After 44 hours spent researching the best dog repellents, we think Halt Irritating Spray Dog Repellent is the best for most people.
This choice is based on several criteria: brand, type, repellent, working distance, outdoor use, indoor use, easy to use, efficient, rechargeable / refillable, ergonomic, belt clip, harmless to dog, deters aggressive dogs, stops barking, and best for, among other things.
| Product | Price | Overall Rating | Quality | Efficiency | Durability | Scent | Value for Money | brand | type | repellent | working distance | outdoor use | indoor use | easy to use | efficient | rechargeable / refillable | ergonomic | belt clip | harmless to dog | deters aggressive dogs | stops barking | best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halt Irritating Spray Dog Repellent | Check Price | 4.2 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | Halt | Spray | Capsaicin (pepper) | Up to 10ft | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Mailman, police, jogger, walker, etc |
| Hoont Electronic Ultrasonic Dog Repellent | Check Price | 4.8 | 5.0 | 4.5 | 5.0 | 4.5 | 5.0 | Hoont | Electronic | Ultrasound | Up to 50ft | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Mailman, police, jogger, walker, etc |
| PetSafe SprayShield Citronella Dog Repellent | Check Price | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.5 | PetSafe | Spray | Citronella | Up to 10ft | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Mailman, police, jogger, walker, etc |
 | Dog Dazer II Ultrasonic Dog Repellent | Check Price | 4.9 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.5 | 5.0 | Dazer | Electronic | Ultrasound | Up to 20ft | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Mailman, police, jogger, walker, etc |
 | Ortho Dog and Cat B Gon Spray Dog Repellent | Check Price | 4.5 | 5.0 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.5 | Ortho | Spray | Peppermint | Not specified | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | Mailman, police, jogger, walker, etc |
Keeping you and your best friend safe is essential, and the best dog repellent can be a factor in making that process a little easier for everyone.
Effective dog repellent can keep dogs from barking, digging, and doing other unwanted behaviors.
Dogs are a lifetime commitment. It’s more than just cleaning up their business with a dog pooper scooper or feeding them the best food in their dog bowl or automatic dog feeder. They’re your companion and best friend.
Play is essential for dogs because it gets out their energy and gets their minds working. Do you have a dog interactive toy or fetch toy? Maybe you need to train them with a dog training collar and an agility course complete with a dog agility tunnel? After they play, get them settled on their dog cooling pad with their favorite dog chew toy for a cool down.
Grooming and medical care are also a big part of your commitment. Dogs need to be bathed with the best dog shampoo and conditioner. You want to have a dog cone, dog laxative, and other supplies on hand for illness or injury. And, if you need to do so, find a dog wheelchair that can help with their mobility.
Taking Fido on the road is fun as well. Load up their dog backpack with their dog bicycle leash, dog raincoat, and other necessities. Put the dog carrier and dog gate in the trunk, hook them up to their dog car seat, and you’re ready for a road trip!
Sometimes, we need something a little more forceful to deter our dogs or other people’s dogs when they’re exhibiting unwanted behavior. The best dog repellent can help to make that process go more smoothly.
Selection Of The Best Dog Repellents
Here are the best dog repellents for most people according to Outlinist:
Buying Guide
Type of Behavior to Control
What sort of behavior are you trying to get under control? Maybe you’re tired of your neighbor’s dog digging up your flowers or getting at your kids when they’re out in the yard. Or maybe your dog just won’t be quiet.
Different types of repellent work well for different behaviors. Typically, for barking, sound is most effective. Scent is best for digging, and pepper spray/other spray options work well for repelling aggressive dogs.
Scent Repellent
If you need the best dog repellent for the yard so that they stop digging everything up, then scent-based sprays are often the best. These are a lot easier to spray over a large area of your yard and they stick around for a while.
These often use citrus, ammonia, or vinegar in order to fend your yard from canine neighbors that may be looking to dig up your rose bush. The scent is so strong and potent to them, they just steer clear of it.
