citronella collars

[bmthmark]

A friend of mine has one of these collars because her dog keeps eating dog poo and keeps on getting worms. She now uses this collar device to stop the dog from eating it.

I can see that she is trying to help her dog as having worms is not good. But personally (my own opinion) I think its cruel and bypassing the underlying issue. I have had many issues with my dog eating things (probably remember my random posts  ) he shouldn't - he still does have issues but he is getting better, but I believe trying to teach him without the use of devices is the better way. I know I won't stop him overnight and it will take many months of me pulling him away from things. But I am confident I will get there (eventually) and hopefully he will be a happy dog at the end of it.

What do other people think about these collars? I think my neighbour uses one to stop barking as well. My wife said can we put one on the neighbour to shut her up as well 

My friend says her vet recommended it, I’m not qualified at all and I have only ever had one dog so I couldn't really argue the case with my friend.

Just interested in what other people think.

[ips]

Are we talking of e collar or the ones that give a high pitch sound.

What's the citronella bit, thought that was for scented candles 😁

[bmthmark]

Are we talking of e collar or the ones that give a high pitch sound.

What's the citronella bit, thought that was for scented candles 😁

Haha I know what u mean regarding candles 

Not sure the exact name. But she says she has a button on a control. When pressed it makes a beep and the sprays the dog with some weird smell. Aparently the dog hates it and stops eating the poo
I've never heard of these devices before, surely it must frustrate the dog and could cause other issues.

[MIN]

I have heard of them and they do squirt the essence.    whether it is the smell or just being squirted that is suppose to stop them I am not sure. I have found a loud  deep "Aaarrr"  stops them or atleast gets their attention.

Squirt me in the eye with citronella and I would most likely bite you on the bum 

[ips]

Are we talking of e collar or the ones that give a high pitch sound.

What's the citronella bit, thought that was for scented candles 😁

Haha I know what u mean regarding candles 

Not sure the exact name. But she says she has a button on a control. When pressed it makes a beep and the sprays the dog with some weird smell. Aparently the dog hates it and stops eating the poo
I've never heard of these devices before, surely it must frustrate the dog and could cause other issues.

New one on me never heard of em. Cant say I fancy the idea, sounds like a cop out to me . Train the dog on the stop whistle and train a recall. Easier said than done I know but that's what you have to try and do imo

[Londongirl]

I met someone who used it to stop his dog barking.

As someone with a VERY vocal Cocker, who is also noise sensitive (meant the dog), I still wouldn't consider it.

[bizzylizzy]

I'm against any sort of aversives and these things sound awful to me - when you think that a dog sense of smell is (literally) thousands of times stronger than ours, can you just imagaine having that stuff sprayed at you?? Training a "leave" comand is a better way forward - (and a teaspoon of coconut oil over the dinner is a good way of helping keep the worms at bay!)

[bmthmark]

I've never heard of these things and my initial thoughts were that it's unfair on the dog.
I know the dog is getting poorly from the poo eating but surely there are other ways e.g keep the dog on a lead and say 'leave'.
I know it's hard as my pup loves eating stuff.
But we didn't get Cocker spaniels for an easy life.

I'm glad I'm not the only one thinking this way. I'm still puzzled why a vet would recommend this.

[hoover]

My personal take is that citronella collars can be appropriate depending on the circumstances. I think people can get hung up on the word 'aversives' and not see that actually they probably use aversives themselves  - any time you say 'no' to a dog with the aim of stopping it from doing something you are using an aversive.  Some aversives are more effective than others of course.

Taking your neighbour's dog for eg. the citronella collar is aimed at getting it to stop a behaviour which could cause health problems.  Yes, they could keep their dog on a lead at all times but I bet if you were to ask the dog if it would prefer to spend its entire life on lead or have time off lead and put up with a citronella spray every time it started to eat poo for a few days I would bet it would choose the latter option.  They will have to be very precise and consistent using it and pair it with a vocal command that can be continued after they stop using the collar.  It should show an effect very quickly, within a few days, and if it doesn't I would give up on it altogether as it wouldn't be functioning the way it is intended to. 

[Ben's mum]

Have you ready the advice given by Top Barks in the bit at the top? He mentions citronella collars, it's really worth reading. 

[ips]

My personal take is that citronella collars can be appropriate depending on the circumstances. I think people can get hung up on the word 'aversives' and not see that actually they probably use aversives themselves  - any time you say 'no' to a dog with the aim of stopping it from doing something you are using an aversive.  Some aversives are more effective than others of course.

Taking your neighbour's dog for eg. the citronella collar is aimed at getting it to stop a behaviour which could cause health problems.  Yes, they could keep their dog on a lead at all times but I bet if you were to ask the dog if it would prefer to spend its entire life on lead or have time off lead and put up with a citronella spray every time it started to eat poo for a few days I would bet it would choose the latter option.  They will have to be very precise and consistent using it and pair it with a vocal command that can be continued after they stop using the collar.  It should show an effect very quickly, within a few days, and if it doesn't I would give up on it altogether as it wouldn't be functioning the way it is intended to.

