Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Using a Bark Collar to Curb Excessive Barking

By Sara Hansen


You might need to use a bark collar on your dog. While it is true that barking is part of normal dog behavior, some dogs can bark excessively. The worst part is that your pet might keep on barking not just during the day but at night as well.

Excessive barking isn't just disturbing to you. Often, your dog's behavior can be troublesome to neighbors too. The noise your dog makes can easily disturb neighbors who work at home or can wake them up at night and deprive them of much needed rest. This can lead to strained relations and to frequent encounters with law enforcement agents.

The good thing about a collar is that it is a shortcut method of training. Instead of spending big bucks on a long training program that does not even guarantee success, a bark collar can save you money and time. These collars sense when a dog is barking through the vibrations in its vocal cords. When it does, it employs one of many corrective measures.

One of these measures is to spray the dog with citronella. This is a natural extract and insect repellent but it discourages the dog from barking because canines generally do not like this smell. When positioned properly, a little amount is sprayed near the nose area. The collars are not designed to hit the eyes, and citronella has been assessed and found not to cause any harm to the skin of the dog.

The second type of bark collar utilizes ultrasonic technology to emit a high pitched sound that only dogs can hear. This starts once he begins barking, and humans cannot pick up on this, so nobody in the vicinity will be disturbed. It is a pitch that dogs find irritating and will discourage them from barking.

A third bark collar gives a tiny electric shock to the barking dog. Many swear against this method, but dog owners who have tried it agree that their dogs are not really harmed in any way, because the shock is minimal. It is only enough to cause slight discomfort that gives the dog second thoughts about barking.

Not everyone agrees over collar use. Although dogs are not seriously injured by collars, some say that causing any degree of pain, no matter how small is still inhumane. The most common suggested alternative to using collars is behavior modification training. This however can take time and possibly a lot of cash. Many training programs do not guarantee effective results.

Also, using a collar is actually more humane that what lengths other dog owners get to when dealing with a misbehaving dog. Some may have the dogs vocal cords surgically removed, or in extreme cases, even put the dog down. This is because some dogs become so uncontrollable that they become a nuisance to the community and authorities are alerted. In comparison, using a collar is definitely kinder on the dog.

Just make sure that you do it correctly. Your dog has to be a certain age and size to be able to use that collar. Also, make sure that you're doing fairly. Barking is normal behavior for a dog, and he might be doing so because he senses an intruder or to express a message that you, the owner, does not quite get. It will affect the dog emotionally if you try to stop him barking in these situations.

Not all dogs respond favorably to each bark collar type. To successfully correct behavior you have to determine which collar is best for your dog.




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