A great dog product I’ve purchased is the Citronella Anti-Bark Spray Collar in particular the Premier Gentle Spray Anti-Bark Dog Collar. I’ve raised several dogs and have gone through many of the common behavioral issues associated with dog ownership. Today, I received a call from a friend inquiring about what to do about her barking dog. There are several ways (with varying success) to work with barking problems. Some require you to be in the presence of your dog while others do not.

Why Do Dogs Bark?

There are many reasons why a dog may be barking. Here’s a list of some of the major causes of problem barkers:

• Improper Confinement
  • Locked up in a room or in a dog crate.
  • Restricted tethering outdoors.
  • Even an enclosed yard with improper shelter from the elements.
• Lack of Exercise – pent up energy can be released through barking.
• Environmental Sounds
  • Barking of other dogs.
  • Sound of passing cars, strange voices, thunder, and mechanical noises
  • Sounds may cause a dog to bark at different times of the day. A sound that does not cause a dog to bark during the day may cause him to bark at night.
• Separation Anxiety
• Temperament of the dog
  • Over-aggressive dogs may bark at the smallest provocation.
  • A territorial dog may bark at any stranger entering your property.

My friend’s dog seems to be barking at environmental sounds when she hears people from her yard. This is occurring when the dog is alone at home while my friend is away at work.

At this time she’s received several complaints from the neighbors and would like to nip this problem in the bud.

Solutions For The Barking Dog

I’ve heard of several solutions to keep dogs from barking and they all seem to be effective in one way or another. Here’s a list of solutions I’ve heard, witnessed, or applied to barking dogs. Be sure to use these reprimands when your dog is barking and not before or after he is finished. This way he will associate the unwanted behavior with the reprimand. Remember, when your dog stops barking give him lots of praise so he knows when he’s doing the right thing.

When you’re home or in the presence of your dog:

1. Water Spray Bottle or Citronella Spray – Spray your dog with a water bottle or a Citronella Spray.
   • I used both of these methods when my dog would bark in his crate during crate training. He eventually figured it out and the spray would stop him from barking for a short time giving me a chance to praise him.
2. Verbal Reprimand – A simple “No!” will often work.
   • Yelling at your dog may cause him to bark more, so try to stay calm.
3. Leash Correction – I go over training collars and leash corrections in the article: Training My Guide Dog.
4. Can of Pennies – Shake a can of pennies when your dog is barking.
   • My Uncle does this with his three dogs and has moderate success.
   • It sometimes stops the dogs from barking, but they will continue to bark minutes later.

When you’re away from your dog:

1. Citronella Anti-Bark Dog Collar – A collar the dog wears around his neck and sprays citronella when he barks.
   • You can also get this collar with a remote control to aid in training.
2. No-Bark Shock Collar – Bark-control collar sends harmless static shock to the dog whenever he barks.
   • I’m not a huge advocate of this device. My parents used this on our family dog when we were kids. Although it is said to be humane I do remember my dog yelping when he was shocked. I don’t think we had the option for a citronella collar at the time. However, the device did work and our dog did not bark with the collar on.
3. Sonic Bark Collar Attachment – A collar the dog wears around his neck and creates a sound when he barks.
   • I have not used this device, but have heard through reviews and friends that it is not the most effective barking deterrent. I’ve also heard from some dog owners that the device worked initially, but over time the dogs got used to the device.
   • This device did not receive good reviews on Amazon.com. If you click the link please do thorough research before purchasing.
   • Also, in one of the reviews I read that the sound is audible to people. Some of the other bark collars I’ve read about produce a sound not audible to people
4. Vocal Cordectomy – A surgical procedure that involves the removal of all or part of a dogs vocal chords.
   • This should be used only as a final resort and particularly when the dogs life is in question.
   • My Uncle has done this with a couple of his Great Pyreneese’s and even after the procedure the dogs find away to make a barking like noise. The sound his dogs make is much quieter, but can still be bothersome to the neighbors.

The Citronella Anti-Bark Spray Collar

This product was recommended to me by my dog trainer Sue Myles. I highly recommend Sue’s training classes and if you’re interested in training your dog then please visit her website at SueMyles.com. Also, the last time I was at Sue’s class she recommended the newer version of this product called the Spray Commander. The Spray Commander is essentially the same collar, but you also receive a small remote control that can activate the spray when your dog is doing something wrong.

Product Description
Helps stop excessive barking the safe and humane way! A dog may be man’s best friend, but continuous excessive barking can certainly test that friendship. In fact, many towns have disturbance laws against loud, prolonged noise, such as that created by barking dogs. Many owners have tried surgical remedies. Not only is this expensive, but it completely and permanently eliminates a dog’s natural ability to bark. Spray Control Anti-Bark Collars are an inexpensive, humane, but effective solution to excessive barking. How it works: The Spray Control Anti-Bark Collar is simple to operate. Place the battery in the receiver collar and attach it around your dog’s neck. When your dog barks, a burst of all-natural citronella spray is emitted, which dogs find bothersome to their highly developed olfactory sense of smell. While not harmful, it is a sufficient deterrent to excessive barking. Exclusive features: Uses a burst of all-natural citronella spray to deter barking For dogs of all sizes and temperaments Safe, harmless, and effective Lifetime warranty.

My Experiences
I’ve been using this device for the past 3 years with great success. Setting up the Premier Gentle Spray Anti-Bark Dog Collar is very simple and my dog Linus responded immediately. Linus is a very sensitive Australian Shepherd Mix and was actually quite frightened the first time he set off the collar. Needless to say I don’t get any complaints from my neighbors anymore. One drawback that I’ve noticed with Linus is that the smell of citronella really freaks him out now. While at training class he got a whiff of one of the other dogs citronella collars and he was petrified and had difficulty continuing with his group training.

However, I know the collar does not work with all dogs because my mother’s small terrier mix responds to the collar occasionally. I have seen him bark over and over again and just let his collar spray him in the face. It’s a very funny thing to watch. He’s a very high energy dog and sometimes just gets too excited to control himself.

Overall, the majority of reviews on the Citronella Anti-Bark Dog Collar are positive. This product is not for every dog and I know from first hand experience that some dogs just simply don’t respond to the citronella.

If you are interested in purchasing the Premier Gentle Spray Anti-Bark Dog Collar or the Spray Commander then please do your homework and find out if this is the best solution for your breed of dog.

I’d love to hear what you have to say. Do you use any of the products or methods mentioned in this article? Are you having success?

Some of this information was summarized from the following site: http://tinyurl.com/27brz2