If your dog keeps getting into the trash, you’re not alone.
Dogs can be surprisingly determined when there’s something interesting inside a garbage can. Some nose open the lid. Others knock the entire can over. Many dog owners eventually find themselves improvising: hiding the trash in a closet, adding a strap to the lid, putting something heavy on top, or moving the can somewhere inconvenient.
These approaches can help, but many have something in common: they require an extra step each time the trash can is used.
So, how do you keep a dog out of the trash, and what should you consider when choosing a solution?
How Do You Keep a Dog Out of the Trash?
Common ways to help keep dogs out of the trash include limiting access to the trash can, securing the lid, using a cabinet or other physical barrier, choosing a more secure trash can, and training your dog to leave the trash alone.
Depending on your dog and your home, a combination of strategies may work best.
Common approaches include:
- Keeping the trash can inside a cabinet, pantry, or closet
- Using straps, latches, or other manual locks
- Choosing a trash can with a heavier or more secure lid
- Placing something heavy on top of the lid
- Moving the trash somewhere the dog cannot access
- Using gates or other barriers
- Training cues such as “leave it”
The challenge is finding an approach that works for your dog, your home and the realities of everyday life.
Why Do Dogs Get into the Trash?
To a dog, a household trash can is full of interesting smells.
Food scraps, wrappers, used paper products, packaging and other discarded items can attract a curious dog. Dogs may investigate the trash because of hunger, boredom, curiosity, learned behavior, or simply because something inside smells rewarding.
Once a dog successfully finds something desirable in the garbage, returning to the trash can become a behavior worth repeating—and the concern isn't only the mess.
Depending on what's been discarded, household trash may contain foods that are unsafe for dogs, medications, bones, sharp objects, packaging, cleaning-product residue and other items that can pose risks if swallowed or chewed.
That's why preventing access to household trash can be an important part of creating a safer environment for pets.
Related: Why Dogs Get Into the Trash — and Why It Can Be More Dangerous Than You Think
Does Putting the Trash Can in a Cabinet or Closet Keep Dogs Out?
Keeping the trash behind a closed door adds another physical barrier between your dog and the garbage and may be an effective solution in many homes.
Under-the-sink cabinets, pantries and closets are commonly used to limit access to household trash.
Where it can help
For many dogs, a securely closed cabinet or closet door may be enough to make the trash inaccessible.
Where it can fall short
Not every barrier is equally secure—and some dogs are remarkably persistent problem-solvers.
A cabinet or closet door may be left open, may not latch securely, or, in some cases, a determined dog may learn how to open it. My dog, Nellie, who inspired TRASHCAN’T, got into a trash can that was stored inside a closet after using her teeth to turn the doorknob and open the door.
Not every home has enough enclosed space for a full-size kitchen trash can, either.
Do Trash Can Straps and Manual Locks Work for Dogs?
Adhesive straps, clips, latches and other add-on locks can make a trash can more difficult for a dog to open.
For some households, they may be a practical solution.
Where they can help
When properly installed and secured, a manual lock adds another barrier between a dog and the contents of the trash.
Where they can fall short
Because many add-on locks are attached to the outside of the trash can, the lock itself may be accessible to a determined dog. Dogs that chew, paw or pull at the device may be able to damage or dislodge certain straps, adhesive locks or other external components.
Manual locks also typically require someone to secure them again each time the trash can is opened.
That may be easy to remember most of the time, but in the course of everyday life, an extra step can sometimes be missed. Someone is cooking dinner, carrying groceries, rushing out the door, or simply forgets to re-engage the lock.
The effectiveness of any add-on lock depends on the design, how securely it's installed, the behavior of the dog, and whether it's consistently engaged.
Does Putting Something Heavy on the Trash Can Work?
Dog owners can get creative.
Boxes, weights, small appliances and other household objects sometimes end up on top of trash cans in an attempt to keep determined dogs from opening them.
Where it can help
Additional weight may prevent some dogs from lifting or nosing open a lightweight lid.
