bark collar

[4dabirds]

Bark collars do not address the reason why the dog is barking and sometimes are not very effective. If you allow your dog to notify you of what it wants by barking then it will use this strategy for everything If you ignore the barking the dog will try a different strategy to get what it wants. Every time my dog barks i let him out of the house. This lets him know that it is useless to bark for things such as food. When I am training with other dogs if a dog barks in his kennel I drop what I am doing and say no and throw a rolled up towel at the dog . After a few repetitions of this they will learn they are wasting their time.

[Cajun Casey]

I won't' put a standard bark collar on a dog I can reach my hands around his neck completely. Just too much contact and rub. Age is irrelevant.

[Vman]

is 5 months to young for a bark collar?

The answer is Yes you can. But I would only use the Dogtra Ys300 with the page at first. Let him wear it and learn to turn off the page. Once he understands, you can move up to level 2. Very simple and no ill effects on the pup.
The other answers are OK when you are around but will not work when you are gone or cannot run to the dog and throw a towel at him. :roll:

[labman21]

One of my dogs loves to bark for no reason at all. I think we put a bark collar on him around 5 months, it scared the crap out of him at first but he quickly understood what was causing the little jolts. Unfortunately, my dog knows the difference between having the collar on and not having it on. He even tests the bark collar to make sure it's working properly. Anyway, I think if you're dog is mature enough to know what he isn't and is supposed to do, and barking is a problem. Go ahead and strap it on him, it'll save you alot of trips off the couch going to yell at him/her.

One thing though, don't cheap out!!! You don't want a piece of crap zapping your dog when he isn't doing anything. I've been through that, not fun.

[Buckeye_V]

I cannot take credit for this, but when I heard it I thought it was beautiful. If you have a dog that barks in the crate when you are out of sight this works wonders. Tie a really long checkcord-like rope to the front door of the crate. Run it out of the room and shut the door. Dog barks, yank on the rope. You aren't there. It thinks the crate did it.

We have used a spray bottle with some lemon juice or vinegar in it and spray it right at their head. They get the point pretty quickly and avoid that spray bottle like the plague.

[4dabirds]

I guess most people are content to ignore a behavior of there dog as long as the e-collar can stop it . I just feel this is ignoring something that can turn into a larger problem later. All the while the owner is baffled at why does that stupid dog keep barking even though it is getting zapped. Dont know dont care turn up the collar!!!!! How can you possibly train a dog if you know nothing about dog behavior. Culture clash by gene donaldson will open your eyes.

[Buckeye_V]

4dabirds

Dogs bark for different reasons. You use it for a different reason than I do. The only reason I want my dogs to bark is to warn me of approaching people, animals, etc. Anything else is really un-necessary and annoying. They can let me know they would like to go out by standing by the door. One dog I have will actually circle the island in our kitchen when she would like to go out. My point is this - people have different reasons for wanting their dogs to stop barking. Just because they want to use a bark collar or other means of discouraging bad behavior does not mean they do not understand why the dog is doing it.

We are just providing information to someone who wants it. Let them filter out what they don't believe in.

Justin

[Vman]

TCJack, you have been given several alternatives to the bark collar. I will not get into which is best. But they all will work when you are handy or nearby, but will not work when you are on the phone or sleeping, or eating, working outside, or have company over to watch the ballgame. The bark collar when used properly works all the time. it is best used at this time for your pup so the habit is in its infancy. The longer a dog is allowed to bark the harder it is to break the habit. It is between the dog and the collar and has nothing at all to do with you. The other ways are merely a form of intimidation from you, and I really don`t want to intimidate the young pup no more than absolutely necessary. The collar when used as I describes is easy for the dog too understand and works effectively. For about $75 it is the best solution for the problem. But you can always spray lemon or vinegar into thier eyes if you think that is better. :roll:

[Buckeye_V]

I agree vman. A collar when used properly is probably the best tool. We just had one who learned to make a noise the collar would not correct for and we had to get creative. Surprisingly when my guys are in their crates they make none to very little noise. This took the use of a collar and creativity to fix. SO, if I want it quiet in the house then guess where they go?

[MNGSP]

I was able to stop the "alternative noises" by simply using my ecollar on a low stimulation when my dog would make noise just soft enough for the bark collar to not pick up. My dog is going on 6 years now and only barks when someone she doesn't know walks by or comes to the door.

JJ

[Ridge-Point]

I guess most people are content to ignore a behavior of there dog as long as the e-collar can stop it.

If the e-collar stops the behavior then how was it ignored? A well timed correction will cause the dog to associate barking with pain. Are you trying to say remove the cause of the barking rather than correct the barking? If so how will you keep a dog from barking in many different environments?

When I am training with other dogs if a dog barks in his kennel I drop what I am doing and say no and throw a rolled up towel at the dog . After a few repetitions of this they will learn they are wasting their time.

A negative correction is a negative correction, a bark collar is just a more effective negative correction.

