It’s a common product that gets recommended, but is there any value in bitter sprays as a deterrent to chewing?
If you’re here, you’re probably a new puppy parent (Congrats!) wondering whether bitter sprays will work to help you solve your chewing problem, right? Great! I’m glad to have found you (lovely when the internet does what it’s meant to, right?).
As a professional dog trainer, I see the frustration often “He chews everything! I even tried the anti-chew sprays and (insert issue from frustrated puppy parent here)”
Personally? I never advise my puppy parents to use them – and I know that’s the same for most other professional dog trainers.
So why is that? Let’s dive in and look at the reasons they’re not recommended, and what you can do instead!
Bitter sprays are designed to be sprayed on an object or household items that puppy wants to chew, such as your furniture, or your sofa. Such that when your puppy tastes the item, they don’t enjoy the bitter taste and don’t want to taste it again. This, theoretically prevents them from chewing on anything with the spray deterrent.
However… This isn’t the best plan, and here’s why…
(Note: if you do choose to use bitter apple spray, please make sure it doesn’t use essential oils like tea tree oil, make sure it’s an alcohol-free formula, or propylene glycol to ensure you’re not accidentally giving your dog toxic things with your taste deterrents, focus on natural ingredients like lemon juice if you really have to.).
Coachi Tuggi Hide, Great for Interactive Play, Strong & Comfortable, Stretchy Bungee Handle, Reward
This is great for interacting with puppy who wants to play and wants to bite! It allows pup to really engage with you and is perfect for redirecting and even better? The bungee takes your pup's yank out of it for your shoulders.
Check Price
Fluff & Tuff Edsel Elephant
Edsel is a little pricey - but Edsel is the only toy that's lasted 5 years in my home with 3 large dogs. I don't let them sit and chomp on him like he's a bone, but we do play tug and fetch all the time.
He's the perfect intermediary for a puppy who's learning what to bite if that puppy likes human skin.
This toy also doesn't have an obnoxious squeaker! It's got a squeaker with a much better tone.
Check Price
ChuckIt Balls
Honestly, don't even buy a different kind of ball, they're not worth it. These are super bouncy, super durable and don't get soggy in your pocket when it rains.
They do get drooly? But they make great, long lasting chews too, ironically!
Check Price
Effectively, all a bitter apple spray or chewing deterrent teaches is “If it tastes yucky, don’t chew it”, not necessarily what to chew. So your table legs covered in bitter agents may work but your pup won’t really learn not to chew a table leg. Or, it can mean that when you stop using a spray the chewing starts over.
Not to mention that your puppy (like all dogs!) has a biological need to chew, especially when they’re teething, it’s why dog chews are such a big market.
Whether your dog just licks off the dog “anti chew” sprays (yep, it happens!) or they just keep chewing through it, roughly 67% of dog parents find anti-chew sprays totally ineffective. The bittering agent is something some dogs actually enjoy, and can encourage chewing. Whilst it’s designed to be an unpleasant taste, it’s not always the case for all dogs! And many more dogs actually just don’t care, as our poll shows.
A poll taken from my audience about anti-chew sprays.
Believe it or not, when it comes to operant conditioning, bitter apple sprays or chew deterrents are actually classified as positive punishment (the application of an undesired sensation for an undesired behavior), I.e. your puppy creates a negative association with inappropriate items. And whilst this may seem like an effective way to communicate… it really isn’t quite as effective as you might think.
In the professional world, we’ve known for a long time that punishment is not needed in dog training!
It’s a pretty important socialization exercise, exploring the world, and to start creating that to become a punishing experience is kind of like if we started randomly electrifying things in a clothes store?
In one way, you’re meant to explore, but in another, you’re likely going to get worried that if you touch that sweater you love, it would become a concern you might get zapped… A slightly extreme example, but you get the idea.
If you don’t cover various surfaces that have a similar mouth feel, you may not have the best results, as dog owners will often miss a puppy’s desired areas, meaning puppy will just find themselves a spot that’s not the treated or affected area, that little inconspicuous area that you didn’t even think of.
So when we’re looking to move away from deterrent sprays, or we’re looking to avoid them entirely, what do we do?
To effectively train your puppy not to indulge in destructive chewing, it’s paramount to manage their access to surfaces and items they might be tempted to chew on. Begin by puppy-proofing your home; this involves removing items like shoes, children’s toys, and personal belongings from your puppy’s reach. It’s also crucial to secure loose wires and power cables from our furry friends to prevent them from becoming chew targets.
Providing a puppy-safe zone (like a play pen or crate) is another effective strategy, where you designate a specific area of your home that’s safe for your puppy to explore without getting into trouble.
Yak Cheese
These chews are really interesting, they last for ages, and dogs tend to love them.
We love these as a special treat, we don't give them often, but they really do help relax dogs and bring them to a stage I call "Chew drunk", because chewing releases endorphins for dogs and soothes them. So these are a wonderful choice.
(Warning, watch your pup the first few times, strong chewers or greedy guts can be tempted to chomp it into a few pieces and just swallow it down)
Check Price
Bully Sticks
These are another single ingredient chew that's bound to keep puppy focused and entertained. Whilst chews are never a replacement for a play session, this one comes close because of just how darn tasty they are!
Check Price
[IMG alt="Chew...
If you’re here, you’re probably a new puppy parent (Congrats!) wondering whether bitter sprays will work to help you solve your chewing problem, right? Great! I’m glad to have found you (lovely when the internet does what it’s meant to, right?).
