Comments on: Do Water Bottles on Sidewalk Discourage Dogs from Peeing?

By: Syl

Syl — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 02:50:41 +0000

I have been told that it only works with clear bottles of water. When the dog sees his reflection he thinks it is another dog and will not pee there because he thinks it is another dogs territory. Since dogs don’t go around looking at themselves in mirrors, like people they have no idea they’re looking at themselves.

By: Áine

Áine — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 21:35:32 +0000

Well guys I have to say it works. Two tom cats had been pooing on my lawn since last summer (around 9 months) until a friend arrived from Japan who said: ‘bottles of water’. I scattered a few about, certain it wouldn’t work, but it’s been ages now, fantastic! Apparently it’s common knowledge in Devon also (‘cats won’t walk near water’).

I couldn’t speak for dogs..

By: Holly

Holly — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 19:17:21 +0000

Apparently this was originally a radio hoax for April Fools Day.

People have believed it ever since, and (obviously) still do it.

It went right around the world. I’m in New Zealand, and you still see some people here with water bottles on their front lawn.

By: Claire

Claire — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 01:03:07 +0000

This water bottle thing is an Aprils Fools joke originating in New Zealand. Well over 25 years ago (on Aprils Fools Day remember) two professional gardeners were on the radio giving gardening tips. Whether it was a planned joke or not, they started saying a plastic bottle of water on front lawns will stop dogs pooing there. And LO! – the next day there were a few bottles on lawns. Then, over the next while, many bottles and so on. Then a year or so later the hoax jumped the Tasman Sea to Australia. After that the two gardeners decided to say it was all a joke. I haven’t seen a water bottle on a NZ lawn for many years but am incredulous they are around the world.

By: Geoduck

Geoduck — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 23:53:10 +0000

emily: It’s like I’m talkin’ to a wall here…

By: emily

emily — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 23:43:00 +0000

Flush to the wall? Get it? Flush? Pee? Brilliant!

By: solo

solo — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 23:31:12 +0000

I think we got the purpose wrong.

It actually keeps the polar bears away. And for those who think “duh! there’s no polar bear in Malta!”, I would say: “Well exactly, it works!”

By: El Chile Grande

El Chile Grande — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 17:19:07 +0000

the plastic bags need to be filled with water and vinegar to keep the flies away, I use them when I BBQ and it works

By: lonny

lonny — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 01:46:02 +0000

Sure, those bottles might stop dogs from peeing on the street, but they don’t discourage me from peeing on those same streets

By: FFFish

FFFish — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 01:35:44 +0000

c/Hung paper bags keeps/A hung paper bag, shaped to look like a nest, keeps/

kthxbye.

By: FFFish

FFFish — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 01:33:45 +0000

Hung paper bags keeps wasps away: they don’t like to have hives beside one another. I suspect it would also keep a number of wasp prey species away, too. Evolution wouldn’t be favouring those flies that come too close to a wasp nest!

By: Alex

Alex — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 22:13:31 +0000

It works for flies? Really? That’s even better than for dogs!

By: Dave

Dave — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 18:51:46 +0000

If you leave a water bottle on top of your car in Argentina, it will cause the car to go away because it means it’s for sale.

By: Philipe

Philipe — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 18:25:56 +0000

My cousing in Brazil tested it with flyes. And awsome, it works pretty well! We are in a place with many flyes and when he put a tranparent bag with water pending of ceiling, in less than two minutes the flyes gone away.
I can´t explain why, but just work. With dogs i think it will not work.

Thinking about, i suppose the reazon to a bag of water work with flyes. The flyes have an excellent olfative system. May be the water smell can occlude and confund the food (trash, or anything else) smell in air. Without the smell or pheromon enough in air, the flyes tend to ampliate the area of seek food, and they gone away of the water bag perimeter.

I dont know if is right, but appear to be a good theoric explanation.

By: hc

hc — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 16:56:39 +0000

If I leave an open bottle of water on the floor for too long, one of my cats will inevitably put his paw in the top and pull the whole thing over, then frolic in the puddle.

By: Pola

Pola — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 15:53:24 +0000

We use them in Italy, too. apparently for the same reason the other people wrote but I have strong doubts they work.

By: when's lunch?

when's lunch? — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 14:42:53 +0000

i’ve seen people hang ziploc bags of water over doors to prevent flies from entering. loosely related… but not sure if same concept works or not.

By: Miss Curly

Miss Curly — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 14:06:17 +0000

Great, so instead of just dog pee, now it’s dog pee and plastic water bottles everywhere. Just beautiful!

By: J Keizer

J Keizer — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 13:51:57 +0000

I’ve heard of people hanging clear bags of water over their doors to keep flies out, but this is a first for me.

By: NeonCat

NeonCat — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 13:15:34 +0000

Mythbusters tested it a while back and said it didn’t work.

By: romain

romain — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 13:04:04 +0000

Japanese people are also placing a lot of water bottles in the tiny space between houses. However my japanese friends could no tell me if this actually worked.

By: ted

ted — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 12:34:53 +0000

Maybe they’re just slobs.

By: Jordi Guzman

Jordi Guzman — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 12:27:23 +0000

In Spain (Barcelona) apparently it works.

By: nok rap

nok rap — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 11:16:59 +0000

It doesn’t work.

BTW, in Brazil, there’s a myth that putting water bottles on your electric meter will make them more efficient and save you money.

If you go through the slums and poorer areas especially, there will be two or three water bottles balanced on top of the meter.

By: da kine

da kine — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 10:36:41 +0000

You see the same thing in Hawaii, I was always told that it kept the cats out of the yard, something about the way the light reflected off of the water in the bottles scared them.

By: the Asocial Ape

the Asocial Ape — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 09:48:53 +0000

it’d encourage my dog bunny. she pees on everything when we’re on a walk in a new place, and having a ‘thing’ there – stick, plant, old tire, _water bottle_ would just give her a target.

By: Andrea

Andrea — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 09:31:36 +0000

Water bottles are a greek-albanese tradition and they serve to discourage cats from peeing in the street. Ciao!
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