6 Bad Pet Habits and How to Break Them

The scent of toilet freshener may help to prevent Fido from constantly digging a hole in the same spot in the yard.

Bad Pet Habit #1: Your pet keeps gnawing on its paw, tail or fur.

Solution: Paint the spot with clove oil, available at pharmacies and drugstores. The horrible taste will discourage the chewing.

Bad Pet Habit #2: Your dog repeatedly digs up the same spot in the yard.

Solution: Scatter a crumbled cake of toilet freshener over the area-the smell will keep the dog away.

Bad Pet Habit #3: Your cat keeps digging up the plants in the garden.

Solution: Stockpile orange, grapefruit, and lemon rinds in the freezer over the winter. In the spring and summer, poke the rinds into the soil of flower and vegetable gardens, then cover them with a light dusting of soil.

Bad Pet Habit #4: Your cat won’t do its “business” in the litter box.

Solution: Dip a cotton ball into some lemon juice, then put the ball into a lidded tea strainer, and hang it where the cat has chosen to urinate-the smell should discourage the cat and send it boxward.

Bad Pet Habit #5: Your cat has “accidents” around the house.

Solution: After cleaning up a cat “accident,” wipe the area with a cloth moistened with ammonia. The pungent odour will kill the smell of cat urine and will prevent the cat from returning to the same spot to relieve itself.

Bad Pet Habit #6: Your cat jumps onto all your furniture.

Solution: Place strips of double-sided adhesive tape on tables and other surfaces that are off-limits to your cat. Cats hate the feel of the adhesive on their paws, and will soon learn to keep off.

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