Are Bark Control Collars Effective to Control Barking?
If you are a pet owner of a dog that continuously barks then you are probably wondering if bark control collars actually work. When you are unable to keep your dog barking continuously or you are getting complaints for your neighbors you are probably desperate to get your dog to stop. Many people have different opinions about bark control collars but they are an effective way to get your dog not to bark constantly.
What the Critics Say
Many critics of the bark control collars says that these collars may hurt the dog and that there are ways to teach them not to bark by using incentives such as treats your praises to get your dog to quiet down. This may be the case for some dogs but there are plenty of dogs that no matter how many treats you offer them to be quiet the only connection they seem to make are “the more noise I make, the more treats I get.” When this occurs you will need to consider using a deterrent form of training.
Two Kinds of Available Bark Control Collars
There are actually two kinds of collars available. The first kind is the static collar. This collar uses a small amount of electrical stimulus. This stimulus is meant to get the dogs attention and cause them to stop barking. Most manufacturers offer collars with different levels of stimulus available. The lower levels on the collar are nothing more than a vibration and this lower level is used just as a reminder after the dog has started to understand how the collar works.
The other type of bark control collar available is what is referred to as a spray collar. This type of collar does not use any electrical stimulus. It instead uses a scented spray that dogs tend not to like the smell of. Many of them use a lemon scented spray. The collar sprays the scent when the vibrations from barking set off the setting on the collar. These sprays are harmless to both the pet and any humans in the area.
Neither of these collars is meant to be worn more than eight hours per day and should not be worn during the times that it does not matter if they bark or not. Manufacturers of both types of collars also recommend that there be no collar worn during playtime as this may cause the dog to bark and receive correction at an inappropriate time. Both types of collars offer different sizes of collars as many small or tea cupped sized dogs have trouble wearing the standard size collars.
Some dogs just need a little coaching to teach them that barking is not always necessary. Using one of these collars is not meant to teach the dog that it is never okay to bark. You are only using the collar to teach them when it is inappropriate to bark such as walking on a leashing around the neighborhood. Some critics say the collars are not necessary but if your dog is getting out of hand and the neighbors are complaining bark control collars are a viable option.