Help stop barking
Looking for some advise or recommendations on bark collars. My sister has 3 dogs that do occasionally bark, her NASTY neighbors who are not pet lovers at all have called the cops on her. And now she has to figure out a way to stop them from barking. One is 10 years old one is 5 years old and one is 1 year old. She hates to use a bark collar but she doesnt know what else to do. Has anyone had any luck with one and what brand etc. Any advise would be appreciated. She is so upset and I feel so bad for her, she sold her beautiful country home to buy the family home after my mother passed away and these NASTY neighbors are giving her nothing but grief.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Ludi on
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I'm sorry to hear that your sister is having a hard time. I am not a huge fan of bark collars, as they can startle skittish dogs and trigger even more barking, and so on, until the dog completely shuts down. I believe Citronella spray collars are less frightening, and possibly less expensive. But again, I really don't know. Just be aware of their use. If she has a truly sensitive dog, act accordingly!
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Permalink Reply by Jenny, Tucker, & Zoey on
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I have this collar for Tucker:
http://www.amazon.com/SportDOG-Rechargeable-NoBark-Control-Collar/d...
He is a nuisance barker. He's not outside for long, but he will bark at everything. My neighbors have never said anything, but it drives me nuts, so I know it's annoying for them. It has several different settings. I have mine set to where it starts on the lowest correction every time and works its way up with more barking. Tucker only had to be corrected a few times. If he is wearing the collar, he knows not to bark. He is a skittish dog in general, but this hasn't had a negative impact on him. We call it his "Bark Bark", and he is not afraid to put it on.
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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You cannot lose your dogs for occasional barking; you need to be disturbing the peace. I would suggest that she set an audio recorder and record an entire few days as evidence. I would not recommend bark collars with multiple dogs, since one dog barking can cause the other dog's collar to activate, and result in some serious stress for the all the dogs. Apparently some are set off by vibration rather than noise, so this might solve that problem.
http://westwoodanimalhospital.com/BhvArticles/bark_study.htm
Honestly if it is a serious issue I would prefer debarking to punishing the dogs for barking. I know some people think this is cruel, but it allows the dog to continue its behavior but the bark volume is reduced so it's not a nuisance to neighbors.
But again, in a normal residential zone a neighbor can't just say "I don't want to hear a dog bark!" It's not a reasonable request. If it were me I'd talk to the cops and see what the law is in my town and let the law be on my side before I'd punish my dogs just for being normal dogs.
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Permalink Reply by Snickmom on
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We had a friend who de barked their dog, and he sounded horrible, like he had a a terminal wheeze.
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Permalink Reply by Becky S on
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I agree with Beth that you can't lose your dogs for occasional nusiance barking, however in our city you can have a hefty fine ($380) with only one complaint. The city ordinance is... no barkind dogs. Doesn't matter time of day, inside or out if you have a neighbor who complains.. I know from experience and paying a fine. We tried the citronella collar as I really didn't like the idea of the shock collra, but they just figured out if they kept barking it would run out and they came in smelling like citronella every day. We got ones from petsafe and even if Brody is barking inside all we have to say is "do you need your collar?" they caught on VERY quickly and have never had any problems. Hope this helps, good luck
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Wait a sec, are you really saying that it's legal to own dogs, but if the dog barks even once you can be fined $380?
Honestly I think I would challenge that in court. I don't think the law is possible to obey.
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Permalink Reply by Tracy Dusek on
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depends on the local ordinances, I think in my area it's time dependent and unfortunately that's not enforced very well. we have a yippy dog next door that drives me crazy.
I think first the local ords need to be checked. Then go from there.
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Permalink Reply by Rachael McClanahan on
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A fine for just one complaint?! I'd be bankrupt if I had to pay every time Pippa annoyed a neighbor!
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I was able to get Wryn to quiet down some, not completely, by making her come in a ONE bark. ONE bark and in she comes....Now, I will say, I'm not completely strict with this during daylight hours, but when the sun goes down and the little ones who surround us are heading to bed, I'm a monster! LOL! Once she realized that she couldn't play outside if she barked she stopped barking. she has also learned the NO BARK command, eh sorta....she isss a stubborn corgi after all.
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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on
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I did the same as Tracy when we first adopted Mowgli, except I said "Quiet" first and then brought the dog in at the next bark, by giving him a treat. He now quiets down right away, or comes running inside and he's figured out what the choices are.
With 3 dogs used to barking, it would be harder to enforce the above. I would use ( in conjunction with raining ) a shock collar that works on responding to vibration in the throat, rather than noise, for the reason Beth stated. Your sister could try the citronella collar on the 10 yr. old dog, it can be returned if it does not do the job. I think different people have different level of tolerance for barking dogs and some owners can tune the dogs out better than neighbors.... I have seen cases where barking dogs were poisoned because owners would not deal with the problem. I think the best way to deal with the issue is not to blame the neighbors, but rather to elicit their more cooperative side by letting them know the problem will be taken care of. People become "nasty" when they think their needs are being ignored. I would not opt for surgical de-barking myself.
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I do think it depends on the breed of dog. Some dogs are not frequent barkers and can be trained not to bark in most circumstances fairly easily.
But it would be nearly impossible (without using excessive levels of pain or intimidation) to train a beagle not to bay when it scents quarry (or, in some beagles that came from pack-hunting lines, when it spies another dog). I don't think I could train my own Corgis not to bark while playing; the desire to bark at things that move is innate--- they will hold a sit-stay without a leash but still vocalize. My parents have a Chessie, another dog that was selectively bred to bark. The levels of punishment needed to stop behaviors that are selectively bred for are frequently severe. My understanding is large numbers of Sheltie breeders debark their dogs because they tend to bark when they are happy, when they play, when they hear a noise, when another dog barks, when something runs, etc etc etc. Hounding a dog all day in most of its activities can be counter-productive. Generally one should not choose a barking breed when one lives in an apartment, but when neighbors become unreasonable or ones activities necessitate keeping dogs in larger numbers, sometimes debarking has a place.
One of mine is debarked (not by me) and she barks just fine, but the volume is turned down greatly. I have not noticed that it causes her to avoid barking, and she gives no sign that she even notices something is different. The biggest problem is the volume tends to go back up as the years go by.If the neighbors are open to a conversation, I might ask when the barking bothers them and point out it protects the neighbors against intruders as much as the family that owns the dogs; burglars tend to move on to easier targets if three dogs are raising the alarm.
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By the way, I know many people think it's cruely, but here is how it is done:
http://wendtworthcorgis.wordpress.com/2010/02/05/heel-sit-whisper-g...
Minimally invasive, little to no recovery time, and very little pain.
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