Although barking is quite a normal behavior in dogs, incessant barking can certainly irritate the best of us. If your dog barks the sanity out of you, then you might be wondering, “How do I prevent my dog from barking?” Citronella dog collars are the answer.
A dog citronella collar is used as a training device to help curb constant barking in dogs, just like a dog silencer does. Such type of excessive barking is termed as “nuisance barking” as it often becomes a nuisance for the dog owner and others in the neighborhood. Here are a few reasons why your dog might resort to nuisance barking:
- Your dog wants to catch your attention
- He wishes to be fed or played with
- Your pooch is answering barks from his dog-friends in the neighborhood
- Your dog has a compulsion disorder due to which he feels a recurring need to bark
If you own a dog that barks incessantly, then you’d be well aware of the headaches and insomnia that come with it. And who can ignore the irritated neighbors that keep calling on you to control your dog? I’ve personally seen people in the neighborhood go as far as filing police reports against dog owners that failed to curtail nuisance barking in their pooches.
Now the question is, how do you stop your dog from barking its head off all the time? Well, you can behavior train your dog to stop barking using a citronella anti-bark collar.
What Is A Citronella Dog Collar?
Citronella dog collars are the safest option for the behavior training of dogs that are excessive barkers. Citronella is a harmless essential oil obtained from lemongrass. However, dogs despise the citronella scent and wouldn’t have any of it. When your dog gets a whiff of citronella, he’s momentarily distracted which diverts his mind from barking. But you can rest assured citronella won’t hurt your dog in any manner unless it’s ingested in high quantities.
What a citronella dog collar does is that it releases a small puff of citronella upon detecting a bark. With time, your pooch would realize that whenever it barks, it’ll get a whiff of the much-despised citronella oil. This mild punishment would eventually help you in dog control and to reduce nuisance barking.
According to many dog owners, a citronella dog bark collar is a far milder and humane option as compared to shock collars. Even though the shock in question might be as harmless as a mere pinch, the thought of “shocking” their dog for following its inherent behavior is unacceptable for many.
This brings us to another interesting debate. It is often argued whether or not dog citronella collars are as effective as shock collars. However, according to a recent study, citronella dog collars are actually better bark deterrents than shock collars.
By using citronella collars for dogs with a barking problem, you not only choose the option that proves to work better, but you also choose one that doesn’t hurt your pooch in any manner whatsoever.
What To Consider When Choosing a Citronella Dog Collar
There is a multitude of aspects that one has to consider before buying citronella dog collars. In order to make the right choice, one must be fully aware of all these aspects and their variables. In this section, we’ll help you understand exactly how these factors deviate in citronella collars for dogs.
Bark Sensor Type
The Bark sensor is basically what detects your dog’s bark and stimulates the collar to spray. There are broadly two types of bark sensors in citronella collars:
- Sound sensors (i.e. microphones)
- Vibration sensors
Most of the citronella collars would have a sound sensor only, and although that may do the trick for you, it’s not a flawless sensor type. Collars that only use sound sensors find it hard to clearly distinguish between a bark, whine or simply the ruffling of air against the microphone. Thankfully, high-end dog citronella collars come with both vibration and sound sensors.
Capacity
It is worth knowing the capacity of a citronella dog collar before making a purchase. Almost all such collars come with a cartridge for holding citronella which usually empties in 30-40 sprays.
A lot of dogs are quite smart. They soon realize that if they keep barking, they can eventually empty the cartridge, after which they can happily bark their hearts out. You can consider that the citronella dog collar strategy won’t be working for your dog if he learns to bark out all the citronella.
Any collar with a capacity of more than 30-40 sprays per refill is absolutely worth the money. However, one with a lesser capacity would need to be changed for every other walk.
Remote Controlled
A remote-controlled citronella collar is great for trainers who wish to behavior train their dogs. With a remote-controlled collar, you can manually spray citronella by pressing a button. This allows you to control when or if your dog should be sprayed, which is contrary to automatic citronella collars that spray upon detecting every bark.
Remote-controlled dog citronella collars often work within a range of 80-300 meters which should be more than enough for day-to-day use. However, the major downside of owning a remote-controlled unit is that you can’t curb excessive barking in your dog when you’re away or at work.
Waterproof
For the dog owners whose pooches love to play in water, buying a waterproof citronella collar is of paramount importance. High-end dog citronella collars are often waterproof, but not up to the extent that you’d let your dog jump into the swimming pool with them.
Most of the waterproof citronella dog collars either make it through drizzle or a few feet underwater. Another reason why you’d want to keep your dog’s citronella collar away from water is that most of them contain batteries.
Rechargeable
It’s quite hard to find a rechargeable citronella collar for your pooch, but having that add-on can certainly prove to be a great relief for you. A lot of dog owners complain of having to change batteries every week in their dog’s collar, so a rechargeable collar provides a quick solution to this problem.
A rechargeable citronella dog bark collar often has enough capacity to function 10-24 hours before it needs to be recharged.
Top 8 Citronella Dog Collars
We know how hard it can be to find the right bark collar for your dog as there are so many factors to consider. To give you a hand, we’ve compiled a list of the best citronella dog collars for you.
