# bitter apple spray and Leather sofas



## kiki (Jun 21, 2013)

Hello everyone, I just got a new set of leather sofas a couple of weeks ago..AND, we will be getting our new GR girl in ~2 weeks. I am super scared that she will try to bite on the new sofas, as my hubby will go crazy! If we spray bitter apple on the sofa's sides will it damage the sofa? How about the tables and chairs?

Thanks,

D


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## itried (Jan 6, 2013)

Depends on the material of the sofa, be warned though, your dog might like the taste. Mine did . But Kiki never had problems chewing the sofa or furniture (unlike in Marley and Me). I'd suggest lots of toys but that goes without saying for any puppy.


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

Please do not spray bitter apple on your new leather couch. The easiest and most fool-proof way of protecting your furniture until you know how much destructive chewing she is likely to do is simply to use baby gates and/or an Ex Pen and keep her in your kitchen area. She should not be in your living room or other parts of your home unsupervised. 

She may not earn living room privleges for a while. I thought my 5 month old pup was doing pretty well and then found where she gnawed on small section of my area rug.  I was sitting there and thinking she was working on a toy or bone and discovered a bald spot in my rug later. Ugh. If your husband will flip, (and I don't blame him, furniture is hideously expensive) simply do not let a situation happen, it will be your responsibility to make sure that you are careful and no mistakes happen. The crate and ex pen are your best friend.

Congrats on the new arrival, can't wait to see photos


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## PuppyLuvIsGoldn (Mar 16, 2013)

I was worried about the staining on my leather couches too. I tested a small area in the back that faces the wall just to be sure. Turns out - Sophie doesn't mind the taste of bitter sprays anyway so they were a waste of money. I tried multiple kinds all swearing to keep dogs from chewing/biting etc. and she seemed fine with the taste for all of them. She's not a chewer thankfully so I would wait and see how your puppy is before spraying!


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## WendyO (Feb 28, 2011)

I wouldn't spray Bitter Apple on your new leather couch - just my opinion - I don't have any first hand experience.


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## kiki (Jun 21, 2013)

Thanks everyone. I crossing my fingers so she won't be a chewer. I have both the expen and crate ready


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## Gold-fever (Mar 4, 2013)

Lots of toys. That prevents Charlie from chewing up furniture. I buy 3 new toys a week lol.


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## JayBen (Aug 30, 2012)

I was in the same boat as you. We just got a new leather couch about a month before we brought Lucy home. It took a while but she eventually did chew a small hole in the bottom by the floor. It only took about 2 minutes of not watching her. They can do a lot of destruction on a leather sofa in a short amount of time. I was really mad at first. I've accepted now that my house will not be perfect with a golden around.


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## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

nolefan said:


> *Please do not spray bitter apple on your new leather couch. The easiest and most fool-proof way of protecting your furniture until you know how much destructive chewing she is likely to do is simply to use baby gates and/or an Ex Pen and keep her in your kitchen area. She should not be in your living room or other parts of your home unsupervised. *
> 
> She may not earn living room privleges for a while. I thought my 5 month old pup was doing pretty well and then found where she gnawed on small section of my area rug.  I was sitting there and thinking she was working on a toy or bone and discovered a bald spot in my rug later. Ugh. If your husband will flip, (and I don't blame him, furniture is hideously expensive) simply do not let a situation happen, it will be your responsibility to make sure that you are careful and no mistakes happen. The crate and ex pen are your best friend.
> 
> Congrats on the new arrival, can't wait to see photos


I totally agree, keep your puppy gated in a "safe" area or crated while you can't watch her until she is trust worthy. Not all puppies chew on things they shouldn't, but it's better not to take the chance for those first few months. The Bitter Apple may stain the leather or leave a ring as it dries.


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## dezymond (May 3, 2012)

Does everyone get new furniture before they get a puppy? Cause I know we pretty much redesigned our living room and then we decided to get Maverick, was paranoid for awhile about him chewing up all the new stuff lol


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## kiki (Jun 21, 2013)

dezymond said:


> Does everyone get new furniture before they get a puppy? Cause I know we pretty much redesigned our living room and then we decided to get Maverick, was paranoid for awhile about him chewing up all the new stuff lol


I know right! It's like the house looks nice..now time for destruction..lets get a dog :doh:


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## kiki (Jun 21, 2013)

dezymond said:


> Does everyone get new furniture before they get a puppy? Cause I know we pretty much redesigned our living room and then we decided to get Maverick, was paranoid for awhile about him chewing up all the new stuff lol


Did Maverick do any damage to the redesigned living room? Cause I am freaking out right now..and I still don't have her yet :uhoh:


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## Abby girl (May 26, 2013)

kiki said:


> Did Maverick do any damage to the redesigned living room? Cause I am freaking out right now..and I still don't have her yet :uhoh:


Hmmm... I wrote out a response but it seems to have disappeared. I just wanted to echo some of the comments about cordoning off specific areas in your house until you can trust puppy to go in there. We did that with our old girl and now with our new girl (15 weeks). We have Abby gated off in the kitchen area where her crate is. We also got her an X-pen - thanks to a suggestion here on the forum and it's been a life saver for those times you can't watch her - gives her much more play space in a safe area. It also gives you a break!  We also discovered rolled, dried wild salmon skins at the pet store. Abby loves them and it kept her very busy and away from things she shouldn't be touching. Now that she's older we don't give them to her (unless I cut them up as treats) as she gobbles them too quickly and I worry about her swallowing them. We're on to Bully sticks now. I found - with both girls - that having an abundance of toys and chewy things that you can use to redirect her is the best thing. I also discovered that Vicks Vapor Rub is a good deterrent - better than bitter apple as it's the smell they don't like (they don't eat it - altho Abby got some on her nose once). i would smear a bit on post-it notes and stick it on spots (like table legs) that she had a one track mind about. It worked well - until she got used to it. I haven't used it for a while as things seem to have improved. the only thing with the Vicks is your house smells a bit like when your mom used to put Vicks in the vaporizer when you had a cold!  BTW - here's a picture of our x-pen to give you an idea. All the best.


