to get your dog to stop barking? How well do they work? Is there anything cruel or unusual about this type of collar?
8 Responses to “Have you used one of those anti-bark collars that uses the spray (I think it’s citronella) rather than shock”
Leave a Reply
No, I have not used them. I had a friend that used one on her Weimaraner and it didn’t work. Same for my friend with labs.
My dog barks at things. When it gets too much, I tell her “good girl” (for alerting me to a stranger), and then she gets a “go to bed” command and she calms down. If she won’t listen because she’s in a barking frenzy, then we go to another room where she’s reminded to “go to bed”. If she still won’t listen, then she’s picked up and put into bed.
frankly they are more cruel than the shock collar… a shock collar zaps the dog when it barks and then stops when the dog has stopped barking… A collar that uses spray or scent doesn’t do that… Imagine someone squirting perfume in your nose or eyes, even after they stop squirting the burn is still there and you can’t wash your nose or eyes out if your a dog.
I had one on my GS about 8 years ago. Thsi was beofre I started bringing her to work with me and she was outside while we were at work.
So, I don’t get on her as much as I used to about the barking.
She barked A LOT… my neighbours were kind enough to let me know nicely. So I purchased one and it helped tremendously from what the neighbours had told me.
She still barks when she’s outside from time to time, but not as much now. She’s losing her sight now… poor girl
if you haven’t tried other methods i’d use them before any type of correction collar.Unless it was a desperate situation such as neighbors calling the police on your barking dog.
There are a couple methods to teach no barking. one i read was first to teach the bark or speak command. Once they can speak on command, then you can silence them on command! (work on good release commands!)
The second method is teach the “enough” command. my dog is a barker so we’re working on the “enough” command. First you teach “enough” with something he DOES understand. Like, if you are playing together and want him to calm down you say “enough” and stop the play. my dogs learning that enough can be used in other situations too, like his bark.
i’m not sure if i would say anti bark collars are cruel or unusual..but i think they’d confuse a dog. maybe i’m just a softy though. I am not against using correction collars when they are needed.
Yes. The Shelter I work for suggests these collars ( citronella ) for people having problems with barking dogs. They work very well. The strong odor affects the dogs because of their strong sense of smell. My friend , who is a vet, uses it on her Great dane. Its very rare he actually gets sprayed because it usually just takes one or two times, and the dog doesn’t wanna bark with it on. Very effective product, I highly reccomend it
EDIT IG64… citronella does not have a lasting odor. Once sprayed the odor goes away very quickly, thats the reason they use citronella in the collar. The few hundred dogs that I have seen with these collars on react to the initial spray, then they are not bothered after that. And it does not spray on the face of the dog, it sprays a mist in front of the dog, its designed not to spray directly in the dogs face
My friend has used these collars on her poms and they have worked really well they used to bark outside and the neighbors complained everytime they bark ed and they get a little squirt if they bark on their face spraying up from the collar they have worked and the dogs dont bark as much. I dont feel they are cruel at all and they look pretty much like a normal collar with a little container at the front I hope you solve your problem good luck
Yes.. I’ve used them… no, I do not like them and generally find them ineffective. Every dog I’ve known simply figured out how to empty the collar by repeatedly barking (spray was worth it) and then when it was empty, the dog could bark freely.
Training works for some dogs.
Electric collar is a good option and doesn’t spray garbage at the dog.
As a last resort (pre-confiscation by the city) de-barking is an option.
Edit: FWIW- IG64 is dead on about the “perfume” odor… it definately lingers… whether it is harmful or not is debate-able but the smell annoys me to no end- not great for indoor use.
I had never heard of this product. My shih tzu pup is quite a barker. That is something to keep in mind. Thanks for asking this question.