Comparison of two antibarking collars for treatment of nuisance barking.

Two commercially available antibarking collars (i.e., a citronella spray collar and an electronic shock collar) were evaluated for efficacy and user satisfaction as reported by owners after a two-week trial period for each collar. While both collars were effective in decreasing barking (88.9% for the citronella spray collar and 44.4% for the electronic shock collar), most owners expressed a preference for the citronella spray collar. Owners perceived it as being more humane and indicated that they willingly would use it on a long-term basis to decrease their dogs' nuisance barking. While the citronella spray collar has some drawbacks, it is another tool for managing excessive barking.