Summary
Using an ultrasonic sound that humans can’t hear, the PetGentle claims it can help you train your dog how to stop barking using sound, light and positive reinforcement.
Published on: Feb 11, 2019
PetGentle is a battery-powered dog whistle and flashlight marketed as a tool you can use to train your dog not to bark in situations in which he or she shouldn’t be barking.
The device leverages your dog’s distaste for high-pitched noises to correct his or her behavior.
As a former dog owner of a particularly loud-mouthed terrier, I can tell you from personal experience that there’s nothing more frustrating than having your pup unleash a powerful burst of barks during nap time when the mailman arrives.
In theory, PetGentle seems like a pretty effective tool. In this review, we’ll analyze how the device actually works, how much it costs and how it compares to other similar dog whistles.
Dog owners with vocal pups who seem to bark at the wrong time – or anytime – during the day can quickly reach their patience’s breaking point. Mailmen, car doors shutting, cats walking through the front yard – they're all triggers for barking.
To think that a device like PetGentle can be the solution to this problem can be a huge relief. After all, their website claims:
“Unwanted behaviors can be frustrating and even embarrassing … PetGentle handheld dog trainer makes it easy. (It) gives you control of the situation so you can train, treat and repeat your way to a better relationship with your four-legged friend.”
The PetGentle an ultrasonic noise emitter (inaudible to humans) and a flashlight. Their site says you can use both of these to get your dog’s attention amid his or her poor behavior – barking, for example. The flashlight has a continuous beam and a strobe option.
Basically, the site says that when your dog is losing their mind over the mailman knocking at your door, you activate the device’s ultrasonic sound.
Since your dog despises the sound, he or she will stop his behavior (in theory) and focus on the very ultrasonic noise it wants to stop.
Should he or she seem undeterred by the sound, you can push the sound button again and activated the light. This two-sense approach should be enough to distract your dog from barking.
The product’s website says that the sound is “100% harmless to dogs & safe to humans.”
Pro tip: The device ships with a 9-volt battery.
The big question with this device is whether or not it’s actually effective in training your dog not to bark in situations in which he or she normally barks.
According to dog walking site Wag!, the key to using these devices is to reward your dog as soon as he or she exhibits the behavior you deem positive. So, when your dog stops barking after you activate the PetGentle ultrasonic sound, provide them with a treat.
If your pup doesn’t do what you want when you activate the whistle, do it again and, if need be, use the light in conjunction with sound. Consistency is the key to changing behaviors – go through the same process every time your dog bakers when you don’t want him or her to bark.
“Repeat this procedure every time your dog barks in an unwanted fashion. Remember to be consistent. Eventually, your dog will associate excessive barking with the unpleasant sound of the whistle,” Wag! notes.
Based on what we’ve read on Wag! And what we’ve heard from experts, using a device like PetGentle is a legitimate way to bark train your dog.
When we wrote this review, PetGentle offered five different prices based on how many devices you wanted to buy:
What was interesting is that, while we were on the checkout page, a pop-up window with a Wheel of Fortune-style wheel spun around and stopped on a $10 discount that the site added to our shopping cart. Because of this, our PetGentle cost $29.95 instead of $39.95.
Shipping is between $2.95 and $6.95 depending on how many devices you buy.
The site also advertised a 90-day, money-back guarantee that said you could send your PetGentle back within 90 days to get a full refund. You’ll have to pay the shipping to send it back, though.
We read through the fine print to find more information about the return policy and all we could find was an email address: support@petgentle.com.
We called the customer service line 833-501-3407 and received a message telling us there weren’t any agents available to help us.
Based on this experience, it may take some time for you to get your return process, so keep that in mind.
You have two main choices when it comes to dog whistles: battery-powered and breath-powered. You can either push a button or blow into a whistle.
We went to Amazon to find the top-rated battery-powered and breath-powered whistles and found the following two items:
Based on our research of dog whistles, we don’t see any performance differences between a mouth whistle and battery whistle. Both seem to serve well the purposes of training your dog not to bark.
That being said, the Modus gets better reviews than the MightyPaw. It’s hard to say what the difference is between the two in terms of performance. Some people may like the ease of the battery-powered device – just click a button and the tone emits.
Whistles require lung power and cleaning, and these things take a bit more effort than the PetGentle, for example.
To us, choosing between a battery-powered whistle training and a breath-powered whistle trainer is a matter of your needs for value and convenience.
If you are on a tight budget, breath-powered whistles offer the best value. If you have $30 or $40 to spend and want convenience, the PetGentle is probably the best choice.
Typically, when you buy products like this, there are two main questions:
We believe that PetGentle offers competitive pricing and is a legitimate solution for the problem of a dog who likes to bark at appropriate and inappropriate times.
There’s enough evidence from dog sites and dog experts to back up the idea that consistent use of a dog whistle along with treats can train your dog only to bark in situations you want him or her to bark.
Now, our claim that the device is competitively priced is based on a comparison to other battery-powered ultrasonic trainers. Breath-powered do whistles are significantly cheaper.
In general, we believe our research and various experts point to the fact that the PetGentle can be a helpful way to bark train your dog.
Posted on Mar 1, 2019
This item surprised us right out of the box. It worked great. We love it. Our dogs bark at everything. Not anymore. One short push of the button and a soft "no" really worked. You should be able to train your dogs to do almost anything with this PetGentle.
