Control Your Dogs Barking

Barking is as normal to dogs as talking is to humans. Trying to curb dog barking altogether would be like trying to stop someone to talk forever! It's impossible and it's not exactly a nice thing to do. But we have to admit, excessive barking (much like excessive talking) is totally irritating-not just to you but to your family, your hot neighbor, the children at play, the mailman, and every one else who can hear it.

Even if barking shouldn't be stopped-after all, it's handy when your dog uses it for proper reasons like warning you, warding off trespassers, or telling you something of importance-it must be controlled. If you want to keep peace in the neighborhood and between your neighbors, controlling your dog's barking habits is important.

Many people and dog owners don't know much about curbing incessant dog barking behavior.

A lot of dog owners would basically just run to an anti-barking collar. Why? They're very convenient and they don't require much time from the owner. The great thing about collars is that they can supervise a dog's barking habits even when the owner is not around. As of late, there are basically three different kinds of anti-barking collars available in the market.

One is the sonar collar. Sonar collars are discreet things. Whenever the dog barks, it releases a sound with a certain frequency inaudible to humans but irritable to dogs. The idea is that they will associate the irritable sound as punishment to their incessant barking.

Another one is the citronella collar. The citronella collar sprays a scent that's pungent for dogs. When the dog barks, they spray so that, just like the sonar collar, the dog would assume they're being punished for their non-stop barking. Although the device sounds promising, anecdotal reports state that a lot of dogs have already found a way to get around this collar.

Some would just keep on barking until the citronella in the collar runs out. Then he'll just go on barking for the rest of the day. Other dogs would bark and then sort of hold their breaths to avoid the smell and then bark again.

The last one is called the shock collar. Now, this collar is the most controversial of the three. It stops dog barking with electric shock. The strength level of the shock can be changed from 1 to 6, 6 usually being the highest.

Many people regard this collar as inhuman and condone it. After all, no sane person would do that to another person so why even think of doing it to their own pet? As much as possible, this kind of collar is avoided-and for good reason.

Even if collars seem to be the "promised land" out of your dog's uncontrollable barking, collars are just merely supplements.

The best thing to do is to find out first why exactly your dog has that kind of habit. If humans have psychologists, dogs have veterinarian behaviorists. A veterian behaviorist basically observes a dog's environment and circumstances to figure out what exactly triggers their socially unacceptable behavior. And then based on their findings, they give training solutions to eliminate the behavior problem.

Some reasons as to why a dog would bark are things like the lack of things to do (they might have too much time in their paws with nothing to spend it with) or frustration (are they being bullied by dogs or other people?) to name two.

If you can't pinpoint what exactly triggers their undesirable behavior, call a vet behaviorist near you to help you find out what's bothering your dog. A vet behaviorist will also teach you what to do. In extreme cases, they might suggest an anti-barking collar but that should be used side by side with proper training techniques.

If you find out that your dog is just plain bored and has no other way to release pent-up energy, then work on giving your dog something to do. If you think your dog might just be bored, then it's time to spend time with him playing-take him for walks, play catch with him, and let him socialize with other dogs. If you don't have time, then hire a dog walker or take it to a doggie day care. Especially when you're alone in the house, when you're out, like humans, your dog feels lonely and bored and he will do anything to use all his energy.

You can also use other tricks like the "QUIET" command, which you will have to implement whenever he barks senselessly. You wouldn't have much trouble teaching the "QUIET" command if you've already established yourself as the alpha of the pack. If the barking is much of a nuisance and is already getting in the way of your chances with the neighborhood hottie, then using an anti-bark collar might be acceptable, but only temporarily or only as a training supplement.

The sonar collar is most recommended as it is not just humane, but more efficient than the two as well. Always follw-up anti-barking collars with proper obedience training. Training your dog to respond to obedience signals is still the best and lasting way to eliminate dog barking behavior but still maintain his freedom to do what he naturally does.