Dogs bark, what's the problem?
The problem of course, is when your dog won't stop barking and it bothers
you or your neighbors. More often than not, barking can be eliminated or reduced to reasonable levels
quickly and easily.
Barking for attention
Make sure your dog is being fed properly and has water continually available. Outdoor
dogs need shade in the summer and a warm enclosure in the winter. See training your dog to stop barking
Frustration barking
Confined dogs can quickly become frustrated by people on the other side of a fence or
beyond the reach of their leash. Sometimes children or neighbors will threaten or yell at
a barking dog, which makes things worse. This sort of barking can be corrected by bringing
your dog inside or providing a kennel area shielded from view of the sidewalk.
Citronella barking collara are safe, humane and
remarkably effective.
When your dog barks, the collar sprays a light mist of citronella scent
in front of his nose. Dogs don't like this. The hissing noise startles them and
dogs seem to dislike the smell. Most dogs figure things out very quickly and stop barking.
University studies have shown that citronella barking collars are twice as effective
as shock collars.
We've had excellent success using these collars for barking problems at
our animal hospital. We can't guarantee that a citronella barking collar will
work for your dog, but nearly all our customers use these collars successfully and are very
happy with the product. see
letter
We do not recommend a barking collar if:
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Your dog barks because he is truly frightened. Dogs with separation
anxiety bark and pace and chew up things in your house or yard.
They are beside themselves with fear and often very destructive. Talk
to your veterinarian about this. Don't get the collar until you've
resolved the anxiety problem.
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Your dog barks because he is blind or old and confused. The collar
won't help your poor old dog and might make things worse. Talk to
your veterinarian. There is a drug that may help the problem and
you may find that making him less confused solves the barking problem.
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Your dog is uncontrollable and
seems out of touch with reality. If your dog just acts really
crazy and won't respond to anything you do, the collar may not work.
Ask your vet for the name of someone who specializes behavior
counseling.
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Your dog has a high pitched yip instead of a bark.
The collar can't detect high frequencies and won't work.
Anti barking shock collars
I don't like anti bark shock collars at all. You can't tell if they are
working and unless you try the collar out on yourself (something which
doesn't appeal to me personally) you can't tell how much it hurts.
Besides that, they don't work. Recent university studies found citronella
barking collars to be twice as effective as shock collars.
Dogs have a fold of tissue on each side of the larynx which must tighten and vibrate to
make a bark. Debarking surgery removes this tissue. After the operation, dogs have only a
whispery bark, and most of the time both dogs and owners are quite happy with this.
Unfortunately, some or all of the the bark comes back within a few months. Because
we know how awful it would be to "debark" a person, many people think the
operation is inhumane. Since the surgery is often unsatisfactory and because many
people consider it cruel, veterinarians seldom suggest debarking as a solution to barking
problems.