The Constantly Barking Dog - How To Deal With Him
Tuesday, July 1st, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
Dogs bark for any number of reasons. Most dogs will bark to alert their owners to possible trouble, pain or being frightened of something. Yet other dogs will constantly bark in order to gain the attention of someone or worse yet to sound menacing. Dogs falling into the latter category are showing negative behavior as far as we are concerned.
Whatever the reason may be for a dog’s barking, it can often be considered a nuisance by the dog’s owners and their neighbors alike. Because of this there are several methods employed to control a barking dog.
Dog trainers generally agree that the best method of controlling a constantly barking dog is to use a traditional reward and reprimand system. These systems are much more humane and teach the dog to only bark at the appropriate times.
Some people may employ what is called a “bark collar” or a “shock collar” to attempt to control a constantly barking dog. These devices deliver a small shock to the dog when it barks and the idea is that the dog will associate a minor pain with his barking, becoming startled and eventually stop.
There are many problems with this method. Many dogs will not associate the negative stimulus of a shock collar with their barking and they will continue to bark despite the pain it may cause. Dogs that have a lot of fur many not even feel the slight shock around their neck because activation of a bark collar requires its metal contacts to come in contact with the dogs skin around its neck. Some dogs will finally get the message and stop barking. Generally, however the bark collar is not enough and the dog will require additional traditional reward/reprimand training anyway.
If you do use a bark collar, only use it for short periods and not an extended period of time.
Some owners find the idea of delivering an electric shock to the dog to be “cruel”. While that may be a matter of opinion, the collars provide only minor discomfort for a short time and will not actually cause harm the dog.
Still another type of bark control collar delivers a mist of citronella to the nose area of the dog. Most dogs hate this smell and may soon associate the bad smell with their constant barking. Success rates while using a citronella collar are similar to those using an electronic collar
Another method of controlling constant dog barking and by far the most inhumane is to have the dog undergo de-barking surgery. This procedure involves removing a bit a tissue around the larynx of the dog, rendering it unable to bark. The surgery doesn’t always work and most vets will not recommend this extreme measure.
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