dogs but not inhumane, the citronella-spray collar works
on the principle that a mildly unpleasant surprise can
curtail barking. The collar emits a jet of citrus scent
(citronella is a natural oil), which dogs are said to
dislike, when they bark. Since we are nearly at the end
of our list of debarking strategies, the assumption is
that you’ve tried more behaviorally-based methods and
they haven’t worked. If that’s true, then it may be time
to try this collar. However, like the shock collar whose
description follows, the citrus collar is probably
mysterious to the barking dog. He’s just going along
doing what he’s always done, and for no apparent reason,
he’s sprayed in the nose with something that smells
nasty to him. It may put him in a bad mood until he
figures out that when he barks, he gets the spray.
One website advertising such a collar says that you can
reverse the effect of the collar by removing it from the
dog, but then it says that dogs will learn to associate
barking with being sprayed and will learn not to bark
while they are wearing the collar. This assumes that
the dog will always wear his collar. Another citronella
collar company recommends the dog only wear the collar
for 2-3 hours per day, which makes me wonder how it
could be expected to work consistently if it’s not being
used consistently. Maybe it depends on the dog: how
astute does he have to be to link the citronella spray
with his barking behavior? How long will it take him to
stop barking once he wears the collar, and, once the
collar comes off, will the barking resume?
Another drawback to the citronella collar is that is may
be set off by the barking of a nearby dog – not
necessarily the one wearing the collar. Punishing a dog
for something that has nothing to do with him will
completely confuse him!
The Placerville Veterinary Clinic estimates that the
citronella collar is twice as effective as the shock
collar, and suggests that some dogs may find not only
the smell aversive, but also the hissing sound the
collar makes when it puffs out the citronella.
With all the conflicting attitudes towards the
citronella collar, it seems very worthwhile for a dog
that has not succeeded with traditional Bark Prevention
Training. It doesn’t hurt the animal, although it isn’t
pleasant, and if it works, your problem is solved.
Definitely give the citronella collar a serious attempt
before moving on to more drastic measures. |
