Citronella Anti Bark Collars - Am i being cruel??

Re: Citronella Anti Bark Collars - Am i being cruel??

Jenny Cook RVN — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 19:17:23 GMT

No, i dont think the citronella bark collars are cruel... my parents got one for my dog who used to constantly bark and howl when left alone while they popped out for an hour. It seemed to work well until he got used to the smell and then didnt care wether he got sprayed, so we had to change the smell that sprayed out.

But i think u should try tackle the behavious other ways first... i phoned up Russell Becque, and he gave me some advice over the phone to try.

Re: Citronella Anti Bark Collars - Am i being cruel??

rachel w — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 19:35:30 GMT

My dog has a citronella collar and it worked really well, he used to bark when left alone, now my parents just place the collar on the work surface near his bed and still works

Re: Citronella Anti Bark Collars - Am i being cruel??

Doolally — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 18:50:13 GMT

Agree with the above. You need to work out why she is behaving like this first of all. The collar will only mask the symptoms and not treat the cause. I don't think anyone can advise on why the dog is behaving like this without seeing her, and your reaction to her behaviour, so I think getting help from a qualified behaviourists who will come out and work with you both is the best bet.

It sounds like she hasn't been properly socialised with other dogs whilst she is on lead, and as mentioned above she's either scared, or keen to get to them.

Work on getting her attention on you before she sees the other dogs, rather than trying to get it when she's already hyper-excited

Re: Citronella Anti Bark Collars - Am i being cruel??

Louise B — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 22:58:49 GMT

Hi, it very much depends on why your dog is doing the behaviour he is. Using the citronella collar won't address the underlying problem. I don't know your dog but he/she will be doing the behaviour either probably because either a) he is fearful of other dogs and has learnt to be aggressive as a way of keeping other dogs away or is trying that as a strategy, or b) he is frustrated because he wants to interact with them and he is unable to due to a lead. Use a citronella collar in the former situation and you are very likely to make the underlying problem worse. Citronella collars work by being aversive/unpleasant. If the dog is already in a negative emotional state adding another negative 'thing' will not change the emotional state. It *might* change the behaviour (but, then again, it might make it worse if the dog associates the presence of another dog with the citronella spraying rather than with his own actions). I would recommend you seek out a good trainer that uses reward based methods and go from there.

Re: Citronella Anti Bark Collars - Am i being cruel??

Kim Buckley — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 21:13:16 GMT

Vet I used to work with had a cirtonella one for his dog as she used to bark when left alone in the flat above the practice. It worked really well.

Re: Citronella Anti Bark Collars - Am i being cruel??

Nick Shackleton — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 21:10:32 GMT

As an alternative to the citronella ones you can get ones that puff out just air. My mums springer used to go mad barking at people who walked passed the window and it seems to of cured him!

Re: Citronella Anti Bark Collars - Am i being cruel??

Heather Thorne — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 20:44:39 GMT

Have you looked into training classes?

She won't listen as she's more interested in the other dogs, she's protecting herself (and maybe you)

A behaviourist would help you out if you were really willing to train.