How do you feel about bark collars?

[pinkspore]

Our new training club allows bark collars to be used on crated dogs during practices to help keep the volume down as a courtesy to the neighbors. While none of my dogs have an issue, it got me wondering about bark collars in general.

What is your opinion of bark collars (spray, shock, other...are there others?)? Have you ever used one?

In the interest of keeping a potentially volatile topic from exploding, please stick to "I" statements when sharing your opinions rather than stating them as facts, i.e.

"I think collars made out of jello are useless and also stupid." <----This is an opinion stated as an opinion.

"Collars made out of jello are stupid and also useless." <----This is an opinion stated as a fact and it pisses off people who disagree with you so don't do this or I will mock your reading comprehension skills.

And go!

 

[StompinT]

I don't have any real feelings about them. I've never had to use one, and hope I never feel I do.

 

[BostonBanker]

I would not use them on my dogs in a situation where I was expecting them to train as well. I admit that I have soft dogs. And to be honest, I wouldn't use them anyway. But I wouldn't use any e-collar. I think dogs who crate politely and quietly are the bomb.

I think it would be awesome if I could use them on some people at training classes.

 

[Slick]

I wouldn't use them in that situation UNLESS I had tried everything else and couldn't solve the problem in any other way. But if I had the obnoxiously loudly barking dog and had tried other positive methods first and for an extended amount of time with no results, I would consider it.

Luckily, I wouldn't have this problem with Leo. He at most would whine bark (a whine that gets kinda loud) eeeeevery once in a while, and it would be easily taken care of by covering his crate.

I would not judge another person with a very barky dog for choosing a bark collar on a low/humane setting as long as the bark collar worked and the dog wasn't barking through the pain (cruel in my opinion).

 

[milos_mommy]

I highly doubt I'd ever use one, although I may make an exception for a very stable/confident/non reactive dog that was barking for the sake of partaking in a self-rewarding behavior - ie actually barking to hear themselves bark, not as a reaction to anything.

In my experience, many of the dogs I've worked with are barking as an anxious behavior or a reactive behavior. In the former, when a deterrent is used, the dog simply turns to other behaviors, either destructive chewing, self-mutilation, obsessions with shadows, etc. With the latter, I'd have concerns the dog would associate the stimuli they're reacting to - whether it's noise, guests, other animals, cars, etc with a positive punishment and become more reactive towards said stimuli, and in some cases react aggressive (along the lines of punishing a dog for growling and then having them turn to biting without warning).

As with most aversive tools, I do believe their are rare cases where it can be beneficial, but for most dogs and definitely most dog owners/at home trainers, I find they do more damage than good.

 

[Southpaw]

I don't mind them, Cajun wear one. She is a very soft dog who shuts down at the drop of a hat, so non-emotional feedback separate from her people works best. She barks just to bark (WATCH OUT NEIGHBORHOOD I'M A DOBERMAN is what she roars as she runs the perimeter of the fence every time she's let outside).

She barks when crated too, doesn't get crated at home but when I would need to bring her to work with me I'd put it on her. She's not anxious about being crated. Again, she just likes to bark.

So yeah I don't mind them and yes would use one in that situation if my dog was noisy.

 

[SizzleDog]

I have one for Seren. It is rarely used, but there are times when it is needed.

Granted, she's a tough-as-nails dog who will bark just to bark. Normally it wouldn't bother me too much, but we have very grouchy neighbors that like to call the cops every time a dog barks, and I'd prefer to not get fined $230. So far the cops have been very lenient since everyone knows this neighbor hates dogs, but I don't want to push my luck.

And good god, Seren can bark. Ibizans are not a quiet breed by any stretch, but Seren really loves the sound of her own voice.

 

[lancerandrara]

(When we say bark collar, are e-collars the same as bark collars? <__<)

I think e-collars are a very intricate tool that can work very well for some handler-dog teams, but can also backfire if used incorrectly by inexperienced handlers and used on the wrong dog.

