Barking that prevents theft is a good thing. That’s what watchdogs are for. But some dogs bark out of boredom all the while irritating all the neighbors. If that’s what your dog does, then do something about it before you get into trouble. Excessive barking is specially annoying when people try to sleep at night. Even if you are accustomed to the barking of your dog, if your neighbor complains about it, then it becomes your problem.
Stopping The Barking
There are a few ways to make your dog stop barking. First of all, find out if the barking is the result of a health problem, such as an illness or extreme fear or stress from your dog, in which case a veterinarian should be contacted immediately. Of course, if these don’t work, you can get a professional dog trainer’s help.
But if your dog is healty and just barks as a bad habit, then getting a bark collar is a good solution.
Different Types of Bark Collars
First of all, the citrus collars work by spraying the muzzle of the dog with a citrus smell. Barking triggers the citrus smell, so that dogs stop barking in order to avoid the spray. Some of these collars make a hissing noise before the spray, so dogs can learn to stop the barking when they hear the hissing sound.
Sonic/untrasonic collars work by putting out a tone (often unheard by humans) whenever the dog barks. The dog can become annoyed or distracted by the noise and curtail the barking.
Electrical dog bark collars work by giving the dog a mild shock when it barks. Contrary to what you might think, this shock is harmless, just like the one you get from static electricity.
Some bark collars for dogs come with a combination of these methods, for example, sound and shock together. Other dog bark collars use an escalation system, where the deterrent begins small or quiet, but escalates until the barking ends. These systems are helpful by rewarding the dog for stopping the barking sooner.
Whatever method you use, if your dog is a barker, please address the problem as quickly as possible. Your neighbors will thank you!.
Excessive barking is annoying to neighbors, and should be dealt with. There are behavior modification methods, but even easier is using bark collars for dogs. They work by using one of three proven methods.