Happy Canines: How to Use Citronella Collars for Excessive Barking

Our canine friends can become super sensitive to various stimuli from their surroundings and every dog reacts differently. Some may become anxious every time they get outside and start barking excessively as a way to deteriorate from what is upsetting them. 

As a paw parent, it’s essential to pay close attention to what’s causing stress to your dog and address the concern. If you have already tried traditional training and your dog is still overly reactive and can't stop barking, then maybe is time to consider other alternatives. One of the other training methods is collars used to control excessive barking in dogs. As a gentle alternative to achieve the desired effect, consider buying a citronella dog spray collar as a humane way to train your dog. 

Citronella Collars for Controlling Your Dog's Barking: How They Work

A citronella dog spray collar offers a gentle solution to address the excessive barking in dogs. Every time your dog barks, the collar delivers a burst of citronella spray which draws away their attention from the situation that triggered the dog. The spray serves as a deterrent, without causing any harm to your pooch. 

Citronella is a natural essential oil, derived from the leaves and stems of different species of Cymbopogon - lemongrass. The essential oil has a citrus-like scent and aroma, which is commonly used in aromatherapy, as an insect repellent or as a flavouring agent. The two main compounds of the essential oil are citronella and geraniol - which is what gives the distinctive scent of the oil. 

Citronella dog collars spray a blast of the essential oil to the dog’s snout, without causing any negative effects or discomfort. The collar is designed to automatically detect the barking, which activates the spraying. 

Tips for Traning Your Dog Using Citronella Collars

The most important thing when training your dog is patience and consistency. Remember that your pooch doesn't know what's going on at first and it needs time to process the situation before it adopts new behavioural patterns. 

Be patient with your furry friend. Your dog needs your support and kindness because you’re his entire world. 

Introduce The Collar Gradually

Whenever we try to teach our dog something, it’s essential that we introduce the new stimuli gradually so we don’t overwhelm them with new information. If your dog is already super reactive, trying to get them to learn something new very fast, can only cause additional stress to your dog, and we don’t want that. 

Therefore, take a gradual approach to introducing your dog to the citronella collar. First, you can start by showing your dog the collar and letting it sniff it. Let the dog explore this new thing and see what is all about. 

Then you can try and put on the collar around your dog’s neck, but without activating it. Let your pooch wear the collar for a short period of time throughout the day, every day. This will help the dog reduce the initial stress and resistance to the collar.  

Once your dog lets you put on the collar without any resistance, you can only then activate the citronella. Every time your dog barks, the collar with blast a spray of citronella, which will make your dog associate the spray with their barking.  

Use Positive Reinforcement During the Training with Citronella 

During this phase, it’s crucial that you use positive reinforcement techniques. That can be praise, dog treats, or showing affection every time your dog stops barking when being sprayed. By doing so, you’re helping your dear canine friend to create a positive association with the collar. This will encourage your dog to start viewing the collar as a normal part of its routine and not as something that is negative and causes distress. 

Use it Consistently 

If you want results, use the dog citronella collar continuously every day, until you see visible improvements in your dog’s behaviour. It’s important to put on the collar to your dog whenever you assess that your dog is likely to bark excessively. Consistent use helps your dog to reinforce the association between the barking and the spray. 

Continue to adjust the collar’s spray intensity according to your dog behaviour. It’s important to start with a lower intensity when you first familiriase your dog with the  dollar. 

Answers to Your Most Common Questions: 
Are Citronella Dog Collars Safe? 

A citronella collar for dogs is generally considered to be a safe alternative to teaching your dog to stop bark excessively. The citronella spray does not cause any harm to dogs and it’s non-toxic. The spray is gentle, yet, effective enough to stop your dog from barking, without causing any pain.   

Are Citronella Collars Effective for All Dogs? 

Although citronella dog collars can be extremely helpful for many dogs, the efficacy depends on several factors: the dog’s temperament, size, breed, and if there is any other underlying cause for barking. Smaller breeds tend to react better to citronella collars, but that doesn’t mean that your big pooch will not be responsive to citronella. 

However, you might find that you need additional training methods alongside the citronella collar for better success. Additionally, citronella collars may not be suitable if you have more barking dogs because the collar can activate if there is another barking dog in close surroundings. 

How long can a Dog Wear a Citronella Collar?

It’s recommended that your dog wears the collar no longer than 12 hours a day. To ensure the skin around the neck area doesn't show any irritation, check your dog’s skin regularly while wearing the collar.