Using A No-bark Collar.

[Gayle.]

Benson is turning into a problem barker. Since we moved, he barks at everything. We live opposite someone with greyhounds and they run them in the paddock across the road. Benson barks. We have a pony club near us and kids ride past on horses a lot. Benson barks. We have lots of birdlife around. Benson barks at them.

He can see our neighbors through the fence. He barks at them. He barks when he's playing, he barks when I'm training him, he barks when I'm preparing his dinner....and according to our neighbor he barks all the time when we're not home, and seeing as we both work fulltime, that's a lot of barking. Since I got some chooks, he barks himself stupid when he can see me tending to them.

He is not bored. He has two other dogs to play with, he gets loads of exercise and training, he has lots of interesting things to play with, a sandpit to dig in, a huge yard to run around in and lots and lots of attention.

His bark is loud, and it's ear-splitting. It is driving me crazy. I can make him stop barking if I am there with him, but as soon as I walk away, he starts again.

I am thinking about a no-bark collar. Not the citrus spray type, I think he'd figure that one out fairly quickly, he's not stupid at all and he has a very creative mind. I'm thinking more the electronic stim collar. Which ones work, which ones are a waste of money, or are they all a waste of money and is there a better solution?

PS, the barking isn't a problem with the neighbor as her son plays his music very loud at various times of the night, so we're pretty even there and Benson is inside at night.

Edited September 11, 2010 by GayleK

[Parkeyre]

Jack is a giant pain in the arse when it comes to barking, no one else seems to think he is a problem barker but he drives me batty.

I keep getting told to train him to bark on command and then teach him when to not bark also.. But I have no idea how to go about this.

I've tried the citronella collars, and petsafe stim collars, the haltis etc/ He's a barker and it's ridiculous. I'm considering debarking.

[KitKat]

One of mine is a barker - i tried the auto no bark stim collar on him...he's not smart enough to learn any other trick then to shake paws (most times) but he learnt that if he shook and scratched at the collar and moved it up his neck a bit then it wouldn't work (it neds both the noise and vibration to stim).

I now use a remote trainer collar on him - "the Big Leash Remote Trainer" And so far just the sound or vibration mode has been enough to settle him down if he's barking for no good reason. However i don't know if he is barking when i'm not home - and of course can't use the remote on him if i'm not home..lol. But he does automatically settle a bit with just putting the collar on him - so i think he is barking less while i'm not home, but that's still better then nothing.

ETA - I've also considered de-barking, but i'd rather keep that as a last resort - and so far the remote trainer seems to be working enough.

Edited September 3, 2010 by KitKat

[Gayle.]

I taught Benson to "speak". Stupidest thing I ever did because now when he wants my attention, he speaks. And my god, he can talk the leg off a chair.

KitKat, does the dog have long or short hair? Benson has a fairly thick ruff around his neck, if I tightened the collar, would the thick hair keep it in place?

[Lucy's mama]

I bought a cheapy off e-bay. Tested it on myself first and decided not to put it on the dog It lets you bark for around 10 or 15 seconds, gives a warning beep, a longer warning beep then stim and keep increasing the stim till you shut up. First level hurt and I wasn't brave enough to keep barking. If it had a safety cut off after 15 seconds like the more expensive ones do then I would reconsider, but as it is I am worried he will bark, get zapped, yelp, get zapped for that and yelp and get zapped etc..

That is not to say I am anti-bark collar, I just don't reccomend the ebay cheapy!

ETA: My partner tested it also and shut up as soon as the long second beep started. He still got zapped at the end of the beep, so I thought that would confuse and be unfair on the dog too.

Edited September 3, 2010 by Lucy's mama

[Gayle.]

I've been reading up on the Innotek collars. They have an increasing level of stim but drop down to the lowest level once the barking stops.

[Lucy's mama]

OT - I love the new sig Gayle. Very nice.

[Flaves]

I have one Gayle, it is a zappy one that resets itself after 6 barks

Starts off low, each bark gets a little stronger if the dog is continually barking up to 6 shocks, then resets.