[4dabirds]

the rolled up towel was free just like the advice. My dog no longer barks in the kennel during training. What I am trying to get across is that the bark collar does not address why the dog is barking. It might seem easy enough that it stops the dog from barking but there can be underlying reasons why the dog is barking. I know some people would not care one way or the other . But I think it is better to understand what the situation is with the dog and address it accordingly. I gave a few examples . If the dog is barking for food I let the dog out side, no correction at all. For me it is acceptable for the dog to bark to go out, not to dictate when he eats. . The dog learns to try another strategy. He will now push his bowl on the floor. I did not need to buy and charge another collar. Another issue is with dogs that are outside alone, the dog may be barking to release stress from being isolated. Take away the bark and this will manifest itself in another behavior. Maybe a worse one. I would say that if you are going to go with the bark collar, make it a choice of last resort. The original post was for a 5 month old dog. Maybe just a little attention to this dog could save it from a lot of angst . Some dogs will bark right through the collar, why take a chance of letting it get that far.

[4dabirds]

I agree vman. A collar when used properly is probably the best tool. We just had one who learned to make a noise the collar would not correct for and we had to get creative. Surprisingly when my guys are in their crates they make none to very little noise. This took the use of a collar and creativity to fix. SO, if I want it quiet in the house then guess where they go?

If the collar is the best tool why did you have to get creative. Very little noise is still noise So what you are saying is the dogs are still barking. And they need to be crated in the house for it I guess you put a bark collar in there and they stay busy chewing on it!!!!

[Cajun Casey]

A bark collar is positive punishment. The dog performs the action and the punishment is added. Yap-zap. It keeps the owner out of the loop. Some dogs redirect their energy to other annoying behaviors such as digging, even in their crate, circling, or (especially in the case of GSPs) whining. Therefore, the bark collar should not be relied upon to solve the problem in the long run. The dog should concurrently be taught to settle calmly and quietly when told. This can be accomplished with the positive reward of treats.

[Buckeye_V]

4dabirds.

Nope. You misread my post. It is porbably the best tool most of the time. I had to creative for the other annoying little noises he makes to get my attention that I don't care to hear. I fixed those issues with some creativity - not because I was trying to get in his head and wonder why he was whining at me because I was not paying anough attention to him (from his perspective). :roll:

When I want to make sure the house is quiet (like when I was on the phone with a customer) - they went in the crates. Period. Crate time = quiet time.

[Vman]

4dabirds,, You can try all the little tricks and hope they work. If so, Great! But I handle over a THOUSAND dogs a year here. I see it all. The dogs that are the most problem are the "city dogs". Nobody that lives in town can have a barking dog. If so, it will cause you much grief. Either with your neighbors or the cops or both. The dog has learned that if he wants anything at all, all he has to do is bark, and a human is going to come running. Who is training who? I have very little trouble with kennel dogs, because they have learned that barking will get them nothing. Even with your tricks, you are still coming to the dog as he wants, even tho you may throw your wet towel at him. As I write this I have 24 dogs in the kennel. Nobody is barking and I can walk in there right now and nobody will say a peep. Some have worn the bark collar in the past, some just don`t need it.
If you can fix it without a collar, Great! Some dogs you can. But some you can`t. That is when you use the bark collar. In this case I suggest nipping it in the bud before it becomes habit. If he can throw a wet towel at the dog and fix it then great. But if the dog continues then the bark collar is the best solution.
Do you use an E-collar on your dogs?

To answer your question of "why the dog barks" the answer is "BECAUSE HE CAN!"

[4dabirds]

vman If you read the original post you would see that the post was about one 6 month old dog not a THOUSAND. If you feel it is necessary buy a THOUSAND collars. I was just trying to point out they are not always necessary. Believe it or not it is possible to TRAIN a dog to not bark . if you want to call it a TRICK obviously you have not had much success or have not tried to do this. Yes i do train with an e- collar but i don't use it to teach the dog something, only to enforce known command. When you have had a dog that will bark through a 9 volt bark collar will bark through a dt rechargeable collar, Have had the dogs voice box removed and the dog will still bark for 4 hours in the back of the pickup you bought, because it was deafening in your bronco. When you have had the new vet tell you "when i heard you had the dogs voice box removed I thought that was terrible , but after having him in here all day barking with the collar on, even after the voice box was removed , I would have put this dog to sleep" then you pm me and we can talk about how some dogs become case hardened to the e-collar and will continue any behavior they chose . This also goes for training collars if used as punishment instead of avoidance training. I have seen a dog take a 50 on a dt 2420 , for 8 seconds, rather than enter a kennel , which was a known command ,because his trainer was using his collar as a punishment tool. The dog stood like a statue and did not flinch. The pro did proper collar conditioning on him and had the dog entering the kennel on a 4 within 10 min. The issue is that dogs do not always make the same association that we think they are going to make. The bark collar may take you out of the equation but maybe sometimes its better to be in it.

