Barking is a natural canine behavior, and is one of the main ways in which dogs communicate. Your dog barks for a variety of reasons. But sometimes dogs bark because they are bored or lonely. This type of barking tends to meet with some response (generally upset pet owners urging their pooch to stop), and unfortunately this type of behavior can easily become a habit. Habitual or chronic barking presents many challenges for dog owners. Many communities have no-barking ordinances that may result in violations or fines. Also, barking dogs can create tension and hostility between neighbors rather quickly. What products are available to help stop this behavior immediately? You may consider using a Bark Control Aid to help eliminate excessive barking. Bark control aids are training tools designed specifically to address problem barking. There are several kinds of bark control aids available to dog owners today. Citronella Spray Collars: The GentleSpray Collar is a newer type of battery-operated collar. Each time your dog barks, the unit releases a brisk citronella spray in front of your dog's snout. Your dog hears it, sees it and smells it. He will very quickly learn that when he barks, the collar sprays! Electronic Bark Control Collars: These battery-operated collars, such as the Inhibitor Anti-Bark Collar, use vibration probes to sense when your dog barks. When vibration is detected, the collar probes deliver a harmless electrical correction to your dog's neck. These collars vary by the number of adjustable levels of correction intensity, battery type, and ease of use. These collars are effective because your dog associates his own behavior (barking) with the unpleasant correction, and will stop the behavior to avoid the correction. Other Bark Control Aids: Sound-correction units use loud, high-pitched pulsating tones to distract and startle your dog when he barks. The sound is audible to people, but 3-5 times more bothersome to a dog's sensitive ears. Automatic units such as the Bark Free emit the sound when the dog barks, then re-set themselves when the barking stops. |
