my 4 year old APBT is making a bad habbit of going in trashes all aver the house HELP

Question
Hello my name is Helene,and I need your help or some advise. My parents and I rescued zeena a very adorable female Pit Bull from a men who was living in a car with her,Anyway we have had her for about 4 years now and we love her so much and treat her like a princesse, she gets plenty food and treats and a lots of love from all of us, but lately she has been going through our trash. It first started more or less around 3-4 month ago,when no one was home she would go in my dad's office and get the trash. My dad fix that by closing the office door when he was gone.So she moved to the down stair restroom trash,then, my room, then their room, my bathroom etc... she kept moving to all the trash available to her, so every time we left we had to make sure all doors were closed. But now she goes when we are in the house when we're not paying attention (like watching movies,on the computer or making dinner...). It really worries me because the last 3 days she has been pooping toilet paper and stuff and her feces does not look like it should it almost look like rabbit feces with paper in it, then 2 days ago she puked and today she puked again only this time I could clearly see that there was a feminine well a used maxipad !! that really scares me, I mean what if something gets stuck in her stomach! what do we do to make her stop we closed every doors even when we're in the house now! but we're human and if one day we forget to close a door and she get in it, eats something poisoned or something, she could die!! She has never ever done this king of thing since she was a very little pup and to start now is just so strange to me, I don't understand she such a good girl normally. We are looking for a permanent solution, we though of changing the trashcan with one that has a cover but do you know something that would actually make her think that trash is bad, something to scare her away from it or to train her not to dig in it?! Please let me know we need some help! We love her very much and don't want anything bad happening to her!!
Thank you so much in advance for your help.
Sincerely,
Helene

Answer
First, you need to consult the veterinarian ASAP to be certain the dog has not developed a gastric blockage; the vet can palpate her abdomen and will most likely want a stool sample.  This is very important.

Second, you need to purchase garbage cans with "step on" peddles to activate the top of the can (so it opens.)  Trash stealing is a very self rewarding behavior.  You can attempt to extinguish it but without professional conditioning to a negative reinforcer this might not work.

Third, without professional assistance in conditioning a negative reinforcer, you will have to attempt it yourself in a manner that will NOT frighten the dog or create a conditioned fear response.  To do this, have the adults in the family in one room (the kitchen is best).  Each person should have SILENTLY in their hand an empty can (old soda can) with FOUR pennies in each one and crimped in the center (so the pennies can't get out.)  At a signal you arrive at together (any silly word), each person should SHAKE their can in concert with one another, YELL (don't direct it at the dog and use any silly word like "ack") and run out of the room.  Wait a minute or two then take the cans into the bathroom (where as many of you as possible can fit.)  This time, merely SHAKE ONE can, do nothing else, and observe the dog VERY CLOSELY.  Since she's so confident she may not react.  If this is the case, repeat the kitchen exercise.  Stop.  Repeat the next day in a different room from the first.  After the third effort, the dog should begin to have a startle response to the SOUND of the cans shaking (since they apparently scared ALL OF YOU so badly.)  This is an elaborate but useful method of reproducing a conditioning event as would be done by a professional.

As soon as the dog has the startle response to the SHAKE of the can (the sound of the pennies hitting the can), you will KNOW IT because you will SEE the response (ears perked, an avoidance posture, etc.)  Now you are ready to use these cans to set the dog up: wrap a can in a strong string of paper toweling (like Bounty) so that the can cannot roll out; put the ends of the paper towel together and coat with peanut butter (just a dab), then let the ends stick out of the waste basket so the dog will smell (and attempt to grab) the paper towel wad.  Leave the room BUT PAY ATTENTION for the SOUND of the can.  As soon as the dog grabs the paper towel and pulls, the can will COME OUT with the paper towel and make a noise.  YELL (ack!) from the next room and wait to see what the dog does.  If she does nothing at all, you'll need professional help.  If she has obtained a startle response to the sound of the can, this will immediately result in her connecting that with the garbage.  Set her up again with another garbage pail in another room the next day.  This can effectively extinguish her trash stealing but whether or not she will generalize it to all the cans is something I can't determine.

VERY IMPORTANT:  If you perceive that she obtains a very strong startle response when you are attempting to condition her, STOP.  You don't want to create a serious problem to solve a dilemma that has a very simple solution: automatic garbage cans that don't open unless they are accessed by you, and closed doors.