electric collars???

Question
I have a 3 year old, male beagle who barks a lot!  He barks when lmy other dog still has her bone and he has already eaten his.  He barks when he wants attention.  I can't take him to the park because he barks at every other dog that he sees.  I live with my sister who goes to bed at 8 and wakes up at 4...he has waken her up a numerous amount of times!!!  When he does bark continuously, I will put him back in his cage for awhile and let him out when he settles down.  He knows by the tone of my voice that he has done something wrong.  I will hold his nose and with a stern voice say no!  I must admit i have used the house slipper before too...i feel terribly doing this but as of right now, this is the only way to make him quiet.  I have heard of the electric collar and wanted you advice on it.  Is it safe?  Do they work?  Should I use one?  Is there any other method or tool that I can use before turning to the electric collar.  Mikey, my beagle, is a cutie and very lovable...i just need him to stop barking...Help me please.

Answer
You could try telling him "No bark," or whatever 'command' you want to use, and squirting him in the face/mouth either with water, or a water/white vinegar solution, whenever he barks. You could also keep him on a leash, attached to a training collar (I prefer the prong/pinch collar because it's not as dangerous as the choke collar), and whenever he barks, give the No Bark command and pop the leash just as you would if he disobeyed any other command.

Or, you could just try the bark collar. I have used them before in the past with foster dogs, and had good success with them. The only thing is that the dog learns when he's wearing it and when he's not, and he learns that he can bark if he's not wearing it. You cannot leave a bark collar on all the time, because it can cause a sore on the dog's neck, where the probes are (not from the 'shock' correction, but simply from the constant pressure of the two prongs against the skin).

I would advise against the PetSafe or Radio Fence brand collars. They are cheaper, yes, but you truly get what you pay for, and in my opinion, LESS than you paid for when it comes to these collars. They go off at every little sound, and that's just not fair to the dog. The Innotek BC-200 is a good collar, and is rechargeable so you don't have to buy batteries every week. It does cost a little bit more initialy, but again, you're not spending money on batteries so it ends up being cheaper in the long run. Dogtra and Tritronics are two other very good brands, but they may be a little large for a beagle.

When used correctly, electric collars (which include bark collars, invisible fence, and remote trainers) are very safe and humane training tools. As with any training tool (including choke collars, prong collars, and head halters), when used incorrectly, whether it's intentional misuse or not, there is potential of injury to the dog. With a bark collar, you're pretty safe, because the dog controls when and if he gets corrected, by choosing to bark or not bark.

If you decide to use a bark collar, make sure that it's fitted correctly, or it will not work effectively. It should be snug enough so that the 'box' will not move around on the dog's neck, even if he shakes his head back and forth. It should not be so tight as to restrict breathing, however. You should only be able to slide one finger between the collar strap and the dog's neck, with a little effort. When he starts to bark, give the No Bark command, so that he will learn that if he doesn't listen when you tell him to stop, he will feel a correction. The first time, he will be able to bark several times before he feels the correction, because the collar will start out on the lowest possible setting, and with every couple of barks, increase one level, until the dog feels it and stops barking. The next time the dog starts barking, it will only be able to get out a few barks before feeling the correction. Be SURE to say the No Bark command at the first or second bark, so that he hears the command BEFORE feeling the correction. This way, later on, you should be able to tell him to hush and he will, even if he isn't wearing the collar.

The collar should only be worn for a few hours at a time, OR, if he needs to wear it for extended periods of time, you can purchase a surface conductor grid (SCG), which spreads out the surface area on the 'box,' and helps prevent pressure necrosis from the two probes. The SCG will fit Innotek, Dogtra, and Tritronics collars, and probably any other collars that have a 1-1/4 inch spacing between the probes, as well. Here is a page that sells the SCG: http://www.e-collars.com/24copad.html