Why Choose a Citronella Dog Collar

There are different types of no bark collars out there, so why pick the citronella collar?

Well, first let’s take a look at the options available:

• Electric / shock collars
• Ultrasonic devices
• Professional dog training

Obviously, professional dog training is the best option. I personally highly recommend Dove Cresswell’s training program – she has lots of easy to follow videos with really insightful lessons on how to train your dog. Apple and I went through her course and it helped her behavior a LOT! However, it takes a bit of time and I had a busy schedule with my career for a long time, so I wasn’t able to dedicate the hours to train her.

→ Click here to learn more about Dove Cresswell’s dog training program.

Next up, we have electronic shock collars. These anti bark training collars work by sending an electric shock when it detects that the dog has started barking. They do tend to be more effective than citronella collars at stopping barking. Unfortunately, although scientific studies show that their use does not harm dogs psychologically, they seem to be quite painful. Some folks have experienced their dogs getting some nasty looking skin irritation from the collars. Also, shock collars are getting banned in some places like Wales. You can read more about these issues on Wikipedia here.

Lastly, we have ultrasonic devices. I’ve done a lot of research and the general consensus is that these bark deterrents are basically useless. The theory is that when the device sense the dog barking, it emits ultrasonic noises which dogs are sensitive to, and they’ll stop barking. In practice, it’s not fair to other dogs in the area plus they don’t seem to mind all that much. They probably think it’s just some noise and has nothing to do with their barking. I have some friends that bought the ultrasonic no bark machines and all of them agree – they don’t work.

So why citronella collars then?