Anti Barking Collars

[Siobhan]

My 5 month old German Shepherd puppy, Kai, started barking at possums in the middle of the night. Every time she barked, we went outside and told her off. Now she's realised that if she barks, we will come out and talk to her. We know the best solution is to ignor her, but our neighbours are getting cranky (which I don't blame them) so we can't leave her barking at 3am. The solution at the moment is to lock her in our back room - which she HATES!! We both work during the day as well, and we're not sure if she is barking when we aren't at home.

We've been thinking about getting a citronella collar. They are really expensive to buy, but our local council has a 3 month wait to rent one. We can't wait that long... We have been told that the static collars are really effective. I've also seen one that vibrates when they bark. Does anyone have any advice around which sort of collar to use?

[Miranda]

Confine the dog at night, all my dogs are crated at night because if they were running around loose in the yard they'd be barking at possums too, your dog will get used to it. Personally I wouldn't use a bark collar on a 5 month old puppy. If she's barking during the day it's probably because she's bored and frustrated, do you have things in your yard to occupy her during the day? You can give her breakfast in a kong, leave her a large marrow bone to chew on, build a sand pit and bury treats in it, there are lots of things you can do to alleviate boredom. A short walk before you go to work will also help, you can extend the distance as she gets older. Are you doing any training with her? Do you belong to an obedience club? Remember that you own a working dog that requires lots of mental and physical stimulation, you can't give her much exercise at the moment, but you should be training her and a few short sessions a day to give her something to 'think' about will help to get rid of some of her energy.

[Garloch]

Siobahn,

Crating at night is definately the way to go, as Miranda suggests.

The thing with the citronella collars is that they do not train the dog not to bark (no matter what their literature says!) When the dog barks, the tremble in the vocal cords makes the unit emit a whiff of citronella, as a means of getting the dogs attention. You still have to go out and give the dog the command not to bark. People think that once they put the collar on, the barking stops - definately not so. And I have one. Happy to use it, but under the strictest supervision. After quite a while the dog associates citronella with not barking, because that is the command that you give, but the time and effort MUST be put in. And a 5 month old pup will do much better with being crated at night. Its their personal space, they feel safe and happy there. (BTW - never put them in their crate and chastise them - it needs to be a place of sanctuary for them.) There are plenty of crates on the market, some quite cheap. There is a thread about crates, where to buy, and what sort to buy.

In saying all this - my breed go nuts over possums. Crating them or bringing them inside is the only way I've ever been happy with the possums. You can't get rid of the possum, and dogs WILL bark at them. It got so that we knew the times the possum crossed our fence, and brought them inside half an hour before. Possums are creatures of habit and run virtually the same route, the same time in relation to when the sun sets, so timing is different from summer to winter. We manage the situation, rather than change it. And we told our neighbours what we were doing, why, and asked them if barking was a problem at any other time.

The Static collars are, in effect, delivering an electric shock to the pups neck. This is inhumane, and most states have banned them. You can't import one from somewhere like an american seller on ebay either. Load up a charge on a 9 volt battery and stick it on your tongue and hold it there, before you ever think about putting a static collar on a baby. Yes, I do have strong feelings about this subject.

Don't forget you have a baby there, and positive reinforcement is the way to go. Its hard work, but as little as 10 minutes a day training goes a long way.

[Garloch]

Oh, and, play with her in the back room when she is in there. Make it a treat for her, not a punishment.

People work better and learn faster with praise - dogs even more so!

Good luck.

[Dogsfevr]

Crate train or bring inside & go speak to your neighbours to see if the dog is barking during the day

[Maddy]

The Static collars are, in effect, delivering an electric shock to the pups neck. This is inhumane, and most states have banned them. You can't import one from somewhere like an american seller on ebay either. Load up a charge on a 9 volt battery and stick it on your tongue and hold it there, before you ever think about putting a static collar on a baby. Yes, I do have strong feelings about this subject.

When used properly, there is nothing inhumane about static bark collars.

In some situations, there is simply no other option and I know of several very responsible and caring owners who use them.

Personally, I'd prefer a static collar over a bark muzzle yet the bark muzzles are legal everywhere. With a bark muzzle on, the dog can't eat, drink or pant properly (regardless of what the manufacturers claim ) and they seem to cause a considerable amount of stress to the dog.. seems worse to me than the occasional shock when the dog barks

[sas]

Static bark collars are not inhumane if used correctly. What's more inhumane.....a static pulse collar that is uncomfortable not painful or having the dog put to sleep which is a common option in these situations for many people who may not be so dog savy.

To the poster who thinks they're inhumane you may be familiar with the older models that weren't such a great representation, these days they have so many levels, warning beeps and so forth that the stimulation you would get from one in many cases (depending on the dog) is no more than the static you would get from touching a TV when it's static

Citronella collars could be classed as inhumane as they're actually toxic to a dog and if the dog shifts the collar and ends up being squirted in the face/eyes that's not a great outcome.

