Citronella Collar

[Lennie B.]

Our younger dog is a two-and-a half year old poodle/sheltie cross. She is very loveable and we are crazy about her, but she barks excessively, to the point at which we think twice before inviting people to our home. She starts barking wildly as soon as she becomes aware that someone is approaching the front door, and continues until she either recognizes the person or is removed from the scene. When service people come in, her barking makes it difficult for us to communicate with them, and causes us acute embarrassment. I'm considering investing in a citronella collar for her to curb her barking, and would like to hear from people who have tried them, either successfully or unsuccessfully.

[Fuzzy317]

I have not tried the citronella collars yet, I am trying one on Ginger that beeps when a bark is heard by the sensor. It even goes off when another dog barks close to her, or another loud noise. I also would be interested if the citronella collars work

[anna_66]

I don't know if this will help you, but here is a previous thread on the citronella collars

[Dixieland Dancer]

In this situation I would use what our training class refers to as puppy management. Take the dog and put him on a leash using a plain buckle collar. Step on the leash near the dog forcing the dog into a down position. Keep the leash very taught so the dog can not get back up as you continue to stand on it. It is very difficult for the dog to bark in this position.

Puppy management can be used for many different behaviors where the dog either jumps or barks when company arrives but is otherwise ok. This seems to be a little more owner controlled than the citronella collars (which I personally have seen others use but would not use myself). And since it is done on a flat buckle collar, it does not put undue punishment on the dog.

[lovemymaltese]

My dogs are also barkers. I would like to know if anyone has had any luck with the citronella collars. It almost sounds too easy though.

[yorkster]

Where have I been? I have never even heard of citronella collars
Are they just for barking?

[lovemymaltese]

Don't worry yorkster, I have never heard of them either. What are they, are they safe?

[Lennie B.]

Don't feel bad, I wouldn't know what they are either if I hadn't been desperately looking for a way of controlling Gemma's wild barking at inconvenient times. It's a nylon collar with a little battery operated gizmo on it. When the dog barks, it instantly shoots a spray of citronella up underneath the dog's muzzle. The dog is startled by the spray and the unfamiliar odor, and, after making the connection between it and the barking, theoretically decides that it's better not to bark. The interesting thing is that, while dogs apparently dislike the lemony scent, humans think it's great! (It makes your house smell as if you've just been cleaning!)

[jennifert]

Lennie, did you read the other thread? I have used one before but it doesn't seem to work to deter their barking unless they are wearing it and soemtimes they even figure it out and that doesn't work. It didn't provide any "training" and the dog had no memory of it when not wearing it.

[Lennie B.]

Yes, I did read the other thread. It's interesting to compare my own observations with those of others. We rented one for a weekend, as an experiment, about two years ago. Gemma would bark, the spray would hit her under the muzzle, she would recoil, and then try again. After a couple of sprays, she stopped barking. The problem was that after a few hours she mastered the art of barking just loudly enough not to activate the sprayer. Although it was weird to hear her barking quietly (only a sheltie cross could pull this one off) we appreciated the decreased volume. We returned the unit to the store with the expectation of buying one in the near future, but we never did.

[yorkster]

Originally posted by Lennie B.
Yes, I did read the other thread. It's interesting to compare my own observations with those of others. We rented one for a weekend, as an experiment, about two years ago. Gemma would bark, the spray would hit her under the muzzle, she would recoil, and then try again. After a couple of sprays, she stopped barking. The problem was that after a few hours she mastered the art of barking just loudly enough not to activate the sprayer. Although it was weird to hear her barking quietly (only a sheltie cross could pull this one off) we appreciated the decreased volume. We returned the unit to the store with the expectation of buying one in the near future, but we never did.

I think my Scout would do that. She has already figured out to not bark (when I was using a water spray bottle). What she does do however is make alot of noise without actually barking It's amazing the noise that can come out of her mouth w/o barking all the way.

[Lennie B.]

I think these four-legged family members are even smarter than we give them credit for! I just read today about a new anti-barking device called Hush Puppy. I'm assuming that it isn't available in Canada yet.

[lovemymaltese]

Wow Gemma is a smarty, we must give dogs much more credit. Sounds like the collars don't work!!

[mommyofotis]

I have never used a citronella collar on my Otis because barking is simply not an issue with him, however, I have friends with a ShizTzu/Lhasa Apso mix who barks in certain situations. He does it as "begging" at the table and also when they meet other dogs out walking. We're talking freak-out barking here, not just a couple of yips. Anyhow, it's been really effective in their situation and they usually just have to show him the collar to curb the barking. He doesn't wear it much at all, only if they can predict that there will be a problem and they take it off as soon as he calms down. In any case, it's worked really well for them. I don't think it would be very effective, however, if there was another dog who might bark and set it off accidentally or if you made him wear it "too much". He has tried the barking just loudly enough to not set it off as well but if you can still carry on a conversation over dinner, it's definitely an improvement!!

[lovemymaltese]

I guess the improvement was worth it in that case.