I enjoyed the container related dog talk. I have 4 terriers(3 males, 1 female). One of them, Duffy, likes to pick and eat bell peppers. It doesn't bother me at all. I get a kick watching him. The dogs and me walk on leash virtually every morning. They are sometimes unruly and act nutty; they are terriers. But they are generally well behaved and they are an integral part of our family. I fully understand both viewpoints. The bitter apple suggestion is a good one. I've also used the stuff you buy at a pharmacy to stop children from sucking their thumb. It worked well. You might also try the product at pet stores that repels them from furniture. I'd caution against the white granules that people put out to repel dogs and cats. I tried that once to keep cats out of a flowerbed. The smell was absolutely horrifying. That year I had to nearly wear a gas mask to do anything near that garden bed. -Hal

Plants my cat *loves:* * Dracaena marginata. Maybe because it looks like pet grass? Got it because I thought it might be tall enough to be out of her reach, but she'll stand on the planter and nibble on it! * Peace lilies. She'll nibble on whole leaves! She's eaten so much of it in the 6 months or so that I've had it, it's now smaller than when I bought it :( Plants she hasn't touched yet: * Pachira Aquatica (I've had it for a few weeks/month now). I got a taller version (waist/stomach height), but some of its leaves are still low enough that she can reach, especially with her planter-standing method. However, so far I haven't seen any nibbles! Fingers crossed that she doesn't grow accustomed to its scent or something of the sort and becomes more curious! * Snake plant. I didn't realize this plant was toxic for cats, but thankfully it's always been housed in areas she can't frequent -- in a hard-to-reach spot of a kitchen counter/island (I had it surrounded by cookbooks and my coffee maker) or its current spot at the top of a bookshelf. They don't require loads of light, so it's easier to position these plants somewhere you can enjoy, but your cat can't. * Succulents. I've kept a couple in window sills year-round and she hasn't touched them. Although I don't recommend keeping succulents indoors unless you have super bright Southern sunlight or grow lights. I had an Echeveria Green Goddess that is etiolated slightly from my mostly Southern, slightly Eastern window. I think I'll stick with sedums/Graptopetalum Paraguayense (which I think still look attractive with their sliiiiight legginess) for indoors year-round.

I trained my dog to stay out of the kitchen, mostly because she's a giant breed and takes up too much room. Our kitchen is just an "L" with an island, in the corner of the great room, so there's no door. The two entry points are at the ends of the island. I trained her to stay out of the kitchen by just saying "out of the kitchen" every time she'd come near. I kept saying it and pointing in the other direction until she walked away. Then I'd throw her a small treat and say "good dog" and "good out of the kitchen." It didn't take long for her to catch on, and now I don't have to treat her any more (but she's six years old). I have these suggestions: Don't use the "off" command to keep the dogs out of the kitchen. Save "off" for when you want their feet on the floor, as in get off the couch, or get your paws off a person. I'd say "out" or "go" or something like that. Or just "no," which works well for any behavior you don't want them to do. Also, don't let them see the treat in advance, no matter what the command. The dogs will learn better if they have to perform the command before they even know they'll get a treat. You shouldn't have to treat your dog every time he does something right; just use treats for training. And keep the treat in your closed fist or pocket until they obey. Hope this helps. PS. One down side of my dog not coming in the kitchen--if I drop an egg on the floor, she won't come in to lick it up. I have to clean it up myself. LOL

Looks like Japanese Beetles to me. I do have some on mine now. They seem to love them. We quit putting up Bag a Bug years ago, as it drew all of the JBs to our yard and they had a feast before dying in the bag. Since then, We've not had that many JBs here. For the two years we had the Bag a Bug, we were inundated with them!