Most dog owners seem to have great love for their pets. And yet, there’s a market for collars that electrocute your dog? This page is just one of many examples:
A Bark Collar is your answer to stop excessive barking. A Bark Collar is an effective and safe way to stop barking dogs fast. Keep the Peace! A Bark Collar is a safe, humane and effective way to stop excessive barking. A Bark Collar is the best way to control nuisance barking.
Lower down, the page explains that, in fact, “Dogs bark. It is part of their normal and natural communication and behavior.” Amusingly, most of the pages I looked at never actually discuss the electrocution mechanism. They espouse “18 levels of electronic correction”, “control your pet remotely” and “new microprocessor technology provides a warning beep with the first bark”. They rarely articulate how their products inflict pain. Why not skip the collar and just whale on your dog?
There are lesser alternatives, including a collar that sprays citronella, which the dog apparently doesn’t dig.
Here’s a tip: if you can’t humanely train your dog not to bark, or can’t abide its natural behaviour, don’t own a dog. Are we so lazy that we need a remote control dog?
I learned about this product via the always-amusing Dooce, who described how her friend “zapped him a few times with the zapper collar”. Charming.
DarrenBarefoot.com 
I work for the SPCA, and I have used a citronella collar. The issue is not whether a dog can be trained (of course they can), but how you can reinforce behaviour that occurs when you are not present.
Our poor dog would apparently bark relentlessly when left alone for any period longer than 15 minutes. My wife and I did our best to accommodate him, but that was simply impractical. (We could abide the behaviour, of course, but our neighbours couldn’t.) A citronella collar did help in his training.
Even the SPCA does not condemn their use: http://www.spca.bc.ca/Animalbehaviour/barking.asp
Shock collars, on the other hand…not a good idea.
I don’t know if this was intentional or not, but “electrocute” and “electrocution” mean to kill with electricity. I don’t think there is any product being marketed that will kill your pet if it barks. I suggest you use “shock” instead.
As for the collar itself… I’ve never used one, but I would suggest that pet owners try it out on themselves before putting it on their pet. Maybe the shock is mild enough to not actually hurt. On the other hand, if it’s as strong as an electric fence, I wouldn’t go near it (I know from experience).
This is just what I did! And yes, it is a BIT unpleasant… but not at all painfull. I have two chihuahuas that I love dearly but they can not seem to hear voices from outside out doors or windows with out barking. When I put the collar on the male the female seems to follow his lead and stops barking as well. If it were not for this collar I would have to end up getting rid of my dogs. I think that is much more inhumane.
Aaron: There seems to be some disagreement between the American and English definitions of the word. Microsoft Encarta says “injure or kill with electric shock: to cause injury or death with an electric shock”, while my OED says it means to kill with electricity.
The OED is more authoratative, but I think I can get away with it on a technicality.
My parents bought one of the “very humane” anti-bark collars for one of their yappy terriers, after the dog learned to outsmart his citronella collar. How? He would bark furiously until it was out of juice – about 10-15 good barks – then spend the rest of the afternoon terrorizing the neighbours.
It was decided the collar was perhaps less than humane when Dad tried wearing it and shocked himself so thoroughly that he momentarily passed out. A truly “humane” solution to the barking problem? Obedience lessons. Or a remote rural property. With enough space, no one can hear you bark.
R u Nuts -? Move to a remote location so people can not hear you dog bark ?? Financially unsound and totally looney-tunes. Obviously you have never owned a compulsive barker.
I also heard of a dog that learned to outsmart the citronella collar by barking and then backing up, scrunching up his face, and closing his eyes to avoid the spray.
With all the training we’ve done with Dexter, he still barks furiously at the telephone when it rings, and nothing we’ve tried has convinced him that it’s not an evil demon we must exorcise. We considered a citronella collar, but the above story convinced us it’d be a waste.
Sadly, some people are going to do whatever it takes to get their dog to stop barking. This is at least more humane than the debarking treatments some dogs are put through (where their vocal cords are essentially cut out).
We discipline our dog when she barks at the neighbours, or other people she’s not ‘supposed’ to bark at… but it takes the form of telling her to go to her kennel for a few minutes.
You don’t think we have tried all of that ?? Obviously by your comments, you have never owned a very focused, stubborn, compulsive barking dog.
Sometimes the issue isn’t the inconvenience to one’s self caused by barking. Sometimes the issues is separation anxiety. My dog is a good guy, but he’s also a rescue with many issues. Separation anxiety is one of them. After weeks of training and professional help, the destructive chewing has subsided. The whining and barking has not. One month later and there is improvement, but not enough to stop the phone calls and notes from the neighbors. The use of a citronella collar is justified. Not out of laziness or incompetence, but necessity.