As a professional dog trainer, I see the frustration often “He chews everything! I even tried the anti-chew sprays and (insert issue from frustrated puppy parent here)”
Personally? I never advise my puppy parents to use them – and I know that’s the same for most other professional dog trainers.
So why is that? Let’s dive in and look at the reasons they’re not recommended, and what you can do instead!
How They’re Designed To Work
Bitter sprays are designed to be sprayed on an object or household items that puppy wants to chew, such as your furniture, or your sofa. Such that when your puppy tastes the item, they don’t enjoy the bitter taste and don’t want to taste it again. This, theoretically prevents them from chewing on anything with the spray deterrent.
However… This isn’t the best plan, and here’s why…
(Note: if you do choose to use bitter apple spray, please make sure it doesn’t use essential oils like tea tree oil, make sure it’s an alcohol-free formula, or propylene glycol to ensure you’re not accidentally giving your dog toxic things with your taste deterrents, focus on natural ingredients like lemon juice if you really have to.).
Coachi Tuggi Hide, Great for Interactive Play, Strong & Comfortable, Stretchy Bungee Handle, Reward
This is great for interacting with puppy who wants to play and wants to bite! It allows pup to really engage with you and is perfect for redirecting and even better? The bungee takes your pup's yank out of it for your shoulders.
Check Price
Fluff & Tuff Edsel Elephant
Edsel is a little pricey - but Edsel is the only toy that's lasted 5 years in my home with 3 large dogs. I don't let them sit and chomp on him like he's a bone, but we do play tug and fetch all the time.
He's the perfect intermediary for a puppy who's learning what to bite if that puppy likes human skin.
This toy also doesn't have an obnoxious squeaker! It's got a squeaker with a much better tone.
Check Price
ChuckIt Balls
Honestly, don't even buy a different kind of ball, they're not worth it. These are super bouncy, super durable and don't get soggy in your pocket when it rains.
They do get drooly? But they make great, long lasting chews too, ironically!
Check Price
5 Reasons Professionals Don’t Recommend Anti-Chew Sprays
1 – They don’t teach the right lesson.
Effectively, all a bitter apple spray or chewing deterrent teaches is “If it tastes yucky, don’t chew it”, not necessarily what to chew. So your table legs covered in bitter agents may work but your pup won’t really learn not to chew a table leg. Or, it can mean that when you stop using a spray the chewing starts over.
Not to mention that your puppy (like all dogs!) has a biological need to chew, especially when they’re teething, it’s why dog chews are such a big market.
2 – Its rarely effective
Whether your dog just licks off the dog “anti chew” sprays (yep, it happens!) or they just keep chewing through it, roughly 67% of dog parents find anti-chew sprays totally ineffective. The bittering agent is something some dogs actually enjoy, and can encourage chewing. Whilst it’s designed to be an unpleasant taste, it’s not always the case for all dogs! And many more dogs actually just don’t care, as our poll shows.
A poll taken from my audience about anti-chew sprays.
3 – It’s technically punishment
Believe it or not, when it comes to operant conditioning, bitter apple sprays or chew deterrents are actually classified as positive punishment (the application of an undesired sensation for an undesired behavior), I.e. your puppy creates a negative association with inappropriate items. And whilst this may seem like an effective way to communicate… it really isn’t quite as effective as you might think.
In the professional world, we’ve known for a long time that punishment is not needed in dog training!
4 – Puppies Explore With Their Mouth
It’s a pretty important socialization exercise, exploring the world, and to start creating that to become a punishing experience is kind of like if we started randomly electrifying things in a clothes store?
In one way, you’re meant to explore, but in another, you’re likely going to get worried that if you touch that sweater you love, it would become a concern you might get zapped… A slightly extreme example, but you get the idea.
5 – They Can Just Find A New Spot
If you don’t cover various surfaces that have a similar mouth feel, you may not have the best results, as dog owners will often miss a puppy’s desired areas, meaning puppy will just find themselves a spot that’s not the treated or affected area, that little inconspicuous area that you didn’t even think of.
What To Do Instead
So when we’re looking to move away from deterrent sprays, or we’re looking to avoid them entirely, what do we do?
Step 1 – Manage Access
To effectively train your puppy not to indulge in destructive chewing, it’s paramount to manage their access to surfaces and items they might be tempted to chew on. Begin by puppy-proofing your home; this involves removing items like shoes, children’s toys, and personal belongings from your puppy’s reach. It’s also crucial to secure loose wires and power cables from our furry friends to prevent them from becoming chew targets.
Providing a puppy-safe zone (like a play pen or crate) is another effective strategy, where you designate a specific area of your home that’s safe for your puppy to explore without getting into trouble.
Yak Cheese
These chews are really interesting, they last for ages, and dogs tend to love them.
We love these as a special treat, we don't give them often, but they really do help relax dogs and bring them to a stage I call "Chew drunk", because chewing releases endorphins for dogs and soothes them. So these are a wonderful choice.
(Warning, watch your pup the first few times, strong chewers or greedy guts can be tempted to chomp it into a few pieces and just swallow it down)
Check Price
Bully Sticks
These are another single ingredient chew that's bound to keep puppy focused and entertained. Whilst chews are never a replacement for a play session, this one comes close because of just how darn tasty they are!
Check Price
[IMG alt="Chew...