Citronella dog collars are one of the newest dog-training methods available, and have been found to be a more humane alternative to shock collars. The collar itself has a small box attached to it which releases a spray of citronella whenever the dog barks or comes too close to a boundary sensor. The sound of the spray distracts the dog as well as leaves a lingering scent of citronella, which dogs detest.

There are four types of citronella collars on the market today, which can be of assistance in canine behavior modification. The citronella spray dog bark collar is used to control the vicious cycle of dog barking. A receptor senses the bark and reacts to it by releasing a spray of citronella, which both distracts and annoys dogs from barking. While this type of response to the barking stimuli does not show the animal the appropriate behavioral response, it does quell the bark.

The hand held citronella spray collar with remote is another type of training collar. The handler of the animal is in control of a remote that triggers the release of the citronella spray whenever the handler deems its use is warranted. These types of collars are more useful in keeping the animal from engaging in unwanted activities, such as rummaging through the garbage or running after the cat. There is a specified distance that the remote works within, usually around two hundred and fifty feet.

Indoor boundary control is the third type of collar, and works by placing a transmitter on or in any area that is forbidden to the dog. The receptor on the collar will react whenever this specific area is violated, releasing the citronella spray, which will continue to activate until the pet abandons the forbidden area. This collar can be effective in keeping the animal off furniture and out of specific rooms.

The final training collar is the virtual fence using citronella spray. This product works much like the virtual underground shock collar system, but with citronella. An emitter sends a signal through buried underground wire which triggers the receiver on the dog’s collar to release the citronella spray whenever the dog approaches too closely to the boundary line.

The purpose of these collars is to aid in training your dog to associate boundaries or behaviors with negative reinforcement. Positive reinforcement for acceptable behavior needs to be reinforced on behalf of the owner, otherwise the appropriate response to a given situation will remain unknown to the animal.