1. PetSafe Gentle Spray Bark Collar
This fantastic citronella collar for dogs earns the first position on our list due to a number of reasons. One of those reasons is that it is waterproof which allows it to endure light drizzles. This dog collar comes with a 6-volt alkaline battery which has been reviewed as quite a long-lasting one by users. The collar contains 25 sprays while it comes with a refill can of 300-400 sprays. The Petsafe citronella collar only uses a microphone to detect barking.
The best part about this gentle spray bark collar (and the reason why it secures the first place on our list) is that it’s a complete package. With a lot of citronella dog collars, you’ll have to buy separate batteries and refills; but not with this one.
However, a few users have complained that the collar tends to spray even when their dog hasn’t barked very loudly. This false spraying can be attributed to the fact that this collar does not contain a vibration sensor and only relies on a microphone. If you’re looking for a citronella dog bark collar that contains both of these sensor types, then check out the next product.
2. PetSafe Remote Spray Trainer
If you’re looking for a dog collar for behavior training your dog, this might prove to be the best option on our list. The Petsafe Remote Spray Trainer, unlike the previous product on our list, contains both a microphone and a vibration sensor. It is a remote-controlled spray collar having a solid range of 85 meters. The product comes with two 6-Volt alkaline batteries and is water-resistant up to 5 feet underwater.
If you’re looking for behavior training your dog against nuisance barking, then having a remote-controlled citronella dog collar can undoubtedly help. This collar provides you with an option on whether you’d like it to beep along with spraying or not. You can also choose between the “long spray” and “short spray” options depending upon how sensitive your dog is to citronella.
The overall customer reviews for this citronella spray collar have been quite positive. However, some have complained that the product’s battery died 3-4 weeks after purchase. Although with a replaceable battery, this shouldn’t kill the deal.
3. Downtown Pet Supply No Bark Collar
Number 3 on our list is this fine dog citronella collar from Downtown Pet Supply. It comes with a citronella refill, a replaceable battery, and an instruction manual included in the pack. The collar is completely adjustable and fits all dog sizes above 8 lbs. Downtown Pet Supply also prides itself on providing a 60-day warranty for this collar.
Users have reviewed this collar positively and have reported that it does not set off with random noises. However, some users reviewed that the material of this product is a bit flimsy.
4. PetSafe Elite Little Dog Spray Bark Control
Here’s another Petsafe citronella dog collar that made our list. Petsafe markets this collar as one that is able to distinguish between an actual bark and other sounds made by a dog. They even go as far as claiming that the sensor in this product can differentiate between your dog’s bark and those of others. This collar is waterproof and is made with replaceable nylon.
Like all its other citronella dog collars, Petsafe ensures that this product comes with enough citronella to get you by for a long time. Their refill cans contain 400-500 sprays while the collar itself can hold up to 30-40 sprays.
The overall customer experience has been positive for this product. However, a few users complained that the company delivered defective pieces to them. PetSafe has given refunds for such pieces.
5. DogTek No Bark Citronella Spray for Dogs
The DogTek No Bark Collar secures the fifth place on our list and rightfully so. This collar uses a microphone to detect barks and contains a 6-Volt battery which allows for automatic use. This citronella dog collar fits dogs with a weight of 6 lbs and above.
Users have predominantly reviewed this product to be satisfactory. Furthermore, the 1-year warranty that comes along with this citronella dog collar is a major plus for buyers.
However, there have been some complaints of the collar spraying without any barking. This defect is probably due to the fact that the DogTek collar does not contain a vibration sensor.
6. WWVVPET Anti-Bark Citronella Spray Collar
The WWVVPET Citronella Spray Collar is the only one on this list that’s rechargeable through a USB port. This collar comes at an extremely affordable price which makes it a great option for those on a budget. The collar comes with a USB cable for recharging and an instruction manual to walk you through the process of using it.
Despite its mixed reviews, this product is certainly worth the gamble for the price that it’s being offered at. Because this dog bark collar seems to have covered every basic front required for a worthwhile citronella collar.
The unit is compatible with Petsafe and DogTek citronella refills. However, the package itself does not include any.
7. Remote Citronella No-Bark Collar
After the Petsafe Remote trainer, this is the second remote-controlled collar on our list. This Remote No Bark Citronella Collar is predominantly used for dogs that bark excessively, although it can also come in handy for dog training and correcting aggressive behavior. This collar is waterproof and works within a large radius of 450 yards.
What appeals the most to me in this product is that it has a multitude of effective dog training methods like 2 levels each of citronella sprays, vibration, and tone. Effectively, this could prove to be a dog trainer’s dream come true!
This product has undoubtedly turned it around for many users, however, some were unhappy with the unit’s battery life. But nowadays, with the easy availability of batteries, this shouldn’t be a deal-breaker.
8. Zeonetak Citronella Bark Collar
The Zeonetak Anti Bark Collar makes it to our list due to its ease of use. This basic unit comes with a 6-Volt battery and utilizes a microphone to detect barking in dogs. The Premium-quality nylon strap is adjustable from 8 to 24 inches, allowing this collar to fit dogs of all sizes.
Many users have hailed the Zeonetak Citronella dog collar as a lifesaver. Predominantly, its ease of use is what has won the hearts of its users who have highly appreciated not having to change the unit’s batteries ever so often.
The unavailability of free refills is a bit of a bummer. However, it’s quite a far-fetched idea to expect them at this price. This collar is compatible with Petsafe and DogTek refills.