Where it can fall short
The object generally has to be removed whenever someone wants to use the trash can—and then put back afterward.
That turns an ordinary household task into a multi-step process.
It may also be less effective for dogs that push over the entire trash can rather than simply opening the lid.
Sometimes keeping a determined dog out of the trash requires a little creativity.
Can a Heavier or More Secure Trash Can Keep Dogs Out?
Sometimes simply changing the trash can itself can make a difference.
A heavier lid, enclosed design or well-designed step mechanism may be more difficult for some dogs to manipulate than a lightweight open or swing-top can.
Where it can help
If your dog primarily gets into the garbage by nosing up a lightweight lid, a different trash-can design may provide enough resistance to discourage access.
Where it can fall short
A closed lid isn't necessarily a locked lid.
Some dogs learn to nose, paw, push or tip trash cans to reach what's inside.
There isn't one solution that works for every dog, which is why it's useful to consider both your dog's behavior and the way your household uses the trash can.
What About Moving the Trash Somewhere the Dog Can't Reach?
Moving the trash can onto a counter, behind a gate, into another room or somewhere else inaccessible to your dog can reduce access.
Where it can help
Physical separation can be a straightforward and effective form of environmental management.
Where it can fall short
Trash cans are used throughout the day.
Moving one to an inconvenient location can make an everyday household item harder for everyone else to use, and what counts as “out of reach” varies considerably from one dog to another.
Can Training Stop a Dog from Getting into the Trash?
Training can be an important part of teaching dogs appropriate boundaries around household items.
Cues such as “leave it,” redirection and rewarding desired behavior may help discourage trash-can exploration, but training and environmental safeguards don't have to be either/or.
Dogs may behave differently when they're alone, when something particularly tempting is in the garbage, or when their normal routine changes.
For trash that may contain potentially harmful items, reducing physical access provides another layer of protection rather than relying on behavior alone.
What Is the Best Way to Keep a Dog Out of the Trash?
There isn't one method that's right for every dog or every household.
The most appropriate solution depends on factors such as your dog's size and behavior, the type of trash can you use, what is typically discarded, where the can is located, and how your household uses it throughout the day.
For some homes, keeping the trash behind a closed cabinet may be enough. Others may use a manual lock, barrier, different trash can or a combination of environmental management and training.
There is one practical question worth asking about any solution:
Does the solution require an extra step each time the trash can is used?
Many common approaches do. That isn't necessarily a problem, but it was one of the considerations that ultimately led us to approach the design differently.
Why We're Building an Auto-Locking Trash Can
TRASHCAN'T began after my dog, Nellie, got into the household trash and became seriously ill.
At the veterinary hospital, one question kept coming up:
Why isn't there a trash can that locks itself?
Not a separate strap you have to reconnect.
Not a latch you have to remember to engage.
Not something heavy you have to move on and off the lid.
A trash can designed so that securing it is part of using it.
What Is TRASHCAN'T?
TRASHCAN'T is an auto-locking trash can designed to help keep pets and young children out of household trash.
Unlike add-on straps and manual locks, TRASHCAN'T automatically engages its locking mechanism when the lid closes, without requiring the user to manually secure the trash can after each use.
You use the trash can normally. When the lid closes, it secures.
That idea has guided the product from the beginning: Protection shouldn't add another step.
Simple for people. Difficult for pets and kids.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I stop my dog from getting into the trash?
Common approaches include limiting access to the trash can, securing the lid, using cabinets or other physical barriers, choosing a more secure trash can, and training your dog to leave the trash alone. The right approach depends on your dog, your home and how your household uses the trash.
Do trash can locks work for dogs?
Manual locks, straps and latches can make a trash can more difficult for a dog to open when properly installed and secured. Their effectiveness may depend on the type of lock, how securely it's installed, the behavior of the dog and whether the lock is engaged after use.
What is an auto-locking trash can?
An auto-locking trash can uses a mechanism that secures the trash can automatically rather than requiring the user to engage a separate manual lock after each use. TRASHCAN'T is an auto-locking trash can designed to help keep pets and young children out of household trash.