Like others have said, the easiest way to prevent this is to bring the dog inside. If you don't like dogs inside then you can confine the dog to a room or a crate, problem solved :rolleyes:

Edited July 5, 2008 by sas

[Siobhan]

Thanks for the advise everyone - I hadn't intended to cause a debate regarding the use of static collars but healthy debate never hurt anyone. We ended up getting an Ultrasonic collar that emits a high pitched whistle when she barks, but we found that it was next to useless. It went off at random times (ie not necessarily when she barked) and it was too confusing for her. We now have decided to confine her to the back room on a permanent basis. We have set her up properly with a stretcher bed and HUNDREDS of toys. We have also started feeding her there also, so she very definitly knows that it's her space. She's slowly getting used to being confined at night - Once agin thanks so much for the advise. Cheers

[Luke GSP]

Siobahn,

Crating at night is definately the way to go, as Miranda suggests.

agree 100%

The Static collars are, in effect, delivering an electric shock to the pups neck. This is inhumane, and most states have banned them. You can't import one from somewhere like an american seller on ebay either. Load up a charge on a 9 volt battery and stick it on your tongue and hold it there, before you ever think about putting a static collar on a baby. Yes, I do have strong feelings about this subject.

personally I would rather use crating etc to deal with this particular problem but GAloch I must ask, when was the last time you tried one? the charge that the modern training collars give when using modern methods are so minute that most humans can't even feel it when put on their skin. They are not used so much as an aversary any more (hence the low stim) but as a cue that a command is coming.Imagine it like, your kids watching their favorite program on the television, they might not hear you asking them what they did today bu, you have a much better chance of getting an answer if you tap them on the shoulder first. And i mean tap.

[Erny]

The Static collars are, in effect, delivering an electric shock to the pups neck. This is inhumane, and most states have banned them. You can't import one from somewhere like an american seller on ebay either. Load up a charge on a 9 volt battery and stick it on your tongue and hold it there, before you ever think about putting a static collar on a baby. Yes, I do have strong feelings about this subject.

And you're entitled to your strong feelings. However, you might check that your strong feelings are well founded.

Good quality anti-bark static collars come with a range of settings these days so that you can set it to the minimum aversion for maximum behavioural effect (ie to cease the bark behaviour). The stimulation from the e-collar/satic anti-bark is an "instant" ..... it does not keep stimulating once the bark has stopped, it ceases in a split second. So your analogy of a battery on the tongue "and holding it there" is not equivocal. In addition, moisture from the tongue increases the sensation you describe, so this would also not equate to the stim received by the dog from the collar.

You say you use a citronella spray collar? The smell of the citronella is an aversive to the dog (in fact citronella is toxic and for some dogs sensitive to it, it can be fatal) yet the smell of the citronella that remains on the dog's coat (and builds up with spray after spray) continues to be an aversive even after the dog has ceased the unwanted barking behaviour. Hardly what I would regard as "humane". And you cannot adjust the level of aversion of citronella to suit the dog as you can a static collar.

I agree to using positive methods where positive methods work. In this instance, prey drive is being engaged and unless something efficient and effective is used the problem is likely to escalate. Later down the track this becomes a bigger problem to the owner due to neighbourhood disgruntlement and possible Council action as a result. This in turn can become a grave problem to the dog.

If the OP is able to discourage the barking behaviour via positive methodology then I would recommend this. But if this is not effective, I disagree that use of a static collar is inhumane. If the OP is not certain as to whether his/her dog is suitable of temperament for a static anti-bark collar, I'd recommend seeking a visit from a professional behaviourist/trainer.

Having said this - there is the JetAir spray collar. It shoots a shot of cold compressed air (similar to but instead of citronella) and for some dogs this is perceived by the dog as sufficiently aversive to discourage barking. It does not have the % success that static anti-bark collars have, but for the more sensitive (and sometimes for the younger) dogs, it does the trick.

I can hire out a JetAir collar if you wish, Siobhan. If the barking persists though (in which case it is possible if not likely that it is not working) the refill cans can prove expensive over time. I have also found that some dogs learn to push the collar around to the side to avoid the shot of cold air (this can also occur with the citronella collars). Sometimes the collar will operate if the dog wearing the collar knocks the sensor on something. However, I have clients who have had success with this collar.

ETA: I had a loan-car recently, whilst my own car was in for service. The loan-car persistently gave off static shocks after I had driven it, to the point where I really didn't want to touch the door or any part of the car when I exited. (I learned to shut the door with my clothed arm.) The static that I received was unpleasant enough that it put me off wanting to shut the door once I had alighted. So much so that even though I have had my own car back (which doesn't stimulate static as much as the loan-car did) for a week, I still habitually hesitate and use my clothed arm to shut the door. The static stimulation was unpleasant, but hardly what I would call painful and certainly not inhumane. I guess if it was I would be able to take the car manufacturer to task for the damage it had caused me. The point of this story is to show that my behaviour was altered as a result of the unpleasant static stimulation (which is what the OP seeks in relation to her dog's barking behaviour). But it did not cause me to fear the car, nor was I physically harmed by the sensation.

Edited July 18, 2008 by Erny