Barking collars for dogs

[jesusfreak10537]

Do you think they are inhumane? I have a dachshund who barks at every single thing that moves. The neighbors (and my family) are fed up with her, so I have to get her to stop barking! We have tried training, but nothing has helped. What do you think about barking/shock collars?

 

[Dagna]

I'm not fond of them. Some are known to malfunction and have seriously injured and even killed dogs. What have you tried to solve this problem? Dogs usually bark because they are bored. How long is she alone in the backyard each day? Does she have free access to the yard? Does she bark in the house or only in the yard? Maybe a citronella collar would be a better option. It works similar to a shock collar, however instead of a shock, it uses a spray of citronella. Slightly more humane and still effective.

 

[LegacyOfLove]

There are other alternatives:
* behavior modification/training (and if you need help with that, talk to your vet; or even Barnes & Noble has some good books on that)
* there are "alternative" collars to the shocking kind: citronella, water mist and even one that emits a high-pitched noise (that we can't hear)....and if it's an indoor issue, they even have wall-plug-in high-pitched noise ones.
You may want to check out www.drsfostersmith.com They are a website formed by two veterinarians and sell all kinds of pet products (fairly good prices, too) and have information available about alternatives for "barking" problems.

 

[eastside9008]

im against barking collars. i do believe that they are inhumane. The way i trained my terrier to stop barking was to first teach her to bark on command, and then to teach her the command "Quiet!" Tell her to speak, then right when she starts to bark, say forcefully, "Quiet!!" It has worked for my terrier and i hope it works for your dachshund.

 

[Cambridge]

I think last method is the best method, i hope that works for your dog. Im not fond of dogs =/ our neighbour has one and it barks all the time for no reason, the sound goes thru bones ,flesh and walls!!! It's horrible.

 

[jesusfreak10537]

My dog is an indoor dog, she never goes outside unless one of my family is with her. She is not bored, because we spend a lot of time playing with her, and she loves to play with my cat. She barks everywhere, inside and out, and we don't know why. We tried training, but it didn't help. I like the citronella collar idea though; thanks a lot.

 

[gkhster]

Doxie's as a breed are known as being excellent watchdogs/doorbells. So, some of what you are experiencing is a part of the breed.

I prefer the 'caught accidentally doing good' technique for training. In this situation, this means applying the stimulus, a boisterous entry, over and over again. When she happens to do anything but bark (like lick her paws), reward her. This could be with a food treat, but be careful as doxies tend to pack on the pounds! For my doxie, Peanut, the desired behavior is rewarded by my singing her a song I made up about her.

This will require buckets of patience on your part. I have successfully used this technique for housebreaking, walking on a leash, barking, and not licking my mouth. (She is allowed to lick my arms and neck!) Mind you, I have lots of time on my hands!

I have some follow up questions, which may generate more tips:

You mentioned that you tried training. What did that entail? How long did you persist?
How old is your doxie? Did she come from a loud environment?
Is there fear and/or aggression directed at the one being barked at? Or, does she seem to want to play? Is she 'guarding' you when she barks? (They tend to be possessive of their family).
What seems to be the purpose of her barking?


Finally, remember that Dachshunds tend to be dominate. While you may plan on training them, they actually will be training YOU! They key is to be more stubborn than she is!

Let us know how it goes,

Guy

 

[Gods_MyHope]

If there's no other way to get the dog to stop barking...go ahead and use a barking collar, but don't have it permanently on there, use it for a while, and then when the dog knows not to bark, take it off...if they try to start again, threaten them with the collar by showing it to them, if they do start again, use the collar again until they learn.

It's kinda like spanking your kids. When they do something bad, spank them, when they're starting to "act up" again, show them the paddle, they usually will stop after seeing the threat. It's obedience is all it is.

 

[country woman]

I am glad that you tried other methods in your problem, cause I have a friend who has two dos and one of them barks alot so they bought her an anti bark collar but it does not work.

 

[praisegirl2]

I dont like bark collars. I am afraid they could injure the dog. My son got one for his dog and it worked but it just seemed so mean and so dangerous he stopped useing it.

 

[gaweatherford]

I tried buying one once; my dog managed to get it off and chewed it to pieces!

 

[gaweatherford]

It was'nt very practical after that. Cost me $50!

 

[Eagle_Wings]

If used properly on the right dog training collars can be quite effective! For a dachsund though, due to their size, I would recommend either the sonic collars or the citronella collars. There are always exceptions to the rules and I have heard of more then one dog that even the strongest training collar didn't phase them. I like the sonic collars that you control, that way you control when they are reprimanded for barking and when it is okay to bark. Dog's are extremely smart and they can learn the difference! Also, if your doxie is sensitive you can also use the pennies in a can routine. Take an empty soda can and fill it about a quarter full of pennies or small pebbles and then tape the top closed. Whenever the dog barks shake the can and then tell her "NO." The noise usually startles them and they stop whatever they are doing. If you decide to use a training collar I would strongly urge that you read and follow the training manuel that comes with the collar in order to make sure it is being used properly and the dog doesn't associate the correction with the collar.

 

[FoogieFighters]

I've used them, and I didn't like them...I've worked at PetSmart (Wait now is it Pets Mart or Pet Smart?? Hmmm) And they just I don't know...I'm sure there must be other options, but if there are none then go ahead. The dog will learn I can tell you that.