If your dog barks at everything — the postman, other dogs on the lead, the general concept of the wind — and you've worked through the patient training approach without much to show for it, this collar is worth a serious look.
How the citronella collar works
When your dog barks, the unit fires a short burst of lemongrass mist
toward their nose. That's it, really — no shock, nothing unpleasant
beyond a scent that most dogs find startling. The idea is interruption
rather than punishment: the bark stops, you redirect, you reward the
quiet. It works better for some dogs than others (more on that below),
but for persistent barkers who've tuned out every verbal correction
you've tried, the novelty of a smell tends to cut through in a way
that your voice eventually stops doing.
The remote is the part people underuse. You can trigger the tone, vibration, or spray manually — which means you can act before the bark rather than after it. The doorbell situation, for instance: if your dog goes off every time someone knocks, you can press the vibration button the second you hear the knock yourself, before they've started. That kind of pre-emption is genuinely more effective than responding to barking that's already happening.
Three training modes, fully adjustable
Tone is the place to start. A lot of dogs are sound-sensitive enough that a single beep is sufficient and you never need to go further. If yours isn't (Figo wasn't — he'd look up, register the noise, and carry on), move to vibration. There are eight levels, starting genuinely light, which matters because you want the lowest setting that actually works rather than going straight to high and startling them unnecessarily.
The spray is what people usually buy this collar for, and it's the one that tends to work on dogs that have learned to ignore everything else. Two intensities. The lower one is enough for most situations — the higher one exists for dogs that have figured out the lower one and started ignoring that too, which does happen.
Most owners land on one primary mode within the first week or so, once they've watched how their dog actually responds. It's trial and error at the start, which is normal.
Build and battery
IPX5 on the collar, which in practice means rain and muddy puddles are fine — it's survived everything the average British winter throws at a dog walk. The remote isn't waterproof, so that stays in your pocket rather than clipped to anything exposed. Easy to forget until it gets wet once.
Battery is 1000 mAh, which lasts up to ten days between charges depending how much you're using the spray versus tone modes (spray drains it faster). Both the collar and remote charge from the same cable at the same time, which sounds like a small thing but is genuinely useful — one cable, both charged, done.
Fits dogs from 8 lbs and six months up. The strap adjusts to a wide range of neck sizes; check the sizing before ordering if you're between breeds, just to be sure.
Our experience with Figo
We tested this with Figo, our cocker spaniel, who treated barking as both a hobby and a vocation. Used consistently alongside his regular training, the collar made a real difference within a fortnight — and crucially, he's not anxious or subdued because of it. That's the part that mattered most to us, and we'd imagine it matters to you too. We only sell products we'd use ourselves, and this is one of them.
How to get the best results
Treat the collar as a training aid alongside consistent commands and positive reinforcement — not as a standalone fix. Don't leave it on for more than 12 hours at a stretch, and supervise your dog during the first few sessions so you can see how they respond. If your dog doesn't seem to react to the spray, try the vibration mode, or drop us a message and we'll help you find the right setting. Every dog is different, and we're happy to talk through it.
Specifications
| Feature |
Detail |
| Training modes |
Tone · Vibration (8 levels) · Citronella spray (2 intensities) |
| Battery |
1000 mAh · up to 10 days per charge |
| Charging |
Dual port — collar and remote charge simultaneously |
| Waterproofing |
Collar: IPX5 (rain and splash resistant) · Remote: not waterproof |
| Suitable for |
Dogs aged 6 months+ · 8 lbs (3.6 kg) and over |
| In the box |
Collar · Remote · Lemongrass citronella spray bottle · Dual charging cable · User guide |
Common questions
Is a citronella spray collar safe and humane?
Yes — there's no shock, no pain, nothing that causes the dog distress
beyond a smell they weren't expecting. The lemongrass mist is
non-toxic and safe; what it does is interrupt, not punish. Most dogs
find it startling for the first few sessions and then either stop
barking to avoid it or start ignoring it (the latter is more common
with very determined barkers, in which case you need training
alongside the collar rather than instead of it). It's not a
substitute for actual training — but as a humane tool to support
training, it's about as gentle as bark deterrents get.
How quickly does the collar work?
Honestly, it varies a lot. Some dogs respond within a few sessions — the novelty of the spray is enough to break the barking habit before it can reassert itself. Others take two to three weeks of consistent use before you see a real difference, especially dogs that have been barking the same way for years and have had plenty of time to entrench the behaviour.
The key word there is consistent. Using it occasionally while reverting to shouting the rest of the time confuses the signal. The collar works as part of a training routine, not instead of one. If your dog isn't responding to the spray, try vibration — some dogs find the sensation more arresting than the scent, and the eight levels of vibration mean you can find the lightest setting that actually registers with your particular dog.
What size and age of dog is it suitable for?
The collar is suitable for dogs aged six months and over, weighing at least 8 lbs (3.6 kg). The strap is fully adjustable to fit a wide range of breeds and neck sizes.
Can I trigger the collar manually?
Yes, and it's worth doing. The remote triggers tone, vibration, or spray whenever you press it — not just when the dog barks. The underrated move is using it just before the trigger rather than during the barking: if your dog loses it every time someone comes to the door, pressing the vibration button the moment you hear the knock yourself means you're interrupting the anticipation rather than the bark that's already started. That tends to work faster than responding after the fact.
Is the collar waterproof?
The collar is IPX5 — handles rain and splashes fine, which is the
main thing for UK walks. You're not going to ruin it in a shower or
if the dog runs through a puddle. The remote isn't waterproof though,
so that stays in your pocket rather than clipped to a wet lead. Worth
knowing before the first rainy walk rather than after it.
How long does the battery last?
Up to ten days on a full charge, though that drops a bit if you're using the spray heavily — the spray mechanism draws more power than tone or vibration. For most people with a dog in active training, expect seven to ten days before you're reaching for the cable.
The collar and remote charge from the same port at the same time, which is the kind of detail that seems minor until you've owned gadgets with three different incompatible cables. One cable, both devices, done.
