Dogs bark.
Nothing new there. It is what they are supposed to do. But, as a dog owner and pet lover, what I cannot stand is a dog that barks nonstop and at inappropriate moments.
This is the reason why I first started using anti bark collars in the first place.
Let me explain further.
Here is my situation. I live in a neighborhood that is a block away from an elementary school and major street.
Additionally, my house is on the corner of a three way intersection.
You can guess where I am going with this.
My two dogs (a terrier and a pug) the cutest dogs you will ever see but they are little “yappers.”
There are some days it seems they bark non-stop. From the moment they wake up to the moment everyone goes to sleep they are barking.
Anything can trigger them. Kids getting on the bus, off the bus, the mailman, neighbors walking, neighbor’s dog, UPS guy, etc. You name it and my dogs are barking at it.
It was going to be my sanity or the dogs. Oh course, the kids did not like it. Their nerves did not bother them like mine did. Maybe it was because they did not have to work all day.
I went to the store and bought a citronella dog collar at Petco. Enough was enough! The children were given an ultimatum. It was explained that either the dogs would be packed in the car and brought to the pound or we would buy some sort of anti barking collar (I would not really do that but I wanted to get my point across).
Oh course they called me “mean” but we all hopped in the car the next day and got the collar.
Quite frankly, I considered myself nice. I researched it and there were three collars for me to pick from.
There were:
- shock collar
- ultrasonic collar
- citronella (spray) collar
I opted for the spray collar.
Here is how it works. You load this particular canister with a cartridge of lemon citronella. This stuff is totally non-toxic. It is a substance we use to repel mosquitoes and humans put it on their bodies all the time when they go camping. Dogs hate the smell though. Their noises are very sensitive and the small of this stuff is detestable.
Once they get a dose of this stuff they usually stop, immediately, in their tracks.
It worked great!
I put it on both dogs. This device worked great! The price I paid for it was totally worth it.
The collars were put on both dogs. I put it snug enough where the the device could detect their bark but not so tight they were choking.
Sure enough a neighbor passed by my wide open windows. She was with her son walking him back from school. And, both dogs started barking immediately.
It lasted for a couple seconds.
The citronella bark collar shot a quick burst in their face. Not much at all, just a quick little spritzer. They let out a “yelp” and stooped bark immediately. They gathered themselves and started barking again. Same result.
They were beside themselves. It was like their whole world had crumbled for a moment. I had to try it again, just to make sure.
I rang the doorbell to see if it would work again. Sure enough, they started barking. And sure enough, they got sprayed.
Long story short their barking got less and less throughout the whole day until it totally ceased.
Now you have to keep in mind I love these dogs. They sleep in my room every night and I have had them since they were puppies. But as cute as smaller dogs are, and as much as I expect dogs to bark sometimes, I could not stand the constant barking.
I am a firm believer that these spray collars (citronella) are one of the quickest and more humane way to stop or severely curb excessive barking. If are having this problem you should definitely try it out.
Here are some quick tips to go by if you decide to us them.
- Make them snug but not tight
- Take them off in the evening to prevent rashes
- Make sure the battery works
- Buy extra cartridges
- Take them off when you go to the park or engage in fun activities when they are supposed to bark
Overall, this is definitely a device any dog owner should try if he is at his wit’s end.