Barking is as natural to a dog as talking is as natural to a human being. Trying to stop your dog from barking altogether would be like trying to stop someone to talk forever! It’s impossible and it’s not exactly a nice thing to do. But we have to admit, excessive barking (just like excessive talking) is totally irritating—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.
Though barking shouldn't 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.
Many people and dog owners don't know much about curbing incessant dog barking behavior.
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. What's so appealing about collars is that they can help the owner supervise incessant barking while the owner isn't around. Today, there are generally three different kinds of anti-barking collars available in the market.
There is the sonar collar. This sonar collar is a discreet little thing. Whenever the dog barks, it releases a sound with a certain frequency inaudible to humans but irritable to dogs. 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. Citronella collars spray a pungent scent. When the dog barks, they spray so that, similar to the sonar collar, the dog would assume they're being punished for their non-stop barking. Though this seems pretty useful, a lot of people say that their dogs have already found a way to get around this anti-barking device.
One dog was reported to bark and bark until the citronella runs out. Afterwards, he will go on barking the whole day without having to deal with the citronella smell. Other dogs would bark and then sort of hold their breaths to avoid the smell and then bark again.
The third one is called the shock collar. Now, this collar is the most controversial of the three. It stops dog barking with electric shock. The strength level of the electric current can even be changed from 1 to 6; 6 being the highest and the one that stings the most.
Many people regard this collar as inhuman and condone it. After all, no sane person would do that to another person so why even think of doing it to their own pet? As much as possible, this kind of collar is avoided—and for good reason.
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. Take your dog to a veterinarian behaviorist. Their role is to generally observe a dog’s environment and circumstances to figure out what exactly triggers their socially unacceptable behavior. And then based on their findings, they give training solutions to eliminate the behavior problem.
Some reasons as to why a dog would bark are things like boredom (meaning they have so much energy with nothing to use it with) or frustration (are they being bullied by dogs or other people?) to name two.
If you don't know why your dog keeps barking, you can call a vet behaviorist to help you out. A vet behaviorist will also teach you what to do. They might suggest an anti-barking collar but only side-by-side with proper training.
Barking dogs are just sometimes extremely bored with so much energy to waste. 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 don't have time, then hire a dog walker or take it to a doggie day care. 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 your dog sees you as the alpha of the pack, then you wouldn't have much trouble teaching the "QUIET" command. If the barking is much of a nuisance and is already getting in the way of your chances with the neighborhood hottie, then using an anti-bark collar might be acceptable, but only temporarily or only as a training supplement.
The sonar collar is most recommended as it is not just humane, but more efficient than the two as well. Never forget to tackle the problem with hands-on solutions and obedience training as well. Training your dog to respond to obedience signals is still the best and lasting way to curb dog barking behavior but still maintain his freedom to do what he naturally does.
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