Dogs come in all shapes, colors, sizes, and personalities. Sometimes, they are just the best boys and girls that fit right into the family. On the other hand, some just find it hard to change their doggy ways, causing you to lose sleep, gain extra responsibilities, and rarely but possibly, risk harm to you and other people.
One solution to this is training. The general but absolute goal is to minimize bad behaviors and both introduce and fortify good behaviors. Often this only involves a steady hand and a bagful of treats, but one of the most effective tools to train them is via negative reinforcement using shock collars; collars that deliver a weak but adjustable electric jolt at the press of a button.
However, not all people are comfortable with the idea of using electricity to train their dogs, knowing well that it can be painful, or have tried it themselves. This is why companies created training collars that utilize either vibration or citronella sprays, to provide alternative ways of training.
Here, we’ll answer a few important questions about no-shock collars, as well as give you a list of collars that use vibration and citronella sprays.
In a rush? Here are our top picks!
The first on the list is a jack-of-all-trades kind of collar. It has shock but it can be removed, leaving vibrate and tone alongside a myriad of features. You’ll also soon find out that this collar is geared for training sessions and hunting.
That’s a lot of features downright crammed on this collar, which explains the higher (but surprisingly fair) price compared to the rest of the collars in the list. To remove the shock feature, you can swap the steel prongs with the included plastic prongs so you don’t accidentally shock your dog in case you press the wrong button.
Vibration is a great way to quietly send cues to your dog, especially when they already know what to do with that cue. In training situations, you can also use the vibrate as negative reinforcement, because as harmless as it is, it can get annoying or downright disturbing for the dog and if they understand how to turn it off (By performing the correct behavior), training will be much easier.
The tone may sound weak, but it’s for the sake of your dog’s very sensitive ears. They are not ultrasonic but simply a loud enough beep for your dog to hear. Like the vibrate, you can use this as a signal or as negative reinforcement.
If you’re not training your dog and they have an excessive barking problem, you can switch it to auto-anti-bark mode. Though this uses shock, it does have a simple but generous programming where the collar will produce a beep when it hears your dog bark for more than a few seconds. If they continue to bark, only then will the collar trigger the shock. This way, your dog will easily learn to stop barking before it becomes excessive.
The nightlight is one of those features you don’t need in training sessions, but tremendously helpful at night. If your dog’s lost in the dark (or you are), you can press the nightlight button to see where they are, and you can press it repeatedly so you can easily spot it even in low visibility.
As far as the range goes, it goes pretty far. Jokes aside, in an open field, the remote can send signals to the collar as far as 9 or 10 football fields or approximately 1200 yards. Even if you consider that greenery and other solid objects like walls can cut the range down to a half or even a third, that’s still a minimum of 3 football fields of range or approximately 330 yards.
Since it’s also meant for hunting, the collar’s receiver is waterproof by up to 25 feet underwater. This means your dog can freely dive into a pond or the beach without worrying about damage. The remote, however, is only great at resisting the heaviest rain and snow, so take care not to dive with your dog with the remote on you.
Lithium-Ion batteries are the standard for most, if not all, rechargeable devices and they charge pretty quickly. All the collars in this list have this and it’s only a matter of how soon you need to replace them. This collar can last up to a week of normal use and longer if you don’t use the shock, and turn it off afterward because it doesn’t go to standby mode, avoiding delays between trigger and effect.
Features:
- Shock, Vibrate, Tone, and Automatic Anti-Bark Mode
- 10 Levels of Shock, with “Moderate” Overall Power
- 3/4 Mile Range in Open Spaces
- Supports Up to 3 Collars
- Nightlight
- Waterproof Collar, Splashproof Remote
- Easy-to-Understand Remote Control
- Always Awake Mode
- 2 Hour Quick-Charge Lithium-Ion Battery
The second collar is the first sample of the vibration collars. Like the first example, this collar also has its fair share of features that make it an excellent training collar alongside being tough enough to be used outdoors like the beach or park.
The vibrate function is great for deaf dogs. You can use this along with hand gestures to properly communicate with your fur-buddy. It comes with 1-16 levels of vibration. The highest level of vibration may “shock” or startle your dog, so you need to be careful about it, or start from a low level and keep raising it until they are used to it.
It advertises itself as a completely waterproof collar, so if you’re someone who likes to go to the beach or lake and have a swim with your furry friend, and still be able to give them signals, then this is the collar for you.