Works well, i like it, i got it off ebay, i can find the link for you

Bark Collar

Another 1

This is the one i have - but i didnt get the charger with mine

Edited September 3, 2010 by Flaves

[Gayle.]

That would be great, Flaves.

[KitKat]

My barker is a fluffy GSD the lil prongs just fit through the fur - most collars will come with a short pair and a long pair to use depending on the length of coat

[KitKat]

Just make sure you get one that needs both the vibration and the noise to set it off - else the dog next to him barking (if using the noise only) could set it off, or drinking/growling/etc (if working on vibration only) could set it off.

[Flaves]

The one i have does both, where did you move too Gayle?

If you are close to me, you are welcome to borrow mine to see if it helps

Edited September 3, 2010 by Flaves

[ruthless]

When we got a barking complaint we bought a Dogtra anti-barking collar. Not sure of the model but I think Steve sells them. It works on noise and vibration. It has a dial with 7 levels. Steve says this kind is better than the ones that reset themselves. Can't remember why though!

Chopper was barking out of boredom when we were at work (despite being walked and run before we left and having a kong). He stopped on day one of wearing the collar on the lowest setting. He did learn that whinging doesn't set it off though. He's a great little whinger now

[HeavyPaws]

I used to have a fox terrier that barked constantly. If you think "Stops every so often" you'd be wrong. From the time she woke up in the morning {stretch on the bed then emit a loud bark to welcome the day}, she would bark.

The only time, the only time she was quiet was when she had a mouthful of food too big to bark around....which she would do if it was a smaller mouthful, and when she was asleep. However, she could and would bark in her sleep.

I couldn't spend the whole day home, it was making me mad. Happily, the nearest neighbour was a 10 minute drive away, so there was no noise problem.

All day, every day, a tail-wagging bark. And it wasn't the "barkbarkbarkbark!" type, it was "BARK!....BARK!....BARK!", every 4 seconds.

When training failed, OH ended up trying a collar, but she barked the whole time and just looked puzzled while she was doing it.

She got hit by a car at 2 years old so I never found out if she was quieter when older, but jeez, she was the best barker I've ever heard.

[Gayle.]

Benson seems to bark to communicate. He does it very happily, his tail wags, he looks like he's telling you something, but it's just bark, bark, bloody bark. And he has that herding dog ear-splitting topnote to the bark.

My husband went to let the chooks out this morning and he came back almost deafened having heard Benson's chook-tending-instructions for the first time. He really ramps it up when he sees the chooks, fortunately he can't get to them although he's given is a cracking good try.

I have ordered the same collar Flaves has, the one with the recharger. Hopefully it will work.

[SarasMum]

I am interested in how it goes Gayle. I have one that likes to bark too and being a GSD it also has that ear piercing top note to it. She barks at the neighbours, at the local magpie that has learnt to taunt her, at anyone that moves past our fence. It gets a tad old after a while.

I will listen with interest.

[Gayle.]

I'll give regular updates, First update is that it's been posted.

I am thinking I should maybe put it on him with no batteries to start with, so that he can bark with it on and not experience anything negative, then once I add batteries to it, he hopefully won't associate the collar with the stim.

I hate doing this, he's a gorgeous boy, such a lovely temperament and right now he's sound asleep in the sandpit and he looks so cute. But he is rapidly driving me crazy and so far nothing else has worked except bringing him inside and he can't stay inside all the time. And it seems that when he starts barking, his brain falls out his ears or something because he simply doesn't hear commands or if he does, he takes no notice of them.

[Flaves]

He will learn that the collar is what zaps - they are pretty smart lol

I didnt put it on without the battery in it, i put it on him

I watched and the first time be barked and it zapped i nearly cried being pathetic lol, but he learnt very quickly

[Flaves]

I have ordered the same collar Flaves has, the one with the recharger. Hopefully it will work.

Fingers crossed

[Gayle.]

I have a friend in Sydney with a barking Aussie and I emailed her today because I knew she'd used a stim collar, and she said it was highly successful When her girl starts to get noisy again, she said she shows her the collar and she shuts right up.