Noise Deterrent
Barking dogs are a totally different issue. If you’re looking for a barking dog deterrent, sound-based options are the best. The issue with barking is that your dog typically doesn’t hear you, or they choose to ignore you.
If you bring in an unfamiliar (and piercing) sound, like what you get with noise repellent, the dog is more likely to quiet down and try to find the source of the noise. Then, you can try to redirect them so that they don’t immediately start barking again.
Pepper Spray
If you’re worried about aggressive dogs as you job or cycle, your best bet is to carry dog pepper spray with you. This is meant to be sprayed in their face, incapacitating them because they are temporarily blinded.
While any sort of pepper spray will give the same effect, dog options have a lower concentration with the intention of reducing injury or illness as a result of being sprayed. So, if it’s dogs you’re worried about, this is a good option to consider.
Redirecting Options
Some of us need help redirecting our dogs when they do something that they aren’t supposed to. Not only do we want to tell them “no”, we want to be sure to give them an option that they can direct their attention to instead.
Much like some calming collars, there are some repellents that actually use pheromones. So, for example, a noise repellent may also spray out some of these pheromones, catching the dog’s attention with the noise, and then calming the dog down with the scent of pheromones.
Automatic Devices
There are both scent and sound electronic animal repellent options available. Some options will automatically go off when a dog starts barking within a certain range of the sensors.
Some of the most advanced ones have motion detectors, which can let them know whether or not they should release the spray or play the noise. These can typically tell if it’s a human in the space, or if there is an animal that needs to be repelled.
Safe for Pets?
Safety is always essential when you want to ensure that you’re using something to deter pets from certain behaviors and activities. You want to deter them, not harm them, and you don’t want them to get ill.
If you’re especially concerned, keep your eyes peeled for natural dog repellent, which use scents like orange, lemon, lime, and vinegar, in order to keep dogs away from a particular area in your yard.
Indoor or Outdoor?
Indoor repellent should be safe for pets and for kids, especially if it’s a scent-based spray that you’re using. Look for nontoxic options that aren’t going to cause any of your furniture or other possessions to become damaged with its use.
For outdoor dog repellent, you have a little more freedom due to how much space you have. Typically, you are going to want to use electronic options that trigger or just spray over the part of the yard that you’re concerned about.
Considerations for Bikers and Runners
If you run or bike on a regular basis, you know that you come across all sorts of animals – friendly and unfriendly. Most runners and bikers have a story or two about escaping from a dog that freaked them out.
Keep aggressive dog deterrent spray on hand. Make sure it is can easily clip onto your fanny pack or a belt loop so that you can use it fast if you need to. It can help to keep you safe and ensure that you don’t get into a bad situation with an animal.
Range of Effectiveness
How far out is it effective? Many sound options are able to work anywhere from 10 feet all the way to 70 feet, depending on what it is and how it’s set up.
On the other hand, scents and pepper sprays usually need to be a little bit closer. So, while your neighbor’s dog may still come into your yard when they shouldn’t, they will soon run off because they’ll catch a whiff of whatever it was that you sprayed.
Duration of Effectiveness
How long is it effective for? For sprays and other deterrents used on lawns or gardens, you want to see how often you should reapply it. Without rain, most repellents will last somewhere between 2 and 4 weeks, but will gradually lose intensity and effectiveness.
Sound repellents will usually work for a few minutes, but when using them for training purposes they may become less effective over time as the dog becomes accustomed to it. Pepper spray works immediately, but will only stop the dog for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until they are able to clear their eyes.
Side Effects
There are some side effects to be concerned about with canine repellent. For example, some dogs may become fearful or nervous with sound repellents, especially if you use them too often to make them stop barking.
Other side effects could be rashes and other allergic reactions to some of the ingredients you will find in the repellent itself. This could include vomiting, sneezing, and other issues.