Citronella collar and sonic collar both do not work for my bichon frise. I am seriously considering a shock collar, as I am left with no choice. I’ve tried the can of coins, sending her to her ‘room’ (crate), swatting her on the bum, yelling back at her, grabbing her mouth; and yes, she has been through kindergarten and obedience classes. She is not dumb, but her barking is chronic whenever she hears something outside or I have to go to work. The sonic collar goes off, but it does not stop her, and I’m getting all the complaints from neighbours and now my Strata Council. I don’t know what else to do.
She outsmarted the citronella collar by just toning down her bark a lil, but still enough to drive people crazy. Ditto with the sonic collar; she barks, which is a higher pitch and frequency that doesn’t generate enough force for the microphone to detect it. If she woofed at a lower pitch and frequency, it would definitely go off, but she rarely woofs. Frustrated emails to the antibark collar companies left me emptied handed and $200 down the drain.
Only other option is to remove her vocal chords. I’m scared and hating myself more at every thought of it (and the shock collar), but people have left me no other choice.
Use the shock collar! THESE ARE DOGS PEOPLE! Not small children as we sometimes treat them. A little discomfort will train your dog and then you can take the batteries out and enjoy the silence.
You neighbors will enjoy it too!
Seriously? & you are JUST a human! WTH? What put YOU on such a high & mighty platform Ms?! “Oh praise the almighty human”… b/c we have shown what a great species we are, hu? YOU SUCK!
My neighbor blames the dogs barking on me as well. What do you mean “people have left me no choice”. I lived with my neighbors dog barking for three years. When she would not walk them when my house was being shown for sale it was the end for me. She retaliates, tries to deflect focus and then says she has to hurt her dog so i don’t call animal control. “People” have not caused your problem. The dog needs something she is not getting. If you hit her that I am sure just makes it worse. Why don’t you try an animal communicator who is able to listento her.
my problem is my great dane barks in the early hours of the morning if somthing disturbs her and we have had a letter from the council to say they have had a complaint it is not all the time but very loud when she does so what do you do buy a collar that may or maynot work sleep downstairs with the dog so you can tell her off or as my neihbour who doesnt like dogs or cats suggests and have the dog put to sleep
It’s all very well for people with dogs that don’t bark to adopt a holier than thou attitude and make those of us with barking dogs feel even more guilty than we already do by telling us that using anti bark collars is cruel. I agree that the use of the word ‘electrocute’ is highly sensationalist so suits this cause.
We have moved to acreage only to find that our dogs have more to bark at – chooks, koalas, neighbours in paddocks -and our neighbours (whose seemingly mute dog jumps the fence into our property and makes them bark!) have had enough despite the barking only being in the daytime. We too have tried everything to no avail and are so frustrated that we are now considering a collar. The other ‘guaranteed’ products have all been ineffective. Our dogs are trained and come when called, sit, stay, wait, roll over, offer paws etc etc but refuse to stop barking no matter what…!!! I am losing sleep over the whole thing.
Today I visited PetSmart to inquire about the purchase of a bark collar. What I got instead of a collar was a lecture from, not one, but two clerks trying to convince me I was being cruel. They made suggestions that I needed patience — even though I had fully explained that my dog’s barking in the crate when I was away from her was causing a situation where she would need to go to a new home or to SPCA. In 45 minutes, neither one of them would open the showcase for me to even look at a collar for my dog. Yet, when I assured them how much I love my dog and am NOT looking into a collar to be cruel to her, they suggested I put her in a doggy daycare. And they are supposedly selling the product?! What’s with that? After much research, I intend to get one…elsewhere. The store clerk and their dog trainer were telling me it is “natural for a young dog to go through anxiety when left alone and to be patient till she’s about 10 months old”. Good grief. By that time the neighbours will have shot her! Should we also be patient and let them chew shoes apart because “it is natural for a young dog…”??
Yes – there definitely is love for our pets in the decision to teaching them what is not acceptable, for their own safety!
Hello, my name is Maria.. I have the same situatio right now with my dog. She is 8 months old and she barks everytime i leave (only) :(. She never barks when im home.
So i was wandering if u got the collar?? does it work ??
If I was the manager of that Petsmart, those people would be fired. Its simply not their place to tell you what you should and should not be doing with your dog.
It would be like a pharmacist telling your birth control is immoral.
There are dog friendly solutions! If your dog becomes a public (or private) nuisance, then I strongly suggest ‘The Dog Whisperer’ DVD by Cesar Millan. Also, there is a no shock/spray bark collar that is new to the market that is 100% humane which amplifies your dog’s bark that only the dog can hear (similar to a dog whistle) by using ultrasonic sound. As an animal lover and owner, whatever you decide to use, please take a time out (for you), take the dog for a walk since he is most likely frustrated with boredom, or send the dog to his kennel/outside/another room. It is shown that animals (dogs in this case) need to be conditioned with repetitive but consistent training. Alternatively, you can find humane bark collars for less than $20 that work well on Google or eBay. So please, be kind to your pets…because they have feelings too!