Just as the vibration is great for deaf dogs, the remote is shaped to help the blind. The lower half of the remote is shaped so that your thumb will be guided to the button that triggers the vibration. We’ll tell you a neat trick on how to take advantage of the vibrate function later.
Though it doesn’t have a nightlight, it does have a blinking green light you can remotely activate. Human eyes are good at seeing movement and strobing colors, so this functions well as a way to locate your dog in low-visibility conditions.
When this collar is not in use, it goes to standby mode or battery-save mode. After an hour or two, it will partially shut down, turning off all major functions until it receives a signal and wakes up after a second or two to start working again.
Features
- Vibrate and Tone functions
- Waterproof Collar and Remote
- Adjustable Vibration Levels
- 660 Yard Total Range
- No-Look Remote Control
- Blinking Light
- Supports Up to Two Collars
- Long Stand-By Time
- 2 Hour Quick-Charge Lithium-Ion Battery
Our 3rd collar is another variation of the humane or no-shock collar and this collar has an extra feature added to it which justifies the slightly bulkier receiver.
Citronella is fragrant and repels mosquitoes and other insects. It is, however, an irritant towards cats and dogs. If you’ve seen how dogs react to lemons, you’d see that they have a negative reaction towards it. Cats simply hate citrine smells and some owners take advantage of that by spraying citronella oil or placing the specially made gels on areas where they don’t want cats to go near.
The formulation on these collars is diluted to make sure your dog inhales the least amount of citronella solution in their nose while still keeping the irritability. Combine that with the vibrate and tone functions and you’ll have a diverse way of signaling and providing negative reinforcement.
You can adjust the spray and vibrate levels too, so make sure to start at the lowest levels at the start of training. The less power and spray used, the less stress your pup gets and you get more uses out of the collar. Speaking of uses, the remote and receiver can last up to 2 weeks of use before they need charging and even then it only takes 2-3 hours to bring it back to full charge.
The nightlight is a bit on the dim side but the unique shape of the LEDs is enough for you to see the collar at night.
Unlike the collars in this list, the kit itself is only made to resist the rain. They won’t survive being submerged, so consider removing this if you’re visiting the beach or lake.
Features:
- Vibrate, Tone, and Citronella Spray Training modes.
- Rainproof Receiver and Remote Control
- Adjustable Spray and Vibrate Levels
- 870 Yard Total Range
- Easy-Feel Remote Control
- Blinking Light
- Supports 3 Collars with One Remote
- 2 Hour Quick-Charge Lithium-Ion Battery
This collar is another example of a humane training kit that’s similar to our 2nd collar on the list but at a more affordable price. This collar advertises that it’s useful for deaf dogs and they are right. Deaf dogs still have their eyes, smell, and whiskers to help them navigate their world, but they won’t be able to hear your voice and it takes time to get used to your gestures. Collars capable of vibration are the solution to this, so you can call your dog at the press of a button. (Provided you taught and trained them first.)
If you haven’t noticed, all the humane collars don’t have prongs because they don’t need them. This doesn’t mean that you can put the collar loosely on your dog and expect it to work. Training and conditioning need consistency and the strength of the vibration is affected by how tight the collar is placed. The most reliable measure is if two fingers can fit snugly in between the neck and the collar. This measure is widely used, even in strap-on blood pressure taking cuffs.
The features are practically the same because these are the features that work. Vibrate and Tone modes for both negative reinforcement and signaling, adjustable levels of vibration so you can calibrate the lowest amount your dog will react to (and save battery power along the way), and a decent 660-yard range, which can be handy for recalling your dog when they are in the backyard and you’re on the master’s bedroom on the second floor.
Since the goal of these training tools is to be as efficient as possible, so the remotes are easy to use and can be operated with your eyes closed, or at least without looking. Efficiency also means not needing to charge this after every use, so it comes with the standard stand-by time and quick charge so if the battery’s empty, you can charge it first thing in the morning and use it right after breakfast.
Features
- Vibrate and Tone functions
- 10 Levels of Vibration
- Waterproof Collar and Remote
- Adjustable Vibration Levels
- 660 Yard Total Range
- No-Look Remote Control
- Blinking Light
- Supports Up to Two Collars
- Long Stand-By Time
- 2 Hour Quick-Charge Lithium-Ion Battery
The last collar on the list is another citronella spray collar that has an even simpler interface. It’s worth reminding that citronella collars are harmless if used properly, but it’s still an irritant and anything irritating can cause stress in the long run. It has basic features, but it makes up for having an automatic anti-bark feature.
