Barking is a natural doggie activity just like talking is to humans. Trying to eliminate dog barking altogether would be like trying to stop someone to talk forever! It’s impossible and it’s not exactly a nice thing to do. The thing is, excessive barking (much like excessive talking) is totally irritating—not just to you but to your family, your hot neighbor, the children at play, the mailman, and every one else who can hear it.
Though barking shouldn't be eliminated—after all, it is very useful when your dog uses it for proper reasons like warning you, warding off trespassers, or telling you something of importance—it must be controlled. If you want to keep peace in the neighborhood and between your neighbors, controlling your dog’s barking habits is important.
A lot of people—even dog owners—aren’t too aware that there are many ways to try and stop your dog from barking at whim.
A lot of dog owners would basically just run to an anti-barking collar. Why? They're very convenient and they don't require much time from the owner. What's so appealing about collars is that they can help the owner supervise incessant barking while the owner isn't around. Today, there are generally three different types of anti-barking collars available in the market.
One is the sonar collar. This sonar collar is a discreet little thing. When the dog barks, it gives off a sound with a frequency that humans can't hear but dogs find irritating. This in turn will get them to think that the irritable sound is a punishment to their barking and will (hopefully) get them to stop.
The second one is called the citronella collar. The citronella collar sprays a scent that's pungent for dogs. Whenever they bark, the collar would spray this scent so that, like the sonar collar, the dog would find the scent as a punishment for their incessant barking. Many say that dogs have already found a trick to outwit this collar, though.
One anecdotal report states that their dog would just keep on barking until the collar runs out of citronella. Afterwards, he will go on barking the whole day without having to deal with the citronella smell. Other dogs would bark and then sort of hold their breaths to avoid the smell and then bark again.
The last one is called the shock collar. This collar is very controversial. It stops dog barking with electric shock. The strength level of the electric current can even be changed from 1 to 6; 6 being the highest and the one that stings the most.
People contast that shock collars are inhuman. Come to think of it no decent person would want to do that to their own child (or anyone they want to discipline for that matter) so doing it to their own pet sounds insane, illogical and altogether cruel as well. A lot of people reasonably avoid the sonar collar.
Though collars seem very convenient, they're merely supplements to help you control your dog's barking habit.
The best thing to do is to find out first why exactly your dog has that kind of habit. Take your dog to a veterinarian behaviorist. Their role is to generally observe a dog’s environment and circumstances to figure out what exactly triggers their socially unacceptable behavior. And then based on their findings, they give training solutions to eliminate the behavior problem.
Some reasons as to why a dog would bark are things like boredom (they might have too much time in their paws with nothing to spend it with) or frustration (are they being bullied by dogs or other people?) to name two.
If you don't know why your dog keeps barking, you can call a vet behaviorist to help you out. He or she can also give you a solution. In extreme cases, they might suggest an anti-barking collar but that should be used side by side with proper training techniques.
If your is always left at home with nothing to do, it would have so much pent-up energy, that it'd really end up barking just to release some energy. If you think your dog might just be bored, then it's time to spend time with him playing—take him for walks, play catch with him, and let him socialize with other dogs. If you’re always out, put them in the care of someone else while you’re out—like a relative or a friend or a dog walker or a doggie daycare. Especially when you’re alone in the house, when you’re out, like humans, your dog feels lonely and bored and he will do anything to use all his energy.
You can also use other tricks like the “QUIET” command, which you will have to implement whenever he barks senselessly. You wouldn't have much trouble teaching the "QUIET" command if you've already established yourself as the alpha of the pack. If the barking is much of a nuisance and is already getting in the way of your chances with the neighborhood hottie, then using an anti-bark collar might be acceptable, but only temporarily or only as a training supplement.
The sonar collar is most recommended as it is not just humane, but more efficient than the two as well. Never forget to tackle the problem with hands-on solutions and obedience training as well. Training your dog to respond to obedience signals is still the best and lasting way to curb dog barking behavior but still maintain his freedom to do what he naturally does.
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