I think the term aversive is too wide. In its purest definition anything the dog dislikes is considered an aversive so a "no" is an aversive in that regard. I prefer to state that I am against "physical correction" as in anything that causes physical pain but I would include "stress and intimidation" knowingly dished out. Other than that I have no problem with a no or even a growl 😁

[bizzylizzy]

My personal take is that citronella collars can be appropriate depending on the circumstances. I think people can get hung up on the word 'aversives' and not see that actually they probably use aversives themselves  - any time you say 'no' to a dog with the aim of stopping it from doing something you are using an aversive.  Some aversives are more effective than others of course.

Taking your neighbour's dog for eg. the citronella collar is aimed at getting it to stop a behaviour which could cause health problems.  Yes, they could keep their dog on a lead at all times but I bet if you were to ask the dog if it would prefer to spend its entire life on lead or have time off lead and put up with a citronella spray every time it started to eat poo for a few days I would bet it would choose the latter option.  They will have to be very precise and consistent using it and pair it with a vocal command that can be continued after they stop using the collar.  It should show an effect very quickly, within a few days, and if it doesn't I would give up on it altogether as it wouldn't be functioning the way it is intended to.

I think the term aversive is too wide. In its purest definition anything the dog dislikes is considered an aversive so a "no" is an aversive in that regard. I prefer to state that I am against "physical correction" as in anything that causes physical pain but I would include "stress and intimidation" knowingly dished out. Other than that I have no problem with a no or even a growl 😁

Ok - I take back the word "aversives", although I don't personally consider a "No" or a correction falls into that category,    but you're absolutely right with "stress and intimidation ", I swear that if another sales assistant attempts to spray me as I inadvertently find myself  in the perfume department  while trying to steer my way out of Birmingham airport, I shall probably fletch my teeth and growl aswell!!!  Citronella might be ok for keeping mosquitos at bay but I wouldn't force it on my dog.

[Pearly]

I read a really good article recently, aimed at stopping a dog from chasing.  Written by a former Police Officer it made a lot of sense, but.....

Citronella collars were the ultimate in last resort and cannot be used just as a collar.  His method (assuming the previous suggestions had failed) was to rub raw lemon into the gums of the dog, leaving the lemon pith (not zest) for as long as possible - this involved two people holding the dog and forcing the lemon into its mouth.  It will be an unbearable amount of flavour scent and one the dog will not want to repeat.  As I said before, this is (in his opinion) the last resort.  The collar is then used, sparingly, to stop a behaviour by reinforcing the scent at at time a command is given.  The principle is that the horrible taste / smell is not worth the self reward of chasing.

My view on this?  The collar has a value and purpose but only when every other avenue/method has been exhausted and that it must be used properly.  To use a citronella collar without putting the effort in is not only irresponsible but very likely to induce long term behavioural issues not to mention downright cruel on the dog. As Bizzylizzy points out a dogs nose (and taste buds) are thousands of times stronger/better than ours and would you like pungent lemon scent forced up your nose?

Leave it to the professionals and put in the hard work and effort to train the dog properly.  Coral eats poo.  She does it for attention and especially at my house where the garden is smaller.  At OHs we don't give her the opportunity to do it, it's cleared up immediately and she has space to burn off energy.

I would suggest your friend knows nothing about training a dog and is just plain lazy - I doubt a vet would have recommended it, more likely a discussion took place and it was an option.  Your friend ought to seek professional help from a positive trainer who can help with a "leave it" command - it's a viscious circle: dog eats poo, gets worms, eats more poo as it's hungry.  A good quality food, possibly with a mineral supplement and training would be a better solution in this instance 

[Jaysmumagain]

When Ollie was young the man at dog training class said to use a spray bottle (like you would spray indoor plants) and fill with water, and when he barked excessively to spray him in face.  Ollie didn't like it, but it didn't stop the barking....being a cocker he thought it a wonderful new game Mum was playing with him

My thoughts are ...........

Out of personnel choice I wouldn't like citronella sprayed around me.....

[bmthmark]

My personal take is that citronella collars can be appropriate depending on the circumstances. I think people can get hung up on the word 'aversives' and not see that actually they probably use aversives themselves  - any time you say 'no' to a dog with the aim of stopping it from doing something you are using an aversive.  Some aversives are more effective than others of course.

Taking your neighbour's dog for eg. the citronella collar is aimed at getting it to stop a behaviour which could cause health problems.  Yes, they could keep their dog on a lead at all times but I bet if you were to ask the dog if it would prefer to spend its entire life on lead or have time off lead and put up with a citronella spray every time it started to eat poo for a few days I would bet it would choose the latter option.  They will have to be very precise and consistent using it and pair it with a vocal command that can be continued after they stop using the collar.  It should show an effect very quickly, within a few days, and if it doesn't I would give up on it altogether as it wouldn't be functioning the way it is intended to.

Cheers for your view, its interesting to read what everyone thinks.

To me its more of what its doing to the state of mind of the dog. For example if you use the spray every time the dog goes near poo and it gets scared as it might get sprayed, you cannot guarantee that you have full control of the dog. I totally agree that you can probably get a 'quick win' out of this but i'm not convinced that it won't have any undying issues after using it.

Its a difficult one...