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## kiki (Jun 21, 2013)

Around what age can they be allowed out by themselves? Or do I always have to be with her? or in her expen? Thanks for all your feedback. Abby Girl, that is a nice set up.


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## Abby girl (May 26, 2013)

kiki said:


> Around what age can they be allowed out by themselves? Or do I always have to be with her? or in her expen? Thanks for all your feedback. Abby Girl, that is a nice set up.


At 15 weeks I can leave the room she's in for short spells (put laundry away) without putting her in her crate or pen and I let her follow us around into other rooms but only supervised. The living room is still a bit too tempting for her - upholstery, wool rug, books, plants, stereo, etc. We tried letting her in there with us the other day and it didn't last too long - I probably just didn't have the patience as I needed a break - we will persist as she needs to learn how to be in there. Our old girl, Sophie, was probably 6-7 months when I stopped putting her in her crate but she was still confined to the kitchen area when I was out. And she was probably a year and a bit when I gave her full access to the house. I'm not sure about Abby - so far she's not as laid back as Sophie was - time will tell. We haven't let Abby explore too much of the house yet - our house is a basement entry walk up and she hasn't been downstairs yet to the TV room or rec room and probably won't be for a while yet. Right now we live pretty much in the kitchen/dining room area so she can be with us easily and we can have a lot of interaction with her. I discovered with Sophie (my 1st dog) that too much freedom too early was not good for either of us! With both dogs I've found it very useful to have two crates, one in the main living area so she can see what's going on and one in our bedroom for night-time - we were lucky, after the 1st night Abby has slept through the night and we haven't had to take her out and she's never had an accident in her crate. Right now Abby is in her pen - of her own accord and door is open - having a nap. She now goes in there without coaxing from us - it's her space. There was a recent thread where folks shared how exhausted they were with their new pups - unfortunately it's all too true. :doh: Altho, now at 15 weeks, I can sit and enjoy a glass of wine as she naps, chews a bully stick, or chases her kong around. Cheers!


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## CarolinaCasey (Jun 1, 2007)

Our house is doggy jail at the moment. We have an expen lining one wall where we have railing and don't want mischievous Jasper to walk thru. We have about 5 baby gates in the house. Some attached to the wall with pressure mountings and others easily moved for when we need them elsewhere. The only time 12 week old Jasper is in our family room (also complete with brand new couch!) is when we are supervising and he is pretty much baby gated right in front of us so he can't be out of sight. I also rolled up our brand new rug as a precaution to pee/chewing. A tired puppy is a happy owner.  


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## Ohiomom9977 (Jul 27, 2012)

dezymond said:


> Does everyone get new furniture before they get a puppy? Cause I know we pretty much redesigned our living room and then we decided to get Maverick, was paranoid for awhile about him chewing up all the new stuff lol


We ordered new furniture at the end if June last year & a month later brought home a 7 week old Charlie. He was about 10 weeks old when we got the furniture - needless to say he spent zero time in that room alone until we knew we could trust him!!


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## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

kiki said:


> Around what age can they be allowed out by themselves? Or do I always have to be with her? or in her expen? Thanks for all your feedback. Abby Girl, that is a nice set up.


It really depends on the dog. Hank was never destructive, Maggie was in-between (shoes, magazines etc, but nothing of value) but we had a Lab-X that still at 1 yr. was destroying everything in sight.

A baby gate/s or a x-pen is your best friend!


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## solinvictus (Oct 23, 2008)

"Around what age can they be allowed out by themselves?"

Every puppy is different. Some don't ever choose to chew inappropriate items. Some will be great after a short time. Others can't be trusted until they are adults. Some that can be trusted by 4 months or so during their teen stage all of a sudden cannot be trusted again. Some adult dogs may be good for years then start back up. 

As Abby girl said start with very short periods of time and if the pup is acting appropriately you can add more time in short slots of time. If the pup starts to chew inappropriately then you know that you asked for to much to fast.


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## lcgb53 (Jan 28, 2014)

Actually, I've heard that so many dogs don't mind Bitter Apple, I'm wondering if anyone knows of any repellant that's even stronger !


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

lcgb53 said:


> Actually, I've heard that so many dogs don't mind Bitter Apple, I'm wondering if anyone knows of any repellant that's even stronger !


 The one I used was called Bitter Yuck! It worked. I sprayed it on wooden table and chair legs - and on the corner of the bathroom vanity, which for some reason, was very attractive to Shala. The rest of the furniture, I put behind an x-pen, so she didn't have access to the leather couch unless I brought her up on it with me. (She didn't like being in an x-pen, so I gave her free run and put all valuable furniture behind the x-pen instead). And she was never left unattended, so I always caught her as she was trying to chew a table leg and was able to spray and distract her with something else. 

I exposed furniture in stages - the couch was actually first, because she never tried to chew it. I had the TV table and all the cables out the back blocked off until just a couple months ago (so she was 10 months old). But she only just started being out of the crate and free in the house unattended a month or so ago, so again, she wasn't given the opportunity to chew. It really is the most fool-proof method - just don't give them the opportunity.


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