Is Citronella a Dog Repellent?

Citronella comes from the leaves and stems of the Cymbopogon or lemongrass plants. This is a common ingredient used in a variety of cosmetic products on the market today. It is also known for its ability to stimulate appetite and increase urine production.

Citronella as a Dog Repellent

Citronella can be used as a Dog Reppelent. The overall smell of citronella is very abrasive to most dogs, which is precisely why it is used as a repellent.

Dogs have a much more powerful sense of smell than humans, and they don’t usually like this particular scent.

Behaviors Citronella can Help with

Some of the different canine behaviors that this herb can help with include:

Digging

A lot of dogs have a problem with digging up their owner’s backyard. If your pooch won’t stop doing this, you can try using this deterrent. The root cause of this behavior is often boredom though. You should first try playing with your dog a bit more before trying to use the repellent.

Barking

Nothing is more annoying than when your dog keeps going crazy every time someone walks by your house. This is a common problem with many togs, but it should not be tolerated. A lot of owners just accept it, which is the worst thing you could do.

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The sooner you begin training your dog not to bark, the easier it will be to get noticeable results. It is best to start doing this during the puppy phase while they are most receptive to training.

Chewing

If your dog loves to chew on everything from your shoes to furniture, you’ll need to take action immediately. Try spraying down the things it likes to chew on with a combination of three parts water and one part citronella oil.

There is a very good chance that your dog will be so put off by the scent that they don’t even think about doing any chewing. Make sure that you reapply the repellent at least every other day if not every single day.

Aggression

If your dog is exhibiting any aggressive behaviors, you’ll need to start training them right away. Citronella makes for an excellent deterrent when you are trying to get your dog to stop being so aggressive.

While mildly aggressive behavior might not seem like a big deal at first, it can quickly escalate. The last thing you want is to have your dog bite a stranger and get sued or have to put your beloved pet to sleep.

How to Use Citronella to Train Your Dog

If you have decided to give citronella a try for training your dog, there are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind.

Creating an Effective Deterrent

First you will need to get a spray bottle and fill it ¾ of the way up with water. Put in a teaspoon or two of citronella oil. You might want to test this out by spraying it into the air first. If you are able to smell the oil, your dog definitely can. A dog’s sense of smell is much more powerful than our own.

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Using too much citronella in your deterrent can cause your dog to have an unnecessarily negative reaction. This could have the opposite effect that you are hoping for when training it, so make sure you don’t use a lot.

When to Spray

It is very important that you only spray your dog with the oil deterrent when they do something bad, such as barking or digging. You will need to spray them right away, aiming for the nose. Try not to get any of it in their eyes so as not to cause any unnecessary discomfort.

If you don’t do this the second they start their bad behavior, they might not figure out why you are doing this. You can also yell “No!” while you are doing this to reinforce the message. Simply yelling alone probably won’t do any good.

Distracting Your Dog

After you have sprayed your dog with the deterrent, you should distract them with one of their favorite toys. This will divert their attention to something that they enjoy doing so they don’t engage in the bad behavior.

Be Consistent

Make sure that you are consistent with your efforts when using citronella to train your dog. You will never get anywhere with them if you don’t keep doing it every single time your pet commits an offense. After a while they will start to understand not to do this behavior.

It might take a while before you start getting noticeable results with your dog, depending on just how bullheaded it is. This means that you might have to be somewhat patient. The last thing you should do is hit your dog or blow up at it. Doing this will only set you back in terms of the progress that you have made with them.

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Conclusion

Citronella oil can be very useful when it comes to getting your dog to stop a variety of undesirable behaviors. This includes barking, digging, chewing, and general aggression.
This herb has a very strong aroma that most dogs tend to find very off putting.
Put a couple of teaspoons of citronella oil in a spray bottle with some water to make an effective repellent to train your dog.
Make sure that you aim the bottle at your dog’s nose. Try not to get any of this mixture in their eyes.
Distract your dog with one of its favorite toys immediately after you do this.
It is crucial that you are consistent with your efforts so that the training will be successful.
Spray your dog with the citronella/water mixture as soon as you notice it doing anything it is not supposed to.

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