Dog Information

I have a Question about dog bark control collars?

I have a German Shepard puppy he's five months old and he barks excessively and I was wondering what are good dog bark control collars out there and a cheap price. And also can someone tell me about Silent Whistles do they work for bark control and other training purposes ? Thanks a Bunch - Nao. PS I dont believe in Shock collars. I think they are inhumane.

Public Comments

1. Been there, done that. They don't work. It wasn't my choice, it was my parents'. It did one of 2 things, depending on his mood........depressed him, or pissed him off & made the barking worse. DON'T DO IT.
2. He is barking for a REASON. Why don't you try to figure out what that reason is. My guess would be that he is lacking horribly in training, exercise and socialization. Get him into a weekly puppy class, run with him every day and try to introduce him to 20 new people a day. If he is tuckered out from all that, he will be sleeping and not barking.
3. Anti-bark collars only treat the symptom, not the problem, and they don't work well. Why is your puppy barking so much? Is it because he's alone and feels abandoned and scared and is calling for his family to come rescue him? Puppies cannot be left alone for any longer than absolutely necessary: it's always best to find a puppy sitter if you have to work. If you're home, it does make sense to crate the puppy if you're working on something (like making dinner) during which you can't watch the pup. But put the crate in the kitchen. I kept mine under the kitchen table: the dog was safe from spills but was right there in the middle of everything, and I talked to the dog while I was working. I even practiced simple obedience with the dog in the crate, like to sit on command; I had a ready supply of treats handy, after all! :) Puppies want and need attention; be clever about giving him as much attention as you can within your family's routine. Also, make sure he's getting enough exercise; if he's sleeping, he's not barking. A tired dog is a good dog. :)
4. Silent whistles are for calling the dog not for bark control. They make several types of collars for bark control. They have a citronella spray collar. You have a little bottle of citronella in the collar and when the dog barks it sprays a mist of it into the dogs face. Some dogs do really well with this. One of my clients dog would bark until the collar was empty then bark all he wanted. They are not cheap as you have to buy refills for the spray. They make a vibration type collar that will vibrate on the dogs neck when they bark. These are more of a hunting collar and are sort of expensive. Over $100 most times. The shock type give a small shock. Like you get in the winter when you shock yourself on things. It is a static shock. It does not hurt the dog but will change their focus right now. Which is what you want to correct barking. Also they are automatic you turn it on and it will only correct the dog if the dog barks. They also have ultra sonic things that emit a noise that dogs can hear. I have had several clients who used them and most found them to be ok but not really very effective. One client had the dog debarked surgically because they would not follow through with training.
5. The no bark collars that are cheap - Don't work. The ones that don't use electric stimulation - Don't work. Gimmicks - Don't work. There's no such thing on the planet as a shock collar. There are electric collars, and there are electric no-bark collars. Both are GREAT tools when used correctly by somebody with a brain and common sense and are only inhumane when used by idiots. A quality no-bark collar is never inhumane because it adjusts the level of correction to suit your dog. In other words the correction (electric stim) intensity is increased each time the dog barks. So it starts off as barely noticeable, and works it's way up, when it's uncomfortable enough for the dog to stop, it has found the perfect correction for your particular dog, not too soft, not too hard. Too soft a correction = ineffective. Too hard of a correction = could damage your dog's nerves/character. BUT quality no-bark collars are idiot proof, charge it, put it on the dog at times when barking would be a problem, tada. With electric training collars the human needs training on how to use it properly because they're not idiot proof and most people who think they can do it on their own don't have enough common sense to do it...and they end up damaging their dog's character and guess what? The bunny huggers and pretend trainers blame it on the electric collar and not the moron who was holding the remote. A tool is only as good as the person wielding it. Dogtra is my brand of choice in e-collars and nobark collars, check out their website.
6. First, get a copy of Barking: The Sound of a Language by Turid Rugaas. It will help you determine what is causing the barking and what you can do to stop it. The bark collars rarely work. I used one on my Corgi (before I read the book) and he just figured out he had to turn his head so he didn't get the spray in the face. One thing I have used successfully is teaching "indoor voice" for at least a quieter bark. It also makes him think about what he is doing. Another is a nylon muzzle. I tell him to "put a muzzle on" when he gets wound up and starts barking too much. When he can't muzzle himself (be quiet) he has the muzzle put on for 10 minutes or so. It is sort of like a time out.
