How to Repel a Pet

You love your pets; you don't want them everywhere. You might want to keep pets from parts of your home or yard because of sanitation, the possibility the pet will damage property and the pet's safety. The best option, of course, is to block access to these areas; this isn't always possible. The best method for repelling a pet from a particular area is to give the pet a reason to find the area an unpleasant one to visit.

Things You'll Need

  • Double-sided tape
  • Empty soda cans
  • Air horn
  • Citrus-scented cleaning product
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Instructions

    • 1

      Apply double-sided tape to the area where you want to repel your pet. For example, if you want to keep your dog or cat from sleeping on a sofa, cover the sofa in a sheet. Then apply strips of double-sided tape to the sheet, so that the pet will land on the tape when it jumps on the sofa. The pet is likely to find the sticky tape unpleasant and will soon abandon the sofa. Leave the tape in place for at least two weeks for it to be completely effective in changing the pet's habit.

    • 2

      Set up a loud noisemaker that will sound when your pet goes into the forbidden area. An expensive method involves empty soda cans. Place a stack of empty soda cans at the very edge of the counter so that when the cat jumps onto the counter, for example, the cans will tumble and fall to the ground. If this happens several times when the cat jumps onto the counter, the cat will soon decide jumping on the counter is not worth the likelihood that there will be a frightening noise. The same method can be used for a dog who "surfs" the counter for food.

      If you're present when the pet approaches the restricted area, sounding a small air horn as soon as the animal steps into the forbidden space might be effective. The pet should not see that you are the source of the noise. If the pet does see this, the animal is likely to associate the unpleasant sound with you and not the space.

    • 3

      Clean areas from which you want to repel your pet with cleaners that have a citrus smell. This can be somewhat effective with dogs but is most likely to work with cats. Cats especially do not like the smell of citrus and many cats will be repelled by the smell. Read the cleaner's label to make sure there are no chemicals in the cleaner that might harm your pet if ingested.