[Cajun Casey]

vman If you read the original post you would see that the post was about one 6 month old dog not a THOUSAND. If you feel it is necessary buy a THOUSAND collars. I was just trying to point out they are not always necessary. Believe it or not it is possible to TRAIN a dog to not bark . if you want to call it a TRICK obviously you have not had much success or have not tried to do this. Yes i do train with an e- collar but i don't use it to teach the dog something, only to enforce known command. When you have had a dog that will bark through a 9 volt bark collar will bark through a dt rechargeable collar, Have had the dogs voice box removed and the dog will still bark for 4 hours in the back of the pickup you bought, because it was deafening in your bronco. When you have had the new vet tell you "when i heard you had the dogs voice box removed I thought that was terrible , but after having him in here all day barking with the collar on, even after the voice box was removed , I would have put this dog to sleep" then you pm me and we can talk about how some dogs become case hardened to the e-collar and will continue any behavior they chose . This also goes for training collars if used as punishment instead of avoidance training. I have seen a dog take a 50 on a dt 2420 , for 8 seconds, rather than enter a kennel , which was a known command ,because his trainer was using his collar as a punishment tool. The dog stood like a statue and did not flinch. The pro did proper collar conditioning on him and had the dog entering the kennel on a 4 within 10 min. The issue is that dogs do not always make the same association that we think they are going to make. The bark collar may take you out of the equation but maybe sometimes its better to be in it.

You have had a dog undergo laryngectomy as a bark control procedure?

[Vman]

vman If you read the original post you would see that the post was about one 6 month old dog not a THOUSAND. If you feel it is necessary buy a THOUSAND collars. I was just trying to point out they are not always necessary. Believe it or not it is possible to TRAIN a dog to not bark . if you want to call it a TRICK obviously you have not had much success or have not tried to do this. Yes i do train with an e- collar but i don't use it to teach the dog something, only to enforce known command. When you have had a dog that will bark through a 9 volt bark collar will bark through a dt rechargeable collar, Have had the dogs voice box removed and the dog will still bark for 4 hours in the back of the pickup you bought, because it was deafening in your bronco. When you have had the new vet tell you "when i heard you had the dogs voice box removed I thought that was terrible , but after having him in here all day barking with the collar on, even after the voice box was removed , I would have put this dog to sleep" then you pm me and we can talk about how some dogs become case hardened to the e-collar and will continue any behavior they chose . This also goes for training collars if used as punishment instead of avoidance training. I have seen a dog take a 50 on a dt 2420 , for 8 seconds, rather than enter a kennel , which was a known command ,because his trainer was using his collar as a punishment tool. The dog stood like a statue and did not flinch. The pro did proper collar conditioning on him and had the dog entering the kennel on a 4 within 10 min. The issue is that dogs do not always make the same association that we think they are going to make. The bark collar may take you out of the equation but maybe sometimes its better to be in it.

NEXT??????

[4dabirds]

Maybe I did not make myself clear . The vet said she would have put the dog to sleep. What I am saying is that some dogs will not respond to a bark collar the way you would expect . On this forum you are dealing with every dog not just the ones that have perfect breeding . My examples were made to shed light on the fact that not every dog responds the same way. The dog I am talking about was my first pointing dog. I made mistakes with the dog, All people make mistakes with there first dog. That is why I post here , to help others not make the mistakes I made. One of them being that a bark collar does not always work. I spent a lot of money and time to learn about dog behavior so I would not have to go through this again. To give you an idea of the severity of the problem. If the dog was not sitting by my side he would bark until I allowed him to. this is quite difficult when you are driving. No bark collar in the world would stop this behavior. The reason for this which I found out a little to late is that a dog will take the hit to get what they want. It goes back in there evolution. If a wolf pack is hunting and the moose kicks the dog it will keep trying to get the moose even though the moose corrected the dog he will keep coming back. This assures the survival of the pack. A strong willed dog will not be deterred by an e collar if it is not properly used. The bark collar does not implement itself in a learned behavior is taught and then when it is fully understood correct the dog . The bark collar is correcting the dog to teach the command which is what every proponent of the e-collar will tell you is the wrong way to use one. A better way to handle this is to teach the dog to bark on command for reward then teach the dog to be silent for reward this way the dog will understand the command and can be corrected for it. Obviously if you have a kennel full of dogs this is impossible if they are not yours. But if your dog is going into a kennel and this is the method they employ , they may be desensitizing your dog to the e-collar. If you only have one dog and the time to train why not do the best you can for your dog.

[nj gsp]

I have a dog that I use a tri-tronics anti-bark collar on. He barks when we come home, when he wants to go out, when he wants to come in, and when he's hungry. So the other day, he's barking away and I say. "I'm not going to reward him by going to him when he's barking," because that would encourage him to bark to get what he wants. He stopped for a minute, then started barking again. When I finally got up to go see what he was fussing about 5 minutes later, he had pooped in his kennel. So now when he starts barking, I let him out - I don't wait for him to quiet down because that means I have to hose out his crate!

[Sharon]

Get a collar you can adjust. Many have one intensity which can be too much for a dog. I've used one on my JRT when camping or in a motel. He will bark all night as people come and go. Now I just put it on him with no battery. It does the job .