7. the citronella might work, I've never used it. I have used a collar that only sends a small sting like sticking your tongue on a battery.I've used it on my rat terrier because it's in their nature to bark.They think it is their calling.But my neighbors were complaining I had to do something.It worked,it only stung him twice and he knew when I put it on him,he did not make one sound after that. I got it for a very reasonable price at wal-mart.It's not like one of those horrible remote shock collars.It's a very mild sting to his neck.But I really doubt it would work on a German Shepard.Try walking him everyday or playing with him alot.They need like labs alot of exercise.
8. Did anyone consider training?? Most people WANT their dog to bark when it is appropriate, just not incessantly, or aimlessly. I have seven dogs right now. Every one of them barks when someone drives into the yard, or comes up to the door. That is exactly what I want them to do. And every one of them stops barking when I tell them to stop. Its not that hard. When your dog barks GET UP and go see what he is barking at. If he is barking at something you dont want him to bark at, tell him "enough" or whatever word you want him to associate with "shut up". If the dog does not respond, touch him firmly on the shoulder, and repeat "enough". That is all it takes for most dogs. If the dog KNOWS you will be coming when he barks, he will consider whether he should be barking or not on his own, and will be less likely to bark inappropriately. If the dog is so focused on what he is barking at that he still does not respond, get a spray bottle, fill it with water, spray the dog, and when his focus is on you, repeat "ENOUGH". Dont just spray the dog, go through the entire process, because you want the dog to learn that levels two and three only occur when he does not respond to level one. You want him to respond to a verbal command. In your case, keep in mind that you are dealing with a puppy, and he does not have the level of concentration that an older dog does. Training requires more effort, but it is a whole lot less expensive than some collar that may or may not work, and when you are done, you have a dog who understands what he should do, and does it..
9. I'm glad you don't like shock collars -- they are, indeed, inhumane and unnecessary. Any sort of "bark control collar" would use shock, citronella spray, or a noise. None would be likely to really do the job. Citronella sprays are especially confusing, since the attempted punishment (the unpleasant smell) stays in the air long after the unwanted behavior has stopped. So I'd say to forget about gadgets altogether. Your dog is young -- puppies and adolescent dogs go through lots of phases, chock-full of some behaviors that people don't always like. And they need to be kept busy with both mental and physical work I would recommend finding a trainer who uses positive reinforcement methods. Short of that, try keeping track of when the dog barks (you can even keep a log), and see if you can figure out what inspires it. Is he in need of something specific, is there something (indoors or out) that might be triggering excitement or fear, is he alone and upset about that, is he bored and bursting with energy? If he has a need, fulfill it right away. I'm fine with my dogs barking once or twice to get my attention. Now that they know I'll notice and respond quickly, they stop quickly. So, if I've missed the "pitiful stare" and have gotten a bark, I see if the word "out" gets a reaction. If not, I check the water bowl. If he is alarm barking, alerting to someone or something outside, going with him to the door or window, looking, then rewarding/praising and letting him know he's all done can sometimes work. Having lots of well-trained behaviors that you do want can really help, especially if you get his attention and asked for a desired behavior before he barks.. If you know what might get him going, get him involved in another behavior or training session before he starts barking, so he doesn't resort to barking due to boredom or pent-up energy. .
10. I know i'm going to get lambasted here but honestly an shock collar isn't all that bad. The ones thare made by Innotek, from my experience, have been very effective and are not at all inhumane. We only use it when the dogs start to bark too much. Putting on the collar in and of itself is a sign of punishment and the dogs get right away that they will not be released until they quiet down, so it's worked well in that regard. Also, once on the dogs usually stop barking and rarely bark so the actual triggering of the shock is very rare. It's not like your dog is being shocked incessantly. They will usually get the msg right away and after a few minutes you can take it off. The best advice i can give you is to use the collar to supplement training. Only training will make the dogs completely be quiet at home. I've written more about it here: http://momoshihtzu.com/blog/best-bark-collars-for-shih-tzus/ The Innotek Automatic No-Bark Collar automatically sets its sensitivity to your shih-tzu's barking level. In other words, it learns how your shih-tzu barks and adjusts the stimulation needed to prevent them from barking. The stimulation used is not at all painful to your shih-tzu and only escalates if your shih-tzu does not stop barking immediately. It's humane, unlike what most people mistakenly think. The extremity to which the shock occurs is similar to a static shock you get when you rub your feet on carpet on a very cold day with the heater on. It's that kind of shock, not some thundering electric shock as most people think. It also adjusts so that if they bark once, the shock is small, if twice, bigger, so the dog ends up stopping before it gets worse. The Innotek Automatic No-Bark Collar has a rechargeable battery, meaning you don't have to constantly buy new (and often expensive) batteries. The rechargeable feature is absolutely convenient. There were others we were considering, but we opted for the Innotek. Works really well for small dogs.