Grannick's Bitter Apple Taste Deterrent for Dogs, 32 oz

I bought this item about three years ago when my dog was teething and it definitely worked for me. He did not like the taste at all and stopped chewing and nibbling on anything and anywhere that I had sprayed the bitter apple. I never knew this product existed until a friend told me about how effective it was on her dog so I gave it a chance and I'm glad that I did. I used to come home and parts of my coffee table and foyer bench would show gnaw marks until I sprayed Grannicks bitter apple all over the legs. My dog also loved to nibble on the plants that I had on my coffee table and shelves so I sprayed them too...and he stopped. He loved to lick my dishwasher whenever I opened it and I sprayed there...and he stopped. He used to chew on my shoes and sandals and I sprayed there..and he stopped. Also, I used to have red scratch / teeth marks over my arms and legs until I sprayed bitter apple all over myself...and he stopped gnawing me. I sprayed this thing on everything from remote controls to power cords to christmas lights! Basically, this stuff worked and it worked so well that whenever my dog sees me bringing it out and saying 'spray', he would stop trying to chew or lick the dishwasher. I would actually just have to say 'spray!' and he would stop and leave me alone. He hated the word 'spray!' and it was so effective for me that I still have half remaining out of the 32oz! Even today, when he starts to sniff plants that may be poisonous and I say 'spray!', he starts to back away. Therefore, I would definitely recommend this product because it was a necessary item for me to have around especially during those early puppy years. I'd give it a solid 5.0/5.0! -09/06/2014

Great product! As a child my parents used it on our dogs and cats to get 'hot spots' to heal. The tiniest bit is so awful-tasting to every beast with taste buds that it completely stopped them from licking/chewing raw skin. It works miracles for that. Then, a few years back I decided to try it on my landscaping to see if it would stop wildlife from destroying my plants. From trial and error I finally learned spraying it on plants AFTER the wildlife has chewed it up only stops them coming back while the spray is fresh and not washed off. They seem to come back for another 'meal' eventually so then it's a constant battle to keep the plants sprayed with this product. Big waste of product and money and my time! I finally learned that if I spray it before the first signs of chew damage each spring the deer/rabbits never try to eat it again. Must be that when they DO take their first bite of the newly-emerging landscaping and get a mouthful of this horrible taste their brains log it in as "not good to eat" so they don't try again. We all know the deer and rabbit favorites so in the spring time I start spraying all the hostas, roses, etc. ThIs works to keep the wildlife moving on to more tastier pastures for about half the summer. I spray everything again mid-summer and that gets the landscaping through to the end of the season without being chewed up. It lasts through one rain pretty well, too. I was thrilled to find a nice large container at a reasonable price. I'll be replenishing my supply of this from Grannick's, for sure!

I have used this product for MANY years. Originally I used it as a power chewer dog deterent. In addition as a parrot deterent. ALWAYS out of my African Grey's sight, I'd spray harness, clips, bolts or whatever. He'd taste item then leave it alone. Nuts, bolts, clips and harness buckle are a major attraction. My Grey began to assume items always tasted bad. This led to a marked decrease in chewing undesirable items. My power doggie chewer needed more aggressive and frequent placement. He'd chew on furniture legs, door jams, cabinet doors and more. Nothing so simple as shoes. My Grey got reasonable trained. My power chewer tasted items then ignored. Power chewer eventially went to doggie heaven at a very ripe old age. That left my parrot. The local stores either stopped carrying this or cost was too high. I recently adopted a 7 wk puppy from shelter. His puppy teeth are on, around everything, ankle, fingers, socks (preferably with feet), shoes and more. My Grey also began more energetic chewing on items. I repeated dog first lesson. Remove water #1. Spray bitter apple very heavily on cotton ball or small bit of paper towel #2. Place cotton ball on or near chew item ( socks in this case) #3. Let puppy or dog grab cotton ball #4. Watch to make sure cotton ball isn't swallowed #5 AND appear to ignore pup. Your pup/dog/cat must decide to avoid this smell. Parrots can't smell so they must associate individual items with bad taste. After your pet knows how bad this tastes they'll avoid it. Then a light mist on pant leg, shoe or what ever is all that's needed. Note for maximum effectiveness pup, dog or cat must get a good taste the first time. They'll avoid it better. Small tastes may not mean anything to some pets. Like eating habanero peppers straight, you either like it, tolerate it or avoid it. Rating this 4 because I don't know which my pup will be.

I sprayed this on all my shoes, remote controls and lightly sprayed on furniture to keep my new puppy from chewing on it. It definitely worked, because he stopped chewing/eating those things. It really does taste disgusting. Reminds me of the stuff I used to put on my finger nails when I was biting my nails in Jr. high.

This product did not stop my dogs from eating the deck. If I put it on my hand, my dogs clearly dislike the taste. However, if the product is applied outdoors, it evaporates within a few hours and is not effective. I tried drowning portions of the deck in this stuff and it didn't deter my dogs for longer than a few hours or a day at best. Also, its very expensive for what it is. Even if it was effective, not worth the price when there are much cheaper, easy to make alternatives. I ended up making my own spray made of garlic, onions, and vinegar. This was the only thing that actually stopped my dogs chewing. Vinegar alone was not enough.

My new beagle loves to tear up his bedding, rugs, and anything fabric. First I bought the small 8oz spray bottle and that worked, along with buying him some rope chew toys. But I ran out of it after a month, so I bought the large refill bottle because it was more economical. I sprayed it all over the rugs and dog bedding and my beagle avoids chewing and ripping them afterwards. He also seems to hate the smell of it when I hold the bottle too close to him. It does have a strong alcohol scent and it does have to be re applied every so often. After two months, he's chewing and ripping rugs less frequently. If this is the first time you're buying this product, this is definitely worth a try although according to other reviewers, it may not work on some dogs. Get the smaller bottle first so if it doesnt work on your dog, you wouldn't have spent too much money.

This stuff works, while it is wet. I found out that cinnamon cassia oil works better and last longer. The alcohol and water base to the "bitter deterrents" seem to be the downfall of the product. Oil does not evaporate and lasts on the tongue longer. But, this is great for a quick fix. Oil takes more time to apply and the concentration of essential oils does not make it suitable for spraying. I am also not sure I want to try it diluted, since I WANT it to last as long as possible. So... Grannick's Bitter Apple is something I am still pleased to keep around for sudden corrections. My puppy just needs to see me take out the bottle and she stops what she is doing/chewing. I even pull out the bottle when she is misbehaving in general, and without words, she gets herself together in a hurry. Does not work as well as the oil on my hands to prevent nipping, but if I am quick enough to spray it in her mouth it does the trick. Her biting behavior has improved a lot doing this...

Although this product is supposedly for dogs, we've found it to be particularly effective with our cats. Our cats were adopted so with that you get whatever bad habits prior careless owners let them develop. In our situation, two very good size Maine Coons can cause a lot of destruction with their love for chewing cables. We went through two computer mice, and a bunch of phone charging cables until we tried this. I let them have a good sniff of the bottle and when they wrinkled their noses up I thought that we were on to something. With them watching I then poured some into a small spray bottle and then lightly dusted the cables. Within a couple of minutes curiosity got the better of them and they approached the cables, giving them a good sniff from about a foot away, and then they turned tail and haven't touched them since. I then gave our artificial flowers a light dusting as they've also been subject to unwanted cat attention and sure enough, they now leave them alone as well. I find that reapplication is necessary in about 3-4 weeks, but given that it is just a quick spray on whatever you want them to leave alone, that's pretty quick and easy. Good stuff and I highly recommend it!