How a Citronella Bark Collar Works

A citronella bark collar is just a special type of anti bark collar. You simply put the collar around your dog’s neck, aiming the nozzle at your dog’s snout. If the training collar detects that your dog has barked, it will spray a harmless citronella mist, surprising your dog and teaching it not to bark. This negative reinforcement gives the dog immediate feedback that barking is bad, training it to stop barking.

It’s very important to make sure to point the spray at the dog’s snout, otherwise it will not have the maximum effect. Many people who report that the citronella collar doesn’t work forgot this essential step.

The spray is a mix of water and citronella oil, which is completely natural and harmless plant oil commonly used in candles and mosquito repellant. It smells citrusy, but is unpleasant to a dog’s sensitive nose, rewarding it to not bark.

There are sensitive electronics in the spray collar that detect both the barking sound and the vibrations in your dog’s throat caused by the barking to make sure that it was actually the dog wearing the training collar that barked instead of another dog in your house or in your neighborhood. This makes sure that your poor dog does not get punished undeservingly from another dog’s barking.

Citronella bark collars use batteries to send out the mist and also containers of citronella spray. These are all refillable or replaceable so that you can use the collar over and over again if necessary. However, many dogs quickly learn to stop barking so hopefully you won’t have to keep using it!