I think dog training collar is many kind of it. We are from china.We have many kind of the training collar including anti bark shock collar,humanity vibration collar,ultrasonic flea-free collar,GPS tracking collar etc. Good to your pet. Contact us soon.our website: http://www.okok.me our phone number: 0086-579-85582835 Best regards Franky
CHINA? Are you kidding me? China has NO animal rights or welfare laws.
and in CHINA, they SKIN and BURN cats and dogs ALIVE for their fur and to EAT their FLESH as FOOD!
The LAST thing I would do is listen to someone from China with regard to HUMANE animal treatment.
its not about being lazy…i just got a dog i am training to be a service animal. I sleep a lot so I let her outside to play since she still is a puppy, but the neighbors don’t like her barking. Do you honestly think a sick person wants to get up every five minutes to tell the dog to be quiet? no? but she is a good dog and learns quickly, but its only when I’m not there that she barks. Try to have some common sense and consider all situations before you just lump everybody into the same “lazy” factor
Nice article, and thank you the implication that I am lazy and perhaps a non dog type of person…… I have four dogs, and my Dobermann does bark. Not what I would call excessive, but I live in area of England (very cramped) where people pass close to my back fence to go to the community centre. My dog will bark about three times to any person or dog immediately on the other side of the fence. I think this normal instictive behaviour of her breed (hence why they are used as guard dogs) – however the need to buy an anti bark collar is to prevent the shh I must utter not for my laziness, or indeed to over correct her. It is for the benefit of the non dog neighbour and visitors who think that ANY canine sound, is inappropriate and often shout or complain. What are dog owners to do. As long as legislation favours the people demanding total silence, it is with regret that owners sometimes need to turn to aids or devices to unprogram a behaviour that the dog was bred to do – over many generations.
Here’s a tip: if you can’t humanely train your dog not to bark, or can’t abide its natural behaviour, don’t own a dog
YOUR STUPID if you cant understand that some people just dont have time to train their dog…some dog are hard head…i own 3 dog…2 are angel and 1 is the devil and yes i use one collar after 4 months of training and so much time to try to make him stop…
You should think before writting stupid thing!
R U Nuts ?? – Obviously you have never owned a compulsive barker. read my post several comments below your. Tom
If there is a corrective action collar available to prevent stupid humans from writing ignorant articles I would advise the author to use one.
Here’s a tip (to the author): if you would prefer to have barking dogs euthanized as opposed to trained to be compliant why don’t you re-title your article accordingly?
Some dogs tend to like citronella – how do you handle that?
No one likes these shocking collars, but sometimes it’s your only option.
I say zap ’em – I got one on our dog because he barks anytime he is left alone. He will not stop it was so bad that the neighbors were calling and reporting him to the dog catcher. So I got him a zap collar – works quite well – if he keeps ignoring the shocks it keeps upping the level until it hits him at the max level which makes him yelp just a bit – kinda funny because he is a slow learner. I’m thinking about getting one that has a remote control option so that I can zap him when he does something bad in the house. He sometimes gets so involved in what he’s doing that he just flat ignores us. So he needs a tap on the shoulder so to speak at times to get his attention and make him behave.
you are a WANKER
yes zapper you, you are a total wanker
You think it’s funny? You’re a sick prick. Just so you know Mr. or Mrs. Zapper, animal abuse is a FELONY and most judges LOVE dogs and will take your ass to prison. It’s NO laughing matter. People will find out about your method. I am going to have your IP address tracked down and have you investigated ASAP.
And it’s obvious YOU’RE the slow learner if you process information in this fashion.
Did your parents beat you as a child? If so, I am sorry that happened, but it’s clear that something must of happened to you to make you into such a cold, heartless and sadistic human being.
Why don’t you use the zapper on yourself? NO REAL man does this and no happy woman could ever even think of it.
I am glad you put this in writing because it will be easier to prove you are an animal abuser. Thank you. You will be investigated.
I am offended by your comments and suggestions that anyone who uses an electronic dog collar is being cruel and inhumane. Obviously you have never owned a dog who was an obsessive barker. We have tried everything and nothing works on this 4 year old very high strung over protective Sheltie that we have had since she was born.
We have tried multiple training courses as well as several Cesar Milan videos – they do not work with this dog. Even Cesar used a bark collar in one of his episodes on a dog on a farm that could not be stopped from chasing the tractor. Our last option is to have her vocal cords cut or put her down – so which is more humane, training her on a bark collar or one of the latter ???
