natural dog repellent

I have a two part question: last night my poor dogs got sprayed in the face for the second time in two years (both times late at night). I have tried to deodorize them using the recipe with peroxide, baking soda and detergent, and the one with peroxide, baking soda and dish soap (the detergent worked better). I have also tried de-skunking shampoo, and it was completely ineffective. The problem is that they get sprayed in the face, mainly right up the nostrils, so I need something that I can clean their faces with. It’s very difficult to keep them still, because while they are well-trained, this is obviously not fun for them, and I don’t want to get them in the eyes with any of this stuff. Will tomato juice work on dogs? Is there anything else that is more effective?

and the second part is, how do I repel skunks? I have a half-acre lot, and it is fenced, but my neighborhood is as of late over-run by skunks, which I am guessing is due to neighborhood rats. I know there is a whole family of skunks living under my friend’s porch four houses down, and there is a field across the street from us (that is mown). Because of our schedule (the dogs eat dinner only when I come home from work at 10 pm), I have to let my dogs outside late at night, and there are too many little hiding spots for skunks for me to go out and check before letting my boys out several times a day. Is there any kind of natural repellent, or just any repellent at all to eliminate these horrid skunks without putting my dogs at risk?
also, and I know people think it’s horrible to feed stray cats, but there are two cats that come to my yard occasionally that I have fed since they were kittens. I can’t stand to see anything or anyone suffer. I see that mothballs may be effective for getting rid of skunks, but will they also get rid of the cats?

natural dog repellent

natural dog repellent

ok, now I know people will be tempted to say things that I have already thought of, like fix holes in the fence, make sure no garbage or animal food is around, etc. But the fact is, right now I do have holes in my fence, and I do feed the birds, but we have city-issued garbage cans that animals can’t get into, so I need a solution other than taking care of those things.

My neighbor has a family of these damn things living under their porch, and we have a field across the street with plenty of rodents, and two restaurants nearby with plenty of garbage, so unfortunately I know these critters are here to stay. What I need is some kind of natural repellent that isn’t harmful to my dogs or cats. I put out mothballs before I realized how toxic they are (I cleaned them up), and I really want something else. I’ve heard that cedar chips might work. Does anyone know if this is true, or if there is anything else out there?

natural dog repellent

natural dog repellent

I have Golden Retrievers and I put the dog hair from my vacuum cleaner in my veggie gardens to ward off rabbits (natural repellent). Every morning I find these hair balls on the ground near the hair source. I’ve saved these hair balls in a box outside, thinking something is "nesting" in them, but have never seen any thing like it. They are the perfect shape of a "golden" golf ball.
These "hairballs" are perfectly round and "tight" (like a rubber band ball, only made of hair). Oddest thing I’ve ever seen in my garden!
Here’s what I’m finding. These are set upon a 4×4 fence

http://www.drobbins.net/terri/hairball.jpg

I know this looks hokey. But, somebody, please, take a look. These hairballs are sitting on a 4×4 fence post with grape leaves behind them. I’m tempted to cut one open, but I’m afraid it might be something endangered or rare. (especially since nobody seems to know what they are!)
Notice the hairball on the right… I pulled that one OUT of a pile of dog hair by that trailing hair you see.

natural dog repellent

natural dog repellent

Please Help!!
I have a red boxer and hundreds of flies constantly bite him, especially on his ears and back! They cause his ears to bleed and develop sores. I have tried vaseline and chemical repellents from the vet but my dog doesn’t like it and it works for only a short amount of time.

I would prefer natural home remedies but am open to any ideas..

PLEASE HELP
[i will choose a best answer]
hey just wanted to clear up a couple of things:
- its not caused by rolling in mud (which he doesn’t do), its common for boxers as the flies are particularly attracted to them for some reason
- its not because he is dirty or doesn’t move around much, he is extremely active and is regularly bathed
- he is an outside dog and doesn’t like being cooped up inside (he loves to play and run etc. outside) so keeping him inside would be cruel
- In regards to S’s answer, my dog has never been chained up in his life! His ‘waste’ is always picked up and as he is smart he only does his business in the same area (which he doesn’t play or rest near) as am a responsible pet owner and my backyard is huge so that he has the space he needs!!) + he’s already on antibiotics to stop infection but that is not stopping the problem in the first place!

