Bitter Apple

[theterrierman]

I was just wondering if it's safe to use bitter apple repellant on cords so Fender won't chew. It says the stuff is 20% isopropanol, which I believe is quite toxic.

Has anybody used this, or have any experience?

Andy

[borzoimom]

Its not a hazard to dogs or puppies- it is to small animals like a bunny or a bird.. It should be just fine for your puppy.
How this works is the smell associated with a bad taste. How I show a dog/puppy when you smell that smell to leave it alone is this.. First you get a q-tip- dip it in the bitter apple, let the dog smell the q tip, then with a poker face- open the dogs mouth and make a little zig zag on the dogs tongue and let the dog back out.. Remember with a puppy to later come back open the mouth then offer a treat so the puppy doesnt associate you with opening the mouth as unpleasant.. ( unless that smell is attached..)

[Canis-Lupess]

John Fisher talks about the use of bitter apple in his book and says it's fine to use.

"I use a particularly obnoxious substance called 'Bitter Apple'. It can be used for stopping dogs chewing bandages or licking wounds but it is particularly effective for stopping them chewing anything, if the introduction is done in the right way.
First of all you need to obtain a cheap perfume which should be diluted quite considerably and then put into a spray bottle. Then you need a bottle of bitter apple and a tissue. Soak the tissue in bitter apple and put it on the floor. A few inches in front of this tissue, spray the floor with the diluted prefume and call your dog over. As it arrives at the tissue, it's highly developed olfactory system will have registered the scent of the perfume. Pop the tissue into its mouth and hold it shut for a few seconds before allowing your dog to spit it out - which it surely will. Your dog will then sneeze, salivate, spit, rub its nose on the carpet, do anything to get rid of the awful taste.
The bitter apple can then be sprayed upon any surface that you want to protect (except polished surfaces). A few inches from what you are trying to protect, your diluted perfume can be sprayed.. Your dog will approach, register the smell of the perfume and remember the taste to which it was a prelude. The perfume can then be used as a trigger warning to stay away from anything you do not want the dog to touch, even if it is not protected by the taste deterrent. Eventually, the smell of diluted perfume will disappear as far as we are concerned, but the dog will detect it for a long, long time."

[lizbud]

All I know about bitter apple is that it never worked at my house. Better
supervision & distraction with safer chew stuff did work. My pups grew out
of the habit with age. Good luck with this.

p.s. I never put in into their mouths either.

[Freedom]

I rub a coat of vaseline on my cords to keep the cats from chewing. Works great. Only prob is it attracts every dust buny for miles. I don't mind as my cords are out of sight behind furniture. Periodically I wipe the cord down to clean it and then reapply the vaseline.

[Catlady711]

I've used Bitter Apple on Dusty (my cat) and my mom has used it on her cat Torry as well. No health problems from using it. The only problem I had with it was that Dusty was SO persistant with her obsessive licking, she'd just spit, drool, then lick again, repeat process until she had all the bitter apple licked off and could continue licking without the spitting and drooling. yuck!