Should you’ve got a talkative puppy in your hands, you recognize how difficult it may possibly be to coach them. Some dogs bark greater than others, and a few react higher to training.
But in case you’re at your wit’s end trying to search out an answer for barking, a citronella bark collar will be a great option. These no-shock dog collars could be a more humane option to train them.
So, do citronella bark collars work? That every one is dependent upon your dog and the way you intend on training with them.
Read on to learn if a citronella bark collar will be just right for you.
What Is Citronella?
To higher understand citronella bark collars, you might have to know what goes into them. Citronella is an important oil derived from the lemongrass plant. It has a potent aroma that smells like lemon.
Though humans generally benefit from the smell of citronella, dogs have an aversion to it. Ingesting the oil will be toxic to humans in large quantities, and even toxic to dogs in small quantities.
That being said, a citronella bark collar won’t use very much citronella. It’ll only generate a small amount of spray, enough to make your dog smell something unpleasant.
They’ll also hear and feel the spray. Just ensure that to limit how much citronella gets into their ears and eyes. In the event that they aren’t exposed to very much, it shouldn’t be a health risk.
How Do Citronella Bark Collars Function?
A citronella bark collar is a small, lightweight collar that you simply put around your dog’s neck. A microcircuit contained in the collar triggers the citronella spray at any time when your dog barks.
It doesn’t use any loud sounds or administer a shock, like other e-collars. For this reason, it’s often considered a humane alternative.
The collar recognizes the barking sound, so a citronella bark collar isn’t really useful for multiple dog households. One other dog may bark, and the dog with the collar would get unfairly sprayed.
Many citronella bark collars use citronella for the smell, but you possibly can fill the valve with any liquid. Some people simply use water or dilute their citronella.
Do Citronella Bark Collars Work?
Should you’re coming to this text since you’ve asked yourself: “Do citronella bark collars work?”, you’ll have to contemplate multiple aspects.
Citronella bark collars won’t necessarily work for each dog, because every dog is different. They bark for various reasons, may misunderstand the collar, or just develop into desensitized to it.
The right way to Use Them Accurately
There are three fundamental training methods you should use with a citronella bark collar. The primary is probably the most effective, the second is somewhat effective, and the last is the least effective.
A: With the “Quiet” Cue
Whenever you use this method, your dog learns that being quiet on the quiet cue brings a reward, but barking while you give the quiet cue gets him sprayed.
That is the very best technique for using a citronella bark collar, as your dog won’t associate wearing the collar with getting sprayed.
For this method, simply follow these steps:
- Introduce the dog collar without using the spray, for a minimum of 1-3 days. That way, he’ll get used to wearing the collar.
- Monitor your dog when you recognize he’s prone to bark. This provides you with a chance to make use of the quiet cue.
- Fill the collar with citronella and provides your dog the quiet cue.
- Look ahead to bark triggers, resembling people walking by or noise outside. If he:
- Doesn’t bark, give him a treat
- Barks but stops when he’s sprayed, give him a treat when he’s quiet
- Keep repeating until your dog doesn’t bark in any respect. Reward and praise your dog after they get a bark trigger but don’t bark.
- Repeat the subsequent days and weeks so your dog learns that not barking equals treats and praise, and barking equals spray.
This training method is probably the most effective because your dog learns that positive reinforcement comes from not barking. It’s possible you’ll eventually not need to put the collar in your dog after training with this method.
B: Collar Correction with the Quiet Cue
This method involves using the collar when your dog barks. Your dog will associate the collar with barking. He won’t bark when the collar is on, but he’ll proceed to bark when the collar is off.
To follow this training method, follow these steps:
- Fill the collar with citronella and wait for a situation where your dog will likely bark. Don’t put the collar in your dog yet.
- Give your dog the quiet cue.
- When he starts barking, put the collar on him. Don’t scold him, just put the collar on him and provides your dog the quiet cue. Leave the room.
- Your dog might be sprayed when he barks. He’ll stop barking when he’s sprayed. When he starts to bark again, he’ll be sprayed again. Wait until there’s a 1-2 minute period when he hasn’t barked, then come back in and praise and play with him.
- Release your dog and provides them the quiet command again.
- Repeat the method. Each time there’s an extended period without barking, come back and praise your dog.
Whenever you use this method, the dog won’t stop barking without the collar. You’ll need to use the collar each time you wish them to stop.
C: Correction Without Training
This method is taken into account the least effective training method because your dog only learns that barking receives punishment. He doesn’t learn an appropriate motion as a substitute of barking, and won’t be rewarded for an alternate behavior.
Should you don’t need to train your dog with the collar, simply:
- Fill the collar with citronella. Put the collar in your dog and walk away.
This method will be very stressful to your dog, they usually may even proceed barking despite the fact that they’re being sprayed. Your dog may not recognize they’re being punished for barking, and only sense an attack with the spray. If that is so, he may develop into defensive and lash out.
The Root of the Problem
Citronella bark collars only address the barking, without attending to the foundation of the issue. In case your dog is barking because they’re scared, have anxiety, or produce other behavior problems, it’s vital to recollect a citronella bark collar won’t fix that. It’ll only punish the barking behavior.
That being said, citronella bark collars are definitely a more humane alternative in comparison with shock collars. Shock collars are painful and may end up in intense psychological damage.
Conclusion
So, do citronella bark collars work?
The reply is totally depending on you and your dog. Yes, they definitely can work. With the proper training, a citronella bark collar can work on a dog with a great temperament.
Dogs are wanting to please you. Once they know what you wish them to do, it isn’t all the time a challenge to coach them to stop barking.
A citronella bark collar won’t work in every situation, though. In case your dog barks a lot they get desensitized to the spray, it won’t work. It also won’t be effective in case you don’t train your dog with the collar.
Should you don’t teach them you wish them to be quiet slightly than to bark, they won’t learn that simply from leaving the citronella bark collar on them.
As I said before, a citronella bark collar also won’t address the foundation of the issue. In case your dog suffers from stress or anxiety, it can only address the barking, but won’t stop their anxiety.
In case your dog’s anxiety could be very bad, they might need medication combined with good training.
