Bark Collars

Properly trained, a man can be dog's best friend.  ~Corey Ford

One of the many options out there available to pet owners as a form of dog training help is bark collars. These collars come in a variety of styles, brands, strengths and colors but are all created to help train your dog to not bark.


What Types of Dog Bark Collars are Available?
Shock collars and ones utilizing Noise and Vibration are the most common types available on the market today.

Shock collars administer a small shock (often off of the use of small low voltage batteries or battery) when a dog barks. A good collar will be designed to detect a dogs bark and differentiate between a bark and other vocal actions that your dog may do.

Frequency and Vibration collars emit a loud (typically undetectable to the human ear) frequency that is undesired by dogs. These sounds are emitted when your dog barks and end when the barking ends.

Using a Bark Collar and How and When to Use it:
If you decide to purchase a bark collar for your dog it is recommended that you buy new. The reason behind this is to best ensure quality, understand how it works as well as for the instructions that are provided on the packaging of the purchased product. This becomes most important when you take into consideration that not all collars are created equally nor are they designed the same. Some will consist of varying voltages, some designed for larger vs smaller breeds and many other important factors that should not be overlooked for the well being of your four legged friend.

Use of these bark collars will vary from one pet owner to the next but on average these are not meant to be left on your canine long term (nor do most recommend it). These collars are most often utilized to control barking during certain activities or situations . Those can include controlling barking while: outside,  in the house, out in public or a number of other scenarios. These should be considered merely training tools and not overused or used in a manner in which to punish your dog.

Are Bark Collars Right for Every One?
Absolutely not! Every pet owner and their needs and beliefs are different which means this is a choice you must make on your own.

Is it Cruel to Use a Bark Collar on My Dog?
This is in a large part - perception. If you perceive it as cruel then perhaps you should just look to other means of deterring your canines unwanted barking. As far as whether or not these collars actually hurt your pet or not the answer is mostly no. These collars are designed to cause discomfort whether through mild shock, sprays or through loud noises and vibrations (mostly unheard by the average human ear). This discomfort lasts only as long as the dogs bark persists- which is how they work to teach your dog that barking at these times is considered unacceptable or unwanted - but are not designed to injure or hurt your pet beyond a mild discomfort. For those with concerns the most humane collars will be those that utilize frequency and vibrations to correct and train your dog.

This scenario has been compared to the slapping of a hand (no hitting is being promoted) that habitually reaches for something it should not. After awhile, though not injured, the discomfort is enough to reduce or eliminate the undesired behavior. However, like any other dog training help tool these are intended to be used properly and for the right reasons which falls heavily and solely onto the pet owner or trainer.