first intro to debarking, because he will bark that citronella collar dry. He would go up to other dogs wearing the collar and bark, just to get a citronella high, I guess.
 
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