Anti bark collars...which one..??

slimthinker

Ok I am going round in circles here keep reading reviews on the different collars available...

I only want one that sprays...I couldnt bear the thought of 'shocking' my boys...nor sending high pitch noises to their ears...You would never to this to one of your childen so no way should it be done to a dog..

It seems 'Innotek' around £25 are good at less than half the price of 'petsafe' around £60 !!!!!
Anyone had any experiences with these collars..Any advice gladly recieved...;-))

krlyr

My vote..none!
Aversive methods have quite a few downsides. While a spray collar isn't quite as severe as a shock collar, it is still unpleasant, can quite upset some dogs, and also puts the dog at risk of developing futher problems. Would you spray your child in the face with citronella if they were misbehaving?

The problem with something like a spray collar is that it's often for use in unsupervised situations, such as the dog barking when home alone or when left mostly unattended in the garden. This removes a level of control in terms of what the dog's exposed to, when the collar kicks in, etc.
So, for example, say your dog is barking when out in the garden. You use the collar, and a bird flies over the garden, and the dog barks. The spray collar sprays. Later on, another bird flies over, dog barks, dog gets sprayed. After a while the dog will begin to associate the spray with certain triggers, e.g. birds. This could begin to cause problems outside of the garden - the dog could become fearful of birds and start displaying problem behaviour when you're in the park and some birds appear.
The same kind of negative associations can be formed with other triggers of barking - it could be especially risky if these negative associations happen with something the dog is exposed to regularly, e.g. the household pet cat, visiting children, certain family members, etc. that the dog could then develop a fear of. Fear can make dogs nervous and unpredictable - your barking problem could turn into a biting problem if you're unlucky.

Also some dogs just aren't so bothered by the spray. It may work temporarily but their desire to bark (especially if it's fuelled by something strong, like a fear or anxiety reaction, or a built-in drive, such as a guarding breed wanting to guard the garden) may soon override the unpleasant sensation. I've seen and heard of many dogs learning to work around spray collars - they'll bark repeatedly until the cannister is empty, knowing that they'll then be free to bark with no spraying.

What is the barking issue? There may be a better solution that gives more permanent results without the need for any gadgets, if you give a bit more info

http://positively.com/2011/06/04/barking-barking-barking-etc-etc-etc/

pawsies

None is my vote too!

Morganarla

None gets my vote too.

krlyr

Also you'll often find that the dogs learn to associate the collar with the spray - when they realise they've not got the spray collar on they often revert back to the behaviour

thorsoak

Far better to teach your dog to bark on command - and use the "no speak" command to stop barking!

GRM

We use the Innotek Citronella when he's in the back garden - has been highly effective IME.

krlyr

GRM wrote: »

We use the Innotek Citronella when he's in the back garden - has been highly effective IME.

You say you "use" it, as in you still have to keep it on the dog? This seems to be something I hear of quite often in aversives, they tend to have to be kept in use. This is because you're not dealing with the root of the problem, but just dampening the symptom.
I know of someone who raved about the effectiveness of shock collars to several of us on a group walk - but it was very telling that all of his dogs were still wearing said shock collars. It was reliant on the dogs knowing that there would be a punishment if they misbehaved, e.g. ran away, rather than behaving because they found it rewarding, such as having been taught that staying near to the owner meant they got positive interaction.

Caroline_a

My old Dane was deaf, so couldn't hear herself barking. I think she used to do it a lot of the time because she liked the sensation. I tried a citronella collar, came home, dog still barking from time to time but the house smelled lovely and lemony! :rotfl:

lisawood78

None would be my choice to for all of the reasons stated above, sorry.

Fosterdog

Another one saying None.

I may upset or offend some people but IMO it is a form of cruelty using any sort of behaviour altering collar. It works by causing deliberate momentary stress/distress and sometimes pain (spray citronella in your own face and see how much it stings if it get's in your eyes)

The only one on here I can even begin to understand why it was used is with Caroline and a deaf dog, I've worked with a few deaf dogs and know how challenging they can be and standard methods of training don't/can't always work.