Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Is The Citronella Collar or The Remotely Activated Bark Collar Better?

By Michael Winters


If you are thinking about using a remote activated bark collar rather than the automated citronella collar, then I've got some hints that I learned through trying both. For anyone who is curious, a manually activated bark collar is a type of collar for which you make use of a handheld control and when you hear a bark, you click a button to trigger the collar, whether it is any type of collar (nearly all collars are usually available in both automatic and remote control versions).

We were required to have a go with the citronella collar by the city as a result of sound regulation violation from our dog barking. I was stubborn and didn't feel it was necessary for our dog to use the citronella collar because she already wears her hidden pet fence collar.I became so pleased to see that the hidden fence manufacturer made an attachment that could be placed on the same collar and give you the ability to remotely stimulate it! We ordered the citronella collar, yet didn't put it to use at this point.

If you think using this method, as I did, is simpler or more convenient compared to the automatic stimulation provided by the citronella collar, rethink it! In the early stages I thought it was great, but then I discovered myself leaving the dog out and failing to remember to connect the remote with the collar or I was not having the remote near me when our dog started barking. Don't misunderstand me, the remote controlled method works, however its at least ten times harder. I recall cursing at the remote when I finally found it during a barking session, only to see that the remote control ended up being off. I would become so angry because the device took a long time to sync with the collar and by that time she'd quit barking.

The fourth issue found in the list shown here shouldn't be taken flippantly and it truly is the whole basis for this topic. I can't tell you how satisfying that it was to just allow the dog out and not have to stress about listening out for our dog's bark. We also installed a bark monitoring microphone outside which in turn was piped directly into our house audio system and then we could be certain to hear when she barked. How crazy is that? With the citronella collar, I was able to listen to music inside the house at last and did not have to worry about turning the stereo's source to the outdoor monitoring microphone everytime I let her outside. To remain fully unbiased, however, I need to state the fact that citronella collars do call for citronella refills and remote controlled collars won't require this. This has been a small compromise due to the degree of worry and searching around for a misplaced remote control this spared my family.

Arguments for the use of the citronella collar instead of remote collars

1. Don't have to keep the remote on you all the time 2. An additional battery you don't have to get (remote collars require one more battery) 3. Citronella collar is instant - you don't need to wait for a remote to sync to the dog's collar Citronella collar is hands-free! - You need to listen for your dog's barking if you use a remote collar.

The bottom line is the following: if you make use of a remote controlled bark collar there are several ongoing steps that require your attention as well as reaction for it to train the dog correctly. The citronella collar is a self contained technique that will not require any involvement to improve your dog. Prior to buying either of the types of bark collars, take into consideration your lifestyle and how the collar's function fits into your daily routine.




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