A pig pheromone called androstenone may prove helpful in stopping dogs from jumping and barking, according to a recent study.

The study was done by John McGlone, a professor at Texas Tech University specializing in animal behavior and welfare. McGlone, in an effort to control his Cairn Terrier from barking incessantly, used a product called Boar Mate.

Boar Mate is a strong-smelling product used in McGlone’s previous study and that helps in swine breeding. His dog, Toto, stopped barking immediately after getting a spritz of the product. McGlone said, “It was completely serendipitous. One of the most difficult problems is that dogs bark a lot, and it's one of the top reasons they are given back to shelters or pounds.”

McGlone later developed Stop That, a product created after extensive testing and studies. Stop That has become increasingly popular. According to McGlone, Boar Mate contains androstenone, which is secreted by male pigs and is picked up by female picks during heat. The pheromone has a strong and foul odor that also affects the sensitive olfactory systems of dogs.

To test the efficacy of androstetone, McGlone used spray cans with different concentrations of androstetone and that made different noises on spraying. Four groups of 3 barking dogs were part of study. One group had a person with another dog standing in front of them. The second group was sprayed with a placebo making a startling noise. The group was sprayed with a low-concentration concoction and the fourth group received the high-concentration spray with the spritz sound.

On analysis, 25%, 44%, 78% and 100% of the dogs in the first, second, third and fourth group stopped barking, respectively.