…..and please do not give me any lectures unless you have owned a compusive barker and have a sure fire way to train this dog.
My wife and I have had many dogs in our lives (including 5 Shelty’s) but none have ever been obsessive constant barkers who bark at everything. She barks at the vacuum, when the stove door opens, when we leave, when we use the microwave, when someone drives by or walks by, at squirrels in the trees, at airplane smoke trails in the sky, at a full moon etc. – get the picture ???
In the end, happy dog is a dog that barks.
Dog playing with him and show him affection felt no need to suddenly get angry passersby.
I purchased the shock collar for my dog Esco who barked and whined relentlessly he whined so much he sometimes sounds like a crying baby ,mainly when I am not in his sight.I walk him 45mins. a day ,take him to the beach twice a week and the dog park alone with my mom in laws dog to try and get him excercised which my vet says will tire him out and stop his whining and barking, didnt work. then I paid $459 for a 6 week training class which didn’t work and $309 for a 2nd class in a different place that was unrefundable to have the trainer say he is untrainable.After many complaints from neighbors 3 fines from my village board for $130 a pop .It was buy the collar or get rid of him and I loved him to much to send him to a shelter or to some crazy person to be abused. I purchased it asked to be shown how it works. I used it and 2 weeks later he’s great.It bothers me how the anti- collar people can say move elsewhere,let him be ,let him bark.I’ve lived in my home 9 years I have payed for crazy fines,vet bills and training classes so dont anyone dare tell me I’m a bad pet parent. I am a proud pro-collar activist.I find it funny people who havent dealt with these issues can be such critics.And to be honest most vets who are real animal doctors not animal geussismis (yeah I made that word up) will tell you they are not harmful,and can be quite helpful. Pet owners research,before make assumptions.It’s your pet and your home.
Bark collars and even training collars that give the dogs a little shock are used by a lot of dog trainers. Not if you go to a group class, but a one on one class with the trainer. I have a 2 year old Corgi who barks CONSISTENTLY and the Humane Society has been to my door many times to control his barking. We bought a bark collar and it seemed to work amazing, till he just didnt care anymore about being shocked. Today, I took his collar off and noticed a quarter-size burn/sore on this throat from the collar, and I am furious. These collars are made to be safe for dogs and humane. I have put the collar on myself, and its a shock, but not something that should leave a burn on your throat. Especially a dogs, since they have fur to absorb some of the shock. I recommend a shock collar, only because I know they work for a lot of dogs. But I also recommend you read reviews on the product and keep an eye on your dogs throat where the collars prongs sit to make sure it is not harming him in more ways than a mild shock.
amen
I don’t own dogs because I Hate useless barking, like at leaves blowing, etc , but I live in a village and all my neighbors have dogs that are put outside and they are apparently able to sleep well through the 5:00 barking at nothing which begs the question of what use as a guard dog is one who barks at everything so you very quickly ignore him. All I’m saying is, if you’re my dog and I awake to your ferocious bark at three in the morning, you better have a burglar up a tree. And as for those of you saying it’s not the dog’s fault, it’s the stupid owners, without the dog I would get a good nite’s sleep.
Guns don’t kill people; people kill people.But if the madman in Arizona had only had a knife, he could probably only have killed 2 people, max. And my neutered cats don’t keep anyone up.
My dog is a compulsive barker. He barks loud and will not stop, whenever he hears ANYTHING outside, or somewhere else in the house. But the bottom line is, he is a dog. It is in his nature. If I heard something that freaked me out, I would probably yell too. It’s not a behavioral issue. It’s nature. Would you shock your kids for crying when they didn’t like something? I should hope not. If you don’t want an animal that barks, get a cat.
My dog’s voice is the most wonderful thing in my world. I love to hear him bark. It lets me know he is happy, excited, scared. Whatever he is feeling, I know by his bark.
Do I get annoyed with it sometimes? Of course I do. So I yell at him a little, and he still doesn’t shut up, but I don’t zap him on the throat for it. I bought a dog, not a robot. He can bark if he wants to. He’s a dog!
Before you get a dog, just think about it. Some dogs don’t bark much, but some do. So if you don’t think you can handle it, maybe a dog isn’t the animal for you.
Guess I will just have all 3 of my dogs humanely put down since I cant deal with their ‘natural’ barking and since screaming at them at the top of my lungs doesnt get the message across. Thanks for the advice.
Write more, thats all I have to say. Literally, it seems as though you relied on the video
to make your point. You obviously know what youre talking about, why throw
away your intelligence on just posting videos to your weblog when you could be
giving us something enlightening to read?