Barking is as natural to a dog as talking is as natural to a human being. Trying to stop dog barking altogether would be like trying to stop someone to talk forever! Besides it being impossible, it’s just plain wrong. But we have to admit, excessive barking (much like excessive talking) can get on anybody’s nerves—not just to you but to your family, your hot neighbor, the children at play, the mailman, and every one else who can hear it.
Although barking is not to be eliminated—after all, it is handy when your dog uses it for proper reasons like warning you, warding off trespassers, or telling you something of importance—it must be controlled. If you want to maintain peace in the neighborhood and between your neighbors, controlling your dog’s barking habits is important.
A lot of people—even dog owners—aren’t too aware that there are many ways to try and stop your dog from barking at whim.
A lot of dog owners would basically just run to an anti-barking collar. They’re convenient as they don’t seem to require much time from the owner. The great thing about collars is that they can supervise a dog’s barking habits even when the owner is not around. As of late, there are basically three different kinds of anti-barking collars available in the market.
There is the sonar collar. Sonar collars are discreet things. It basically releases a high frequency sound inaudible to humans and irritable to dogs whenever the dog would bark. This in turn will get them to think that the irritable sound is a punishment to their barking and will (hopefully) get them to stop.
The second one is called the citronella collar. The citronella collar sprays a scent that dogs don’t really like. When the dog barks, they spray so that, just like the sonar collar, the dog would find the scent as a punishment for their incessant barking. Many say that dogs have already found a trick to outwit this collar, though.
One anecdotal report states that their dog would just keep on barking until the collar runs out of citronella. Then he wouldn’t have to bother about the smell anymore so he’d just keep on barking the whole day. Other dogs find other ways, like making a face (that probably gets them to hold their breath somehow) when the collar sprays and then barking again.
The third variety is called the shock collar. Now, this collar is the most controversial of the three. It stops dog barking with electric shock. Intensity of the current can usually be changed.
Many people regard this collar as inhuman and condone it. Come to think of it no decent person would want to do that to their own child (or anyone they want to discipline for that matter) so doing it to their own pet sounds insane, illogical and altogether cruel as well. This collar is to be avoided at all costs.
Even if collars seem to be the “promised land” out of your dog’s uncontrollable barking, collars are just merely supplements.
Before running to anti-barking collars, find a solution first—find out why your dog barks that way in the first place. If humans have psychologists, dogs have veterinarian behaviorists. A veterian behaviorist basically observes a dog’s environment and circumstances to figure out what exactly triggers their socially unacceptable behavior. Then they find solutions to eliminate the behavior with proper training methods based on their findings.
Some reasons as to why a dog would bark are things like boredom (they might have too much time in their paws with nothing to spend it with) or frustration (perhaps they’re being bullied by another dog in the family or by the people around them) to name two.
You can always call a vet behaviorist to help you find out your dog’s behavior problems. He or she can also give you a solution. They might suggest an anti-barking collar but only side-by-side with proper training.
If you find out that your dog is just plain bored and has no other way to release pent-up energy, then work on giving your dog something to do. If you think your dog might just be bored, then it’s time to spend time with him playing—take him for walks, play catch with him, and let him socialize with other dogs. If you’re always out, put them in the care of someone else while you’re out—like a relative or a friend or a dog walker or a doggie daycare. Especially when you’re alone in the house, when you’re out, like humans, your dog feels lonely and bored and he will do anything to use all his energy.
You can also use other tricks like the “QUIET” command, which you will have to implement whenever he barks senselessly. If you’ve already established yourself as the alpha of your “pack”, then it won’t take much trouble to teach this. If your dog’s barking is already killing your chances with your hot neighbor, though then you might want to get a collar but ONLY as a temporary thing or as a training supplement.
It is highly suggested that you stick to the sonar collar as it is perhaps the most humane choice of the three and also the most fool-proof one as much as anti-bark collars can get. Always follw-up anti-barking collars with proper obedience training. Training your dog to respond to obedience signals is still the best and lasting way to tone down incessant barking but still maintain his freedom to do what he naturally does.
Posted under Dog Tips, dog training
This post was written by admin on January 7, 2009
