Puppy Care

Barking is as normal to dogs as talking is to humans. Trying to stop dog 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 (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.

 

Though barking shouldn’t be eliminated—after all, it is very useful when your dog uses it for the right 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 seem to be the most convenient solution. 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.

 

One is the sonar collar. Sonar collars are discreet things. 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 the citronella collar. The citronella collar sprays a scent that dogs don’t really like. Whenever they bark, the collar would spray this scent so that, similar to the sonar collar, the dog would find the scent as a punishment for their incessant barking. Although the device sounds promising, anecdotal reports state that a lot of dogs have already found a way to get around this collar.

 

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 variety is the shock collar. This collar is very controversial. Whenever the dog barks, it shocks the dog with electricity. 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. 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. A lot of people reasonably avoid the sonar collar.

 

Though collars seem very convenient, they’re merely supplements to help you control your dog’s barking habit.

 

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. A veterian behaviorist basically observes 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 the lack of things to do (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.

 

If you can’t pinpoint what exactly triggers their undesirable behavior, call a vet behaviorist near you to help you find out what’s bothering your dog. A vet behaviorist will also teach you what to do. They might recommend you to get an anti-barking collar but only to support 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. Provide them with physical activities like walks, catch, and play time 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 implement the “QUIET” command whenever he barks out of control. You wouldn’t have much trouble teaching the “QUIET” command if you’ve already established yourself as the alpha of the pack. If the barking is too much of a nuisance already, then a collar might work as a temporary solution BUT always follow it up with behavior Training.

 

The sonar collar is most recommended as it is not just humane, but more efficient than the two as well. 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.