This one only has Citronella and Tone, which should be enough for training, provided you don’t have an incredibly stubborn or aggressive dog. Citronella is quite effective so tiny sprays are sufficient as an aversive. If want to find out if it works on your dog, get a tiny bottle of citronella oil and drop some close to your dog. If they start going away from it, you know they don’t like it.
Outside of training, you set it to Anti-Bark mode. The collar will listen for your dog’s barks and when it does, it sends out a warning beep first, then if they ignore the beep and kept barking for a few more seconds, the collar will then spray. Over time, your dog will learn to stop barking when they hear the beep.
What’s a bit of a con on this collar compared to the others is the range. It’s 167 yards, or about 500 feet, compared to our first collar that has almost ten times the range. This shouldn’t be a problem if you’re using it chiefly for training, and 167 yards is still quite far.
The IPX rating is a scoring system they use to measure how “waterproof” something is before it’s breached or broken. When they say waterproof, it mostly means IPX5 and above (There is an IPX scoring for both water and dust, but this is only for water).
The can that comes with the collar set is good for 300-400 sprays and a full collar can spray about 25-35 before needing refills. Sometimes though, the collar spray can fail due to dust or dirt getting stuck in the nozzle, so always clean the collar after use.
Features
- Tone and Citronella Spray Training modes.
- Automatic Anti-Bark Mode
- IPX5 Waterproof Receiver and Remote Control
- 2 Levels of Spray and Vibrate Levels
- 167 Yard Total Range
- Very Simple Remote Control
- Supports 2 Collars with One Remote
- 2 Hour Quick-Charge Lithium-Ion Battery
Do no shock training collars work?
It depends. We can say with certainty, that with enough effort and care, nearly any humane training method will work, but a dog’s personality and temperament will determine the time and effort needed. Doing any kind of training or conditioning where you put something your dog doesn’t like so they will do the correct action, is called Negative Reinforcement. For some dogs, just the look and sound of your displeasure and disappointment is enough. For others, it takes more, far more to faze them and in some cases, they will end up doing more unwanted behavior like aggression if you use negative reinforcement.
In the middle of all of that are dogs that are responsive to humane options like vibration and citronella sprays. They are still both irritants, especially the spray, so with the correct process and timing (and treats, don’t forget the treats!), your dog will respond well to training.
To better see what these non-shock collars are, here is a list of products that highlight their features and what we think about them.
Are No Shock Collars Safe?
It’s never a bad thing to ask if something is safe for your pet. Despite these collars not employing electric shock, it’s still prudent to check because even the safest thing can be harmful if used improperly. In general, vibration, tone, and citronella sprays are safe but there are a few things you need to know.
Vibration collars can still cause sores and wounds similar to shock collars.
This is due to a misconception of what causes those wounds. Some thought it was due to the intensity of the shocks burning the skin, but they are likely friction and pressure wounds. Vibration and Shock collars need to be worn tight enough for the stimulation to be consistent. Wearing them longer than 8 hours without rotating the collar puts too much pressure on the skin. Combine that with the constant movements your dog makes causes the prongs or the contact area to rub on those pressure points, eventually causing sore spots or rashes. Don’t keep the collar on for more than 8 hours and rotate the collar every hour or two to prevent this.
Citronella is toxic to dogs and cats.
There’s a good reason why they hate it. Their brains and yours evolved to find healthy stuff appealing and poisonous stuff aversive. Consuming or simply absorbing the essential oil into their bodies can cause skin irritation, stomach upsets, and vomiting, with the worse symptoms being loss of muscle coordination, hypothermia (opposite of a fever), and of course, death.
On the positive side, the solutions that come with the citronella spray collar are diluted to the point where only the smell and the mild nose irritation will happen, but this means prolonged misuse can still cause the aforementioned symptoms.
Conclusion Best No Shock Dog Training Collar
With pet ownership, your pet’s safety comes first, so taking a safer route is never a bad option. As long as you do your homework first, find the most optimal process second, and of course, maximize the fun you’ll have with your fur-fam, you and your dog will always come out on top.
Garrett loves animals and is a huge advocate for all Doodle dog breeds. He owns his own Goldendoodle named Kona. In addition, he volunteers at the Humane Society of Silicon Valley, where he fosters dogs and helps animals. Garrett enjoys writing about Doodles and believes that dogs can teach humans more about how to live than humans can teach a dog.
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