Anti-barking Devices

There are citronella anti-bark collars. They emit a spray of citronella when the dog barks and dogs tend to not like the smell. I used one for my dog and it worked. I got it either on ebay or amazon.com. Good luck.

We used one called Innotek that worked really well. The lowest setting didn't make him yipe, he would just shake his head, and it still worked.

J.,

We have a black lab that is just over a year old now. We took him/us for training with Dan Morris in Livonia, too. We live right off a main road and have lots of walkers and dog walkers go by all day, every day. He would bark at everything that moves-even a leaf in the breeze and chew on anything he saw. The training at Dan Morris has helped alot. Plus, I have watched all the Dog Whisperer shows and checked out the books and DVD's from our public library. And, the thing that has helped with our dog's behavior has been following the path of exercise, discipline and then affection. It is okay that our dog is not a person. It doesn't mean that we treat him like dirt - just that we treat him like a dog and don't try to make him into a person.

I hope this helps!
D.

Hi J.,
Just about any collar will work. I wouldn't leave it on for long periods of time, or the prongs will leave marks, or "holes" in the skin of the dog.
We had to use it on one of our dogs because she started the annoying habit out of boredom. When you do use the collar, make sure you tell the dog "enough!" or something when it barks. I no long have to use a collar because when they start to bark, I go out and tell the "enough!" and they stop.

We tried a bark collar for our Pomeranian/Shi-tzu mix dog. It worked great right away! But, then when we removed it, the dog figured out that he could bark again without being shocked (smart dog? stupid product?) So, now when he barks, we just say "do you want your bark collar on?" and he stops. We can even put the collar on him without batteries, and he doesn't bark.

A trick I just learned is to bang two metal dinner knives together. It stops the barking immediately. Of course you'd have to be outside with the dog to do this, but it worked for me.

Hi J.:

I HIGHLY recommend a training collar with remote - we have the one that will give a "warning" beep, and then if necessary, it will give a little zap. We adopted a 9 month old puppy from the Humane Society after we put our beloved dog down and she was extremely hyper and barked alot (to the point I was considering returning her) - we received complaints from the neighbors also (which is what prompted us to try the collar). We have never had to zap her - we just use the beep and I have to tell you, she is like a completely different dog. We don't even need the collar anymore. She has turned out to be the best dog and we would not trade her for anything. Good luck to you.

P.S. - we bought our collar at K-8 Specialties - 13 and Mound in Warren. They are cheapest we found.

J.,

we used to have a "shock" collar to teach our dog his boundaries, personally I regret doing it because it made him more fearful :( At the time he was a fence jumper, so we felt our options were limited. I wonder if you could fill a large pop bottle with pennies and throw it by your dog when he barks. Long story short, if you have other issues other than the barking I would highly reccommend Bark Busters. We found them when my dog was 8 and they provide behavioral training, I wish we would have found them much earlier.

N.

My mom had one on her standard poodle and it burned two small holes in his neck.

I teach all of my dogs not to bark outside unless they have a legitimate reason (someone coming into the yard not the dog two doors over). The minute they start barking they come back in the house. Depending on the size of your yard and your dog, you might want to try taking him out on a leash - then you can try redirecting him from the barking or simply give a tug and take him in.

We use a bark collar that uses citronella. When she barks it shoots out citronella instead of shocking. It works well. You can buy them at PetSmart or Petco. I think is was about $150.

Hey J.,
What kind of dog do you have? We adopted a very "high pray-instinct" dog. A female German Shepard. When a dog barks its their way of communicating. Ours barks to tell us there is someone coming or something is wrong. She is protecting her family. What is he trying to tell you? When our we got our dog I put her (and us) in traing classes that were a bit pricy but definately worth the price. Dan Morris out of Livonia taught us how to teach our dog bacome the best dog I have ever had. I lived on a farm and have had alot of dogs! Here are a few things to try before you get an expencive collar. Fill 10 pop cans with marbles(not pennies because they make a different sound) and duct tape the top of them. If you have kids, DO NOT let them play with the cans. Your dog should only hear the sound of the can when he is doing something wrong. Anything wrong. Getting into the garbage, barking, jumping, getting on furnature, etc. When he barks outside you have to go out there to see what he is barking at. Tell him good boy! for letting you know whats going on, then give him a command like STOP or OUT. When he continues to bark, shake the can twice. If he continues to bark throw the can at his feet. ALL dogs HATE the sound of that can. Leave the cans all over the house where they are easily accessable for you to use. Keep going to check on things when he barks. At windows, outside, where ever. All he is doing is his job, protecting you. Its great to have a watch dog, but he needs to stop barking when you tell him. You are the Alpha or the Boss. My dog even lets me know when my toddler is doing something he shouldn't be if I'm not paying attention. She is like Nana dog from peter pan. LOL It may take a week or so for him to get it, and alot of getting up to see what is going on, But if you take the time to train him and parise him for a job well done, you will be a much happier dog owner. And your neighbors will be happy too! I hope you try this. All I have to do is pick up a can (which isn't very often) and Gretchen stops dead in her tracks. Good Luck! L. B.

I don't have any advice for you but I want to say thank you for being a responsible pet owner. We have a neighbor behind us who has their dog outside 24/7 and this dog barks constantly! We have done everything to try and get this neighbor to cooperate; letters, conversations, and finally calling the police. It is so frustrating to be woke every am to a barking dog and to not be able to sit in your backyard. So kudos to you for trying to keep the peace.

Hi J.,

My name is J.. I work @ Woodland Hospital for Animals & have been there for 22+ years. We work with a great group of trainers who believe in training w/positive reinforcement. I'm not sure where you live, but you could call Woodland ###-###-####(Kentwood, MI) & get the phone # for Chris Williams & Kristie Swan. One of the really neat bark collars I know they work w/ is a citronella collar. Every time the dogs bark it lets off a citronella scent & dogs don't like it. Chris will be able to tell you if your dogs personality is right for that!!

Good luck ~ J.

hey J.
we use a tritronic bark collar i tryed a few different one . we went with tritronnic we order it from gundogu if you want the phone #let me know

We used one with our small Yorkie/Cairn mix. We went to Pet Supplies Plus in Canton and they were really helpful. The one we got gives a shock equivalent to the intensity of the bark. You do not keep it on all the time, just during the time it's most troublesome. Our little one would for 3 to 4 hours a night. She wore hers then and it has worked wonders. Within a month, she didn't have to wear it anymore! It cost us about 99 dollars, but it has saved us a lot of lost sleep.

J.,

Training collars may or may not work depending on the temperament of your pet. We had Airedale Terriers and the training collars worked wonders with their very strong personalities. The shock that is administered is very low and is just supposed to remind the dog of the rules. Some dogs don't know what to do with the low-level sting and become afraid of the collar.

My in-laws have labs and they only use positive training methods, so when they used the shock collar on their male dog he was very intimidated and frightened.

I would suggest talking with the manufacturer and possibly talk with an animal behaviorist who uses a balanced approach to behavior modification - not just positive reinforcement - to determine which strategies and tools would work best with your pet.

Good luck and thank you for being a responsible pet owner and thinking about your neighbors' feelings.

-C..