Environmental Concerns
The best animal repellent spray is one that isn’t going to harm the environment. Natural options aren’t only safer for your dog, but they’re also safer for the environment.
You also want to do some research into how the sound is made from sound repellent. There is some proof that sound at certain decibels can be very harmful to animals’ ears, so you want to be sure that you find repellent that is designed to be useful, but safe.
Puppies vs. Adults
Puppies are especially sensitive to the noises and scents that they may experience from a dog deterrent. Because of that, you want to be very careful about what you use and how much you use it. Look for options that are safe for puppies.
For adults, you may need to use a little more than you expect. On top of that, you need to keep an eye on whether or not a deterrent is even doing anything; some adults get really good at ignoring repellents, so you may need to switch things up to keep up with that.
Product Expiration
Scents start to lose their potency after a while, even if the product is just sitting in the bottle. The same thing happens to pepper spray. So, it’s best to keep an eye on expiration dates – pepper spray lasts 2 to 3 years, as do most outdoor repellent sprays.
Sound repellents really don’t have an expiration date, unless they use something scented (like pheromones) with it. Some of the best dog repellent options say that they have a lifetime guarantee but, more often than not, they only have about 5 years or so of use in them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is anti-chew spray the same thing as dog repellent?
Not at all. Dog anti-chew spray is specially formulated to be sprayed onto things like furniture so that your dog doesn’t chew on them. It doesn’t do much else other than that.
They may have some repellent qualities – like a bad smell – but anti-chew options are another consideration entirely, and are only ever meant to be used in a context where your dog is chewing on something that they shouldn’t be.
Does every repellent work for every dog?
Does dog repellent work for every dog you have or come across? It depends on the type. Most sound-based repellents are pretty effective because dogs don’t like sudden noises. Pepper spray typically works for aggressive dogs.
Scent-based options may not work for every dog. Some dogs like certain scents more than others, so you may have to do a little bit of trial and error in order to figure out which options are going to be best for your purposes.
Can repellents work on other animals?
Absolutely! While dog repellents are typically designed with dogs in mind, many of those can also be used for cats and other carnivores/omnivores that have a particularly strong sense of smell.
You can also buy repellents for your yard and garden that are meant for any animal that may try to bother things. As with most scent-based options, some may work while others may not. You’ll have to do some trial and error to find the best options.
Can I use a dog whistle for training instead?
Many people will try to utilize a dog whistle instead of other types of repellents. For training purposes, whistles can be a lot more pleasant and they give you more flexibility in how you train your dog.
It also makes positive reinforcement a lot easier. Whistles aren’t meant to freak your dog out, they’re built to catch your dog’s attention. Then, you can tell them whatever you need to and provide them with positive reinforcement.
What do I need to know about yard sprays?
Yard sprays can have a lot of environmental impact, so you want to be aware of what you’re purchasing and what ingredients are in it. You don’t want to get something that can harm animals or the plants that you’re using it on.
In the long run, you’re a lot better off finding natural options that have been designed for this exact purpose. Do research and try to find natural options for the best dog repellent for outdoor spaces.
Sources
- Possible harmful effects from a capsaicin base aerosol dog repellent, National Institutes of Health, Feb 22, 1980
- City Has New Tool to Keep Staff, Dogs Safe, City of Bend, Aug 3, 2017
- Characterization of dog repellent factor from cuticular secretion of female yellow dog tick, Haemaphysalis leachi, National Institutes of Health, Jan 3, 2006
- How to Make Homemade Dog Repellent, HowStuffWorks
- Animal repellent, Wikipedia
- Federally Registered Pesticides for Vertebrate Control, University of Nebraska
- National Dog Bite Prevention Week, National Postal Museum, May 18, 2016
- How to Keep Dogs Away From Yards, The Spruce, Dec 19, 2018
- Dog Repellents & Puppy Training Sprays for Chewing & More, Petco
- Using Dog Repellent, USPS.com
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