Thanks

natural dog repellent

natural dog repellent

We are very clean and never leave food out (so don’t even go there), but every time someone opens the back door at least one comes in. I searched other questions of the same nature on Answers, and the internet as well as product reviews on Amazon.com, but there are so many recommendations and products I have no idea what to choose. I like the idea of the outside traps, but we really don’t have a descrete place to put something like that around our house. Indoor traps just seem…gross. As far as natural repellents, I’ve heard crushed mint, ziploc bags filled with water, lavender….etc. I am totally fine with putting a trap of some sort in the garage (for some reason there are a lot in there–large ones–even though we always close the lid tightly on the garbage cans, and we don’t normally have anything terribly stinky in there anyway), but all of the space around the rest of the house is completely open since we live in a new neighborhood and on the corner lot with no house next to us. I would prefer a suggestion for a good repellent for the back door. They seem to follow my dog inside after he’s been out a while and has that "stinky dog smell" after he’s started to get hot, which doesn’t take long. Oh, I should mention I’m really tired of spraying bug spray in the house. It gives me a headache and even just a small spray permeates the entire house.

natural dog repellent

natural dog repellent

I need something that will repel squirrels, dogs, AND raccoons. And I need a recipe, not something that can be bought. Those can say they’re all natural, but they’re really full of "natural" chemicals. I want something that won’t hurt any animals, but just repel them.

natural dog repellent

natural dog repellent

My neighbor across the street has a dog. This dog always pees on my lawn and this bothers me very much because it causes random dead Brown Spots on the grass. I always cut the Grass and I like my house looking good and this is a serious Problem. To make it worse His neighbor, Also my friend just received a dog Yesterday (September 2, 2008.) Now his dog is taking a piss. I told him nicely to stop but instead of saying i will stop luring the dog into my yard, he kicks me.
I want a Repellent That can stop the dogs from doing their business.
I Would like it to be natural.
It won’t kill grass
I don’t care if the dogs get hurt or not.
Remember I need it natural.

natural dog repellent

natural dog repellent

I’m sure everyone has heard of "Citronella" when it comes to mosquito’s. Did you know that there is an actual "Citronella" plant ? Well there is, and they work great on those small patios or for those window gardens. This plant is a natural mosquito repellent, and I love it’s tart Citronella aroma. You can find them at "Home Depot" ( That’s where I found mine ). I have a small-mid-size outdoor patio, and on the Texas Gulf Coast, any native or transplanted Texan knows, dealing with mosquito’s is practically a year round job. I hated using those foggers and found that the smoking Citronella Lanterns worked, but hated the smoke from having to use so many about the yard. Now that I reside in the "apartment style", I found a "Natural" solution for those Texas Skeeters, and if you’re up north and can find these Citronella Plants, they should work great there as well. ( Just remember to make room for them inside where the sun shines during those frigid months. ) As for being a pet hazard, check this out Citronella

Your site lists citronella as being toxic. Does that mean that citronella anti-barking collars are dangerous to dogs?

—Ted D.

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/ask-the-expert/ask-the-expert-poison-control/citronella.html

The answer is no, Ted—in most cases. While citronella oil does have the potential to be toxic in large amounts, the amount many collars use in their spray is relatively small. Most contain about 10 percent citronella. This level might potentially be an issue for animals who have a history of respiratory problems, but otherwise we would not expect to see any problems.
The pet information found at the link above.

natural dog repellent

natural dog repellent

i have seven dogs and live out in the country…avoiding ticks is almost IMPOSSIBLE! i have tried many things to get rid of ticks, but having to acres of medium size grass, large flower beds and many pets makes it very difficult…since my dogs sometimes run in and out of the house ticks have started to show up around the house…i was quite disgusted and almost instinctively sprayed EVERYTHING with rade! i regret it now though. the air was polluted with the chemicals, and that couldn’t be safe for anyone. so know i am asking you all to please help me find a natural tick repellent…ill test them all and best one gets 10pts! sorry that’s all i can give! thank you!!!!

natural dog repellent

natural dog repellent

I am tending a neighborhood stray who had been injured in a fight. His biggest problem at the moment seems to be that the insects won’t leave him alone. Everything I’ve seen at the pet store is for dogs only.

I am open to natural recipes too, if anyone knows how to make them, but would prefer to have something I could put on the poor thing today. He’s scratching up a storm, and biting the fur off his tail. I’ve looked for fleas and haven’t found any, just some old scabs he keeps scratching open.

Bringing the cat indoors is not an option, unfortunately.

natural dog repellent