Curb Irritating Dog Barking Behavior
Barking is as normal to dogs as talking is to humans. Trying to curb 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. But we have to admit, 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.
Even if barking shouldn’t be stopped-after all, it’s handy 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.
These days, busy dog owners tend to run to these things called anti-barking collars. They’re convenient as they don’t seem to require much time from the owner. The great thing about collars is that they can supervise a dog’s barking habits even when the owner is not around. So far, there are generally three different kinds of anti-barking collars available in the market.
One is the sonar collar. Sonar collars are discreet things. Whenever the dog barks, it releases a sound with a certain frequency inaudible to humans but irritable to dogs. The idea is that they will associate the irritable sound as punishment to their incessant barking.
Another one is called the citronella collar. Citronella collars spray a pungent scent. When the dog barks, they spray so that, like the sonar collar, the dog would assume they’re being punished for their non-stop barking. Though this seems pretty useful, a lot of people say that their dogs have already found a way to get around this anti-barking device.
Some would just keep on barking until the citronella in the collar runs out. Then he’ll just go on barking for the rest of the day. Other dogs would bark and then sort of hold their breaths to avoid the smell and then bark again.
The third one is called the shock collar. This collar is very controversial. Whenever the dog barks, it shocks the dog with electricity. Intensity of the current can usually be changed.
People contast that shock collars are inhuman. After all, no sane person would do that to another person so why even think of doing it to their own pet? A lot of people reasonably avoid the sonar collar.
Even if collars seem to be the “promised land” out of your dog’s uncontrollable barking, collars are just merely supplements.
The best thing to do is to find out first why exactly your dog has that kind of habit. If humans have psychologists, dogs have veterinarian behaviorists. A veterian behaviorist basically observes 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 (perhaps they’re being bullied by another dog in the family or by the people around them) to name two.
If you can’t pinpoint what exactly triggers their undesirable behavior, call a vet behaviorist near you to help you find out what’s bothering your dog. A vet behaviorist will also teach you what to do. In extreme cases, they might suggest an anti-barking collar but that should be used side by side with proper training techniques.
Barking dogs are just sometimes extremely bored with so much energy to waste. Provide them with physical activities like walks, catch, and play time 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. When left alone with nothing to do, dogs feel bored and lonely just like humans do and they will do just about anything to release some energy or catch your attention.
You can also implement the “QUIET” command whenever he barks out of control. If you’ve already established yourself as the alpha of your “pack”, then it won’t take much trouble to teach this. 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.
If you’re seriously considering a collar, get the sonar collar as it is more efficient and humane. 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 eliminate dog barking behavior but still maintain his freedom to do what he naturally does.
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