# Do those dog repellant sprays work? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 26, 2012, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-those-dog-repellant-sprays-work/632734 "2012-08-26T18:24:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cynyc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@cynyc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cynyc)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2012, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-those-dog-repellant-sprays-work/632734/1 "2012-08-26T18:24:55Z")
I’m getting a new used sofa. The dog essentially scratched the hell out of the leather one. Destroyed it. Does the apple bitter spray really work? ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2012, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-those-dog-repellant-sprays-work/632734/2 "2012-08-26T18:32:21Z")
Bitter apple spray is meant to stop chewing, not scratching. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2012, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-those-dog-repellant-sprays-work/632734/3 "2012-08-26T18:41:09Z")
> [@Omega\_Glory](#): > > Bitter apple spray is meant to stop chewing, not scratching. I’ve found some pets (a couple of my ferrets, my mom’s cat) learn the smell of bitter apple and avoid it, but they typically have to have chewed on a spray-treated item before for them to learn that this smell = bad. ---
**Author:** ![cynyc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@cynyc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cynyc)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2012, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-those-dog-repellant-sprays-work/632734/4 "2012-08-26T18:54:05Z")
So. Spray an apple. Dog loves apples. Put in on the sofa. Spray sofa? 🙂