I believe it's a tool best left for those very experienced in working with them, and should never be used willy-nilly by novice owners just because "their dogs bark too much" or "they want to have a better recall"... definitely not the latter for a wide variety of reasons down to lacking recall fundamentals in itself... For example, if they're trained recalls solely using the e-collar, and the e-collar suddenly runs out of battery, then what? Your dog is gone! LOL

 

[Bruschnazzy]

Dogs bark. Don't like it or want it, get something else. I'm sure most people make as much stupid or unneeded noise as their dogs who bark for no reason. opcorn:

 

[pinkspore]

(When we say bark collar, are e-collars the same as bark collars? <__<)

Bark collars are specifically the ones that automatically trigger when the dog barks, not the remote-controlled kind.

I think it would be awesome if I could use them on some people at training classes.

[YOUTUBE]https://youtu.be/HuKva8GUwBk[/YOUTUBE]

 

[SpringerLover]

I don't own one. One could argue I have a use for it. My dogs can all be crate barkers but I work on it and we've had good success, I just get lazy and don't work on it enough. So they regress.

I managed Diego's crate barking for about a year before it improved. Now he is quiet in the car 99% of the time. All of them are very quiet in the car for that matter... It is generally unfamiliar places they are barkey at.

 

[sassafras]

I don't think I would use one in a class situation like that, because I'm generally sitting right next to my dogs' crates during class.

But I do have a citronella bark collar at home that I have used intermittently. I'm right in the city and sometimes problem barking needs to be gotten under control very, very quickly.

 

[Southpaw]

Dogs bark. Don't like it or want it, get something else.

Sigh.

 

[Grab]

I don't think I'd use one in a training situation, because I'd be next to the crate. I would use one if needed.

 

[lancerandrara]

Bark collars are specifically the ones that automatically trigger when the dog barks, not the remote-controlled kind.

Ah I see- I'm ashamed, it took me an hour to remember that bark collars are specifically for barking. (ARGH)

 

[Stillwater]

No problem with them here. I need to replace mine.

But in a group situation I am not sure. I always wonder if a dog barking in a crate next to your quiet dog will trigger your dogs collar.

 

[Dekka]

Schen has one. He is very insistent in singing the song of his people when left alone in any situation. The very first day we brought him home he screamed at the top of his little baby crestie lungs (he was 3 months) for the first 3 hours of our drive home. I guess he didn't see us as 'his people'.

I live in an apt. No amount of training seemed to help. Interesting he barks loudly through a spray collar and through the shock collars that start low and build if the dog barks. He then just barks waits till it resets and barks again. Interestingly he is a very soft dog.

I don't like them, but if you have a very vocal dog who can bark for hours happily.. He doesn't have separation anxiety (Dekka does) and he will run into his crate happily, chew on his chewies, empty his kong etc. He is just loud.

Dekka has a spray collar. Its enough to discourage her from barking. If she really wants too she will bark and just close her eyes lol. She however has to be hunted down to be put in her crate and will not touch any food or chewies till someone comes home.

I would not use them on my dogs in a situation where I was expecting them to train as well. I admit that I have soft dogs. And to be honest, I wouldn't use them anyway. But I wouldn't use any e-collar. I think dogs who crate politely and quietly are the bomb.

I think it would be awesome if I could use them on some people at training classes.

Just people in general who repeat the same thing over and over and over...

ETA: if you get the ones that go off vibration then a dog barking beside won't set it off. However I have heard the other collars, jingly tags etc can. Mine only wear the collar, no other collars when in their crates and we are all leaving.

 

[Elrohwen]

I don't have direct experience with them, though I have used an ecollar to train recall.

I think a lot depends on the dog. Watson used to be a horrible crate barker (much better now, but not perfect) and his issues are 99% from anxiety about being away from me. In his case, I don't think a collar was appropriate. But lots of dogs bark just to hear themselves bark, because it's habit, etc and in that case it may work. I would try other things first, though I wouldn't be opposed to try one if I thought it would help where nothing else had.

 

[pinkspore]

The situation specifically cited for training class was people who bring more that one dog, and the crated dog barks continually while the other dog is being worked.

 

[Elrohwen]

The situation specifically cited for training class was people who bring more that one dog, and the crated dog barks continually while the other dog is being worked.

My dogs do that, but I've found that it's extinguished itself pretty quickly. Not in one or two classes, but after a month and a half of private lessons mine are pretty quiet while the other is being worked. I'm sure that's not the case with all dogs, but since it's not anxiety based so much as "hey, I want to be having fun too!" they've learned.

I would rather bring a Treat 'n' Train if it was really a problem, rather than going straight to a bark collar.