Hartz Stay Off Training Aid for Pets

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the effectiveness of the Hartz "Stay Off" Training Aid for pets, particularly in preventing undesirable behaviors such as pets urinating on carpets. Participants share personal experiences and alternative solutions for managing pet behavior, focusing on cleaning products and their efficacy.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Experimental/applied

Main Points Raised

  • One participant reports that the Hartz "Stay Off" product is ineffective for their kitten, suggesting that Woolite upholstery cleaner is more effective in preventing the kitten from urinating on the carpet.
  • Another participant agrees that many pet repellents are ineffective and suggests that products containing ammonia might be more effective, referencing their own experience with a similar product for their dog.
  • A participant notes that Woolite is designed to be sprayed and dried, expressing uncertainty about its long-term effects on the carpet and potential discoloration.
  • One contributor mentions that Woolite contains an ingredient that neutralizes ammonia, which could help protect the carpet, and advises using a steam cleaner based on past experiences with children.
  • Another participant clarifies that their carpet is not wool and that they plan to replace it soon, indicating a lack of concern for potential damage.
  • A participant shares a personal anecdote from their early scientific work testing deer repellents, arguing that most pet repellents are ineffective and emphasizing the importance of removing urine scents to prevent pets from returning to the same spot.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that many pet repellent products, including the Hartz "Stay Off," are ineffective. However, there are differing opinions on the use of ammonia-based products, with some cautioning against them while others suggest they might be more effective.

Contextual Notes

Participants express uncertainty regarding the long-term effects of cleaning products on carpets and the effectiveness of various repellents, highlighting the complexity of managing pet behavior and the importance of thorough cleaning.

Ivan Seeking
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Hartz "Stay Off" Training Aid for Pets

Hartz® LIVING™ Stay Off Training Aid™ Keeps pets away from furniture, carpets, trees, shrubs, garbage, cans/bags, and other "forbidden areas" this product repels dogs and cats for up to 24 hours. Use indoors to break your pet of undesirable habits such as sleeping on furniture and rugs or to keep out of forbidden areas. Always use with consistent training. Praise your pet for good behavior and scold your pet for bad behavior.
http://www.hartz.com/Our%20Products/browse.asp?SkuDetail=3270082086.12.3&ActionID=2

We have a new kitten and have been using this to break her of peeing on the carpet, but as far as I can tell, it is worthless. And it turns out that using Woolite upholstery cleaner is much more effective. Once I spray an area of the carpet with this, she won't go anywhere near it.
 
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Yeah, I've heard that about a few of those kinds of spray on pet repellents. That they basically suck. I think we even had one for our dog.

Something with ammonia would be more effective. So like you said cleaners tend to be better.
 
The Woolite is nice because it is designed to be sprayed on and then allowed to dry. Of course you are then supposed to vacuum, so I can't be sure what will happen when left for a long period of time. I tend to think that any chemical reactions will have stopped, but we will see. We might get some discoloration.

I would be afraid to use something not designed to be put on carpeting. It could cause damage.
 
The Woolite pet carpet cleaner has an ingredient that neutralizes the ammonia and saves the carpet from being destroyed. If you have wool carpet, I'll send you a pair of scissors so you can cut the spot out and turn it over.

I learned a long time ago from having kids GET A STEAM CLEANER.
 
Thanks, but no, it's not wool, and we were planning to replace the carpet soon anyway.
 


Most, if not all, of those pet/animal repellent products are completely useless.

In my early days in science, I assisted on projects testing deer repellents since we had a captive herd to work with to ensure there would be deer near whatever we sprayed it on (in our case, we got potted shrubs known for getting destroyed by deer from a local nursery, so we could change them out with each new product). We'd put out the control, unsprayed plants, and then ones with either the test product or some product already on the market...the deer would ignore the unsprayed plants and go straight for the "seasoned" ones...that's how we started to refer to those "repellents" as seasoning for the deer.

For pets, they're usually attracted to the urine left behind from previous visits, so breaking them of going someplace they shouldn't means getting rid of that urine scent (so, in contrast to what WarPhalange posted, no, you want to avoid products with ammonia in them at all cost when dealing with pets). That can be tough to do if it has had time to soak through carpet into layers of padding or subflooring. Mostly, you have to clean quickly and thoroughly.