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
Posted on Mar 13, 2019
I have two big dogs that are not for the faint of heart and this little device actually works very well...gets their attention immediately and they wait for instructions. Love it!
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
Posted on Mar 20, 2019
We received our PetGentle and within three days our doggies had stopped nearly all of their barking. To be exact, they now only bark one bark, when there is something alarming, the gardener, mailman, etc. and when anyone follows with a "no bark" command, they immediately stop and we reward them. During the first three days, when they started their incessant barking, we said "no bark" and as they continued we pushed the button of the PetGentle. We never had to push it more than twice as their distaste of the pitch stopped them from barking within a very short (5 second) period. When they stopped, we rewarded them with lots of praise and pets (we don't believe in treats for behavior). Within three days we were down to one bark, warning, quite. The only drawback was that we have three doggies. One is a faster learner and another more stubborn. So when we continued to need to correct Mr. Stubborn, the others were alarmed and confused as they were not barking but receiving the signal noise. Even to the point that Mr. Quick Learner was so anxious we needed to assist him with some CBD oil to stop his quivering. It's not always a perfect solution, but we have used the PetGentle only once in the past two weeks. This worked so well that I don't think we've used it more than 10 times since we got it. That said, the less it is needed, ongoing, the more effective it is!
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
Posted on Apr 8, 2019
I have (had) a dog who barked so much that she, and thus we, were unwelcome at doggie events that I longed for. I put up with it for 7 years, with the only exception being a brief use of shock collar. THAT resulted in an increase of barking, as she would bark AT IT when it went off! At my wit's end, I got the PetGentle, not really trusting that it would work. A week later, I have a completely different dog! I used it as directed, along with the word "quiet" and now all I have to do is show her it’s in my pocket when we walk out. Sorry, I don’t have the order number as I tossed the packaging when I found it worked!
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
Posted on May 16, 2019
I have a three-year-old German Shepherd. She is loud, and she is stubborn. I got the PetGentle to try to stop the barking when anything goes past our house, as well as stopping her desire to chase cars while on walks. I have to say I was amazed at the results. It stopped her barking almost immediately, along with the command "calm" and a treat. She watches cars go by, but no barking. The car chasing is proving a bit harder but even there it is making a big difference. I would recommend this to anyone with a similar issue with their dog.
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
Posted on May 23, 2019
Before purchasing this item, I read all the reviews carefully. Unfortunately, not all were positive! I have 2 small dogs and they bark at everything and I just couldn't train them to stop. So I thought it was worth trying. For those of you that say it doesn't work, you are absolutely right, it doesn't work on your dog, but it does work on dogs! My Maltipoo, nothing, no response to it at all! I absolutely have no idea why. But, my Yorkipoo, it is absolutely something to watch! I point it at her and she responds as though she was zapped. She stops immediately. It's truly remarkable! For those of you thinking about buying the PetGentle, I truly hope you have a dog that responds to it.
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
Posted on Jun 5, 2019
I received my PetGentle about a month ago. My dog was barking and howling to the point that I couldn't even speak to a neighbor when I was walking her. Since I started using the device all I have to do now is show it to her and she stops barking, howling or whatever bad thing she is thinking of doing. I wish I had one of these when I was trying to train her when she was a pup.
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
Posted on Jul 10, 2019
This device has made a huge turn around in my 4-year-old chihuahua but it doesn’t seem to really phase my 4-month-old at all, which is ok because the 4-year-old is the one with aggression and a barking problem. Those that say it doesn’t work maybe you need to turn it up because like I said it works for one dog but not both for some reason. Well worth the money and I have some peace and quiet in my home now.
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
Posted on Jul 11, 2019
I tried this product as a last-ditch effort, because we love this 90% good dog. Our problem was not barking. Our dog has possession aggression. It said this product worked for bad behaviors. Well, with little perseverance, this works like a charm. My trainer said he was a bad dog because of his biting. This is now the dog we wanted! Thank you!
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
Posted on Jul 17, 2019
My dog was instantly changed from pulling, lunging, and barking on our walks. She walks slightly behind me now, and her tail is wagging looking at me and checking in the whole time.
It saved me yesterday when an unleashed German Shepard charged us. I was terrified at what this dog was going to do to my now docile dog. At first, the dog kept charging and thank god, when he got within 3 feet of me, I pointed it directly at him all the time yelling in a deep serious voice “NO”. Finally, he looked at the device and became distracted. It stopped him.
After I stopped the attack using PetGentle, the owner then called them back. However, he left them off-leash and continued to shoot hoops. Longer story, I had to call the police to have a chat with this guy about responsible dog ownership.
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
Posted on Aug 6, 2019
I live across the street from the SOB Bumpasses (see movie: A Christmas Story). 4-5 untrained dogs, behind a hidden e-fence, owned by untrainable humans. They barked at anything that moved. Grass, trees, birds, but worst of all me and my family when we were in our front yard, 80+ feet away. Yelling at them did no good, by me or by their owners. So, I bought PetGentle on a whim. The first time they were outside and I walked out my front door with this device, I pointed at them from 80 feet and said NO. All 4 immediately stopped barking and walked away from my back to their house. BEST $40 ever spent! Per my dog expert sister, I only use it when they are barking. No barking, no button. Reinforce good behavior, punish bad behavior. Simple as that. We have used it a dozen times over the past week. It works every time. Now, they are not barking nearly as much at anything, so they are learning. Thank you!
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
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