Barking and anti-bark collars

Question
We have a Canaan Dog who barks constantly and loudly when he's left outside the house. (Leaving him inside when we're out of the house isn't always a great solution - he tends to attempt escape and trash the place.) He's normally quiet when he's inside with us - he barks only when we're actively playing with him, or when someone's approaching the door. (This is pretty normal for a Canaan Dog - they're known as very good watchdogs.) His barking has seriously irritated our neighbors.

I've been doing some research on anti-barking collars, including those made by PetSafe and others. From my reading so far, it appears that these gadgets have a good, albeit not perfect, rate of success. Do you have any experience with this method of bark-control? Any recommendations you can make regarding anti-bark collars or other effective means of controlling barking will be very much appreciated!

Best regards,

-Don Radlauer
Alfei Menashe, Israel
(AllExperts expert on Israel and Living with Terrorism)

Answer
Congratulations on your area of expertise with this site and may you succeed greatly in it.

I have to stress here that the Canaan dog is NOT a casual "pet" (I'm  guessing you're aware of this?); your dog (indoors) is demonstrating separation anxiety.  This is TREATABLE (even without medication.)  To introduce a punisher (electronic collar) is to invite disaster.  Vocalizing is a natural behavior in many breeds (your dog's breed being high on the list); to forcibly (through punishment) extinguish this natural behavior is to invite ANOTHER behavior, one that is "superstitious", fear driven, or anxiety driven, that will be much worse.  If you would like advice on how to treat separation anxiety, I will be more than happy to give you plenty of it.  I DO NOT, under any circumstances, EVER advise the use of a punisher for any natural behavior (even prey driven).