Citronella Spray Collar – Some Strategies to Curb Your Dog's Barking
Dogs bark for a host of reasons. They can bark to express intent to maintain their territory, or just to get your attenion.
But when your dog barks incessantly, it can be annoying to your family and to your neighbours. Any responsible dog owner should be taking steps to curb this annoying behaviour.
Of course, there are various approaches, among them the use of a citronella spray collar.
Here's a guide to those strategies.
Wrong Approaches
Some dog owners worsen matters by "rewarding" the dog. They scream at the dog when it barks, or come to its side to distract it from whatever triggered the barking.
They also just let the dog bark sometimes, letting the dog know that continuous barking is approved of.
Should you give it food or play with it? No.
These are short-term answers.
Your dog simply has to learn, through experience, that its excessive barking is not something you approve of.
Remaining calm
You have to stay calm when the stimulus triggering the barking – a door bell, a passing truck – happens.
Don’t get up instantly to go to the door, for instance.
If you stay calm the dog will see that the stimulus is no cause for alarm. Over time, your dog will lessen his overreactions – barking – toward the stimulus.
Rewarding your dog
Unless you find the incessant noise a bother, you may want to approach your dog only after it stops barking loudly.
This way the dog can associate his non-barking with a chance for attention. At this point the owner should praise the dog – give it a treat, shower it with attention.
Use a bark collar
The dog might probably also bark non-stop when the owner is away. So to continue the right kind of "attention," use a bark collar. The collar is triggered by his barking, so every time he barks the collar is activated. The stimulus the dog receives depends on the type of collar – it could a be scented spray, a high-pitched sound, a vibration, or even an electric shock that’s harmsless to the dog.
You can search online for more info on the types of bark collars. Make sure you get the size that's right for your dog.
These are but a few useful tips you can use. Among these approaches, many dog owners prefer the citronella spray collar approach.
