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Anyone who has dealt with excessive barking understands the mental anguish that comes along with it for anyone living in and around the home. It can create bad neighbors and cause the dog owners to act as mentally unstable as the dog appears to be.
When searching for the best bark collar, your initial intent may just be to get relief. However, a bark collar alone will not do away with the behavior.
Causes of Excessive Barking
Much like people, some dogs are louder and more talkative than others. Barking is your dog’s way of speaking. Excessive barking has an underlying cause.
It may stem from attention-seeking, excitement, alerting to danger, boredom, loneliness, anxiety, or it may be a sign that your dog is in pain. Before assuming the cause, take your dog to a veterinarian to rule out a medical condition. Your veterinarian will also have specific recommendations. A bark collar will be most effective when used as a tool in addition to other training techniques.
Different Types of Dog Bark Collars
There are several types of bark collars, including shock collars, ultrasonic bark collars, citronella bark collars, and vibration bark collars.
Shock collars tend to cause your dog more stress when the problem is often caused by stress. Shock collars are painful, in some cases cause or worsen aggressive behavior, and if the collar malfunctions, it can cause serious burns.
Fortunately, for your peace of mind and for that of your dog’s, bark collars have evolved to include humane bark collars like citronella bark collars and ultrasonic bark collars.
Citronella bark collars work by spraying citronella in response to bark detected. Citronella bark collars don’t respond to high-pitch barks and are not the best choice with multiple dogs because the collar is triggered by other barks.
Ultrasonic bark collars work by emitting an ultrasonic sound frequency only your dog can hear in response to barking.
Vibrational bark collars work by sending a vibrational pulse in response to barking.
Cruelty-Free Bark Collars
The best bark collar is humane and depends on your unique circumstances and the bark collars featured here will only include bark collars which are cruelty-free.
If you are searching for the best citronella bark collar, effective vibrational bark collars, or the best ultrasonic bark collar, here are our top picks along with a couple of alternative devices as our favorite picks.
Product | Details | Our Rating |
|---|---|---|
 Bark Citronella Spray Collar (Premium): PetSafe Remote Spray Trainer, Training Collar & Remote | ||
 Bark Citronella Spray Collar (Economy): Downtown Pet Supply Citronella No Bark Automatic Spray, Humane No Shock Collar, Anti-bark with Advanced Bark Detection | ||
 Vibration Collar (non-Shock): DogRook Dog Bark Collar- Humane Anti Barking Training Collar | ||
 Ultrasonic Bark Control (Hands-Free): Ankuwa Anti Barking Device | ||
 Ultrasonic Bark Control (Hand Operated): Modus Anti Barking Device |
1. Detailed Review: Bark Citronella Spray Collar (Premium): PetSafe Remote Spray Trainer, Training Collar & Remote
This collar comes with the option to use either citronella or unscented spray. A recyclable and replaceable cartridge with each type of spray is included.
There are three training options to choose from: tone, vibration, and spray. The signal reaches up to 300 yards, making this collar great for walks and park outings.
This collar may be used on dogs that weigh 8 lbs. or more, with adjustable neck size up to 27 inches in circumference.
The spray cartridges are reusable, replaceable, and mess-free.
The digital remote features a back-lit display that is great for nighttime.
When the battery is low, the red LED light flashes and when the spray is low, a yellow LED light will flash.
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2. Detailed Review: Bark Citronella Spray Collar (Economy): Downtown Pet Supply Citronella No Bark Collar
If you are looking for an affordable spray collar that features advanced bark detection, this is one of the best citronella bark collars available.
The Downtown Pet Supply Advance No Bark Citronella Collar releases a gentle spray mist after the second and repeated barking.
It is designed with advance bark detection technology and features an adjustable collar that will fit up dogs 6 lbs. and up, with an adjustable neck size up to 27 inches.
This citronella bark collar includes a 30-day manufacturer warranty.
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3. Detailed Review: Vibration Collar (non-Shock): DogRook Dog Bark Collar- Humane Anti Barking Training Collar
Not only is the DogRook Dog Bark Vibrational bark collar cute but it is packed with great features.
This vibrational bark collar features seven adjustable levels, customizable for a variety of breeds and sizes.
Unlike many other bark collars, it will not react to external sounds and barking from other dogs.
This bark collar works for dogs weighing between 11 and 110 lbs. with its adjustable and durable nylon strap.
You can choose from the included orange or blue bone-shaped face-plates. As a bonus, you get a free e-book on dog training.
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4. Detailed Review: Ultrasonic Bark Control (Hands-Free): Ankuwa Anti Barking Device
The Ankuwa Anti Barking Device is safe for all size dogs, does not require manual operation and it is a great cruelty-free alternative to bark collars.
This ultrasonic anti-barking device provides excellent behavior modification as it emits safe ultrasound frequency upon detecting barks and the sound frequency ceases as soon as the barking stops.
The frequency is adjustable and can detect barking up to 50 feet away.
The device has an appealing design, like a bird house, is weatherproof, and can be mounted onto any structure outside.
The devices uses a 9-volt battery and there is an LED light that will flash when the battery is low.
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5. Detailed Review: Ultrasonic Bark Control (Hand Operated): Modus Anti Barking Device
If you are looking for a more hands-on and collar-free approach to correcting excessive barking behavior, this device gives you full control to train your dog using ultrasonic frequency without the use of a collar.
As any professional dog trainer will tell you, effective correction of unwanted behavior requires proactive training. Anti-barking devices are merely tools.
The Modus ultrasonic bark control emits ultrasonic sound at 25KHZ which is safe and can only be detected by dogs.
In addition to correcting excessive barking, this can be used to stop other unwanted behaviors such as digging.
The MODUS ultrasonic dog bark deterrent features ease of use buttons, an adjustable wrist strap, uses four AAA batteries, and it comes with a 24-month warranty.
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Final Thoughts
When looking for the best cruelty-free bark collar, vibrational bark collar, citronella bark collar, and ultrasonic bark collar, keeping your options option pays off.
When comparing the drawbacks of citronella bark collars along with the much-needed proactive training required to effectively eliminate undesirable excessive barking, our top choice is the Hand-Operated Modus Anti Barking Device. Not only is it a safe and effective alternative to shock collars, it's convenient for dog owners to wear on their wrist, use indoors and outdoors, and to actively take control of eliminating unwanted excessive barking.
If you're looking for something that's not handheld or requires you dog to wear a collar, then we recommend the Ankuwa Anti Barking Device due to it's convenience, price and attractive profile.
Having said that, each of the devices reviewed has its pros and cons, and any one of these may be a good option for you and your pooch to reduce and eventually put an end to your suffering and tame your dog's barking rants.
Check out the anti-bark collars and devices on this list to make sure you find the right product to fit your needs and the needs of your dog.
Electronic anti-barking devices inflict pain and distress on the animal and therefore should not be used.
4th product, can I attach it to the plant in the garden and stop the neighbor’s dog barking?