Bark Collars - Not a Magic Solution for Your Dog's Barking Problem

Do you have a dog that won't stop barking? If you are like many dog owners, then problem barking can be very frustrating both to you and your neighbors. When a dog will not stop barking many pet owners look for fast and simple solutions and many times they will land on bark collars.

A bark collar is a collar that is specially designed to detect when a dog is barking. Once it detects a bark, then it applies negative reinforcement to the dog through either a low voltage electric shock or by spraying something that will irritate the dog's super sensitive nose. By triggering a negative response, it is hoped that this will teach the dog to stop barking unless it really needs to.

Bark Collar Problems

Dogs bark for many reasons. They may be announcing their presence, warning off potential predators or intruders, or seeking attention from their owner. Whatever the reason for the bark, it is the result of thousands of years of evolution. Dogs bark because their instinct tells them to bark, they are not intentionally trying to annoy you. So if you try to use a bark collar by itself, you are relying on a simple gadget to combat your animals instincts. If you have ever been around infants or toddlers, then you know how difficult it is to change their behavior before they can even understand the words coming out of your mouth.

Another problem with bark collars is their sensitivity to noise. If you live in a quiet neighborhood then you might not have a problem. But if you have other dogs in your yard or live in an area that frequently has high sudden noise such as gunshots or sirens the bark collar can often be triggered by things that are not your dog. When your dog starts getting shocked by the collar when it is just laying around, then it will become a big problem.

Bark Collar Recommendations

If a bark collar is to be used, it should be used after consulting with a vet or someone trained in animal behavior. Most often after consultation you will learn techniques that can be used to train your dog not to bark without using a collar. This is certainly the most humane method.

"In the hands of a good trainer with terrific timing who knows the individual dog, they can work. But in the hands of do-it-yourself owners who want a magic wand fix, these collars almost never work," says Amy Shojai, Certified Animal Behavior Consultant and author of 23 books.

When using a bark collar under the advice of a specialist, you need to be attentive to the dogs behavior. You cannot just put the collar on the dog and then think your problems are over. You need to monitor the dog and his surroundings to make sure that the collar is going off when it is supposed to. Some collars have sensitivity settings for both the noise trigger and the amount of shock or scent that is released when triggered. The shock should just be enough to get your dogs attention, it should never be something that actually hurts the dog.

When you are going to be gone for an extended period of time (several hours) then the bark collar should be replaced with a dummy collar. The dog needs to think that he is still wearing the collar otherwise he will learn that if the collar is not on, he can bark as much as he wants. The dummy collar can be any normal dog collar.

Bark Collars are not a Magic Solution

When a dog's barking becomes a major problem then it is natural for busy people to search for the quickest and easiest way to solve it. Bark collars CAN work, but they are not something you can just put on your dog and forget about. In order for the collar to be effective it will come down to you helping to monitor your dogs progress and consulting with vets or animal behavior experts.