How To Deal With A Dog Who Constantly Barks | Print |  E-mail
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Written by Mike Roberts   
Friday, 18 April 2008
All dogs bark for any number of reasons. Occasionally these can be good reasons such as to warn of an intruder or to express fright or pain. Sometimes these can be "bad" reasons as far as humans are concerned - dogs attempting to sound menacing or simply to get attention fall into this category.
by MikeRoberts


All dogs bark for any number of reasons. Occasionally these can be good reasons such as to warn of an intruder or to express fright or pain. Sometimes these can be "bad" reasons as far as humans are concerned - dogs attempting to sound menacing or simply to get attention fall into this category.

Whatever the reason may be for a dog's barking, it can often be considered a nuisance by the dog's owners and their neighbors alike. Because of this there are several methods employed to control a barking dog.

Dog trainers generally agree that the best method of controlling a constantly barking dog is to use a traditional reward and reprimand system. These systems are much more humane and teach the dog to only bark at the appropriate times.

Some people opt for an electronic "bark collar" as a shortcut to training the dog themselves. The collar contains an electronic device which is activated by the action of the dog when it starts barking. The device delivers a small electric shock which pains and startles the dog. Eventually the dog is able to associate the negative stimulus with the barking and stops doing it.

There are, however, some problems associated with the bark collar method. Some dogs will simply not associate the shock delivered by the collar with its barking, and will continue to bark anyway. Yet still, dogs with thick fur many not even feel the shock of the collar because the collar's metal contacts cannot directly touch the dogs skin. Eventually some dogs will get the message and stop barking, but most will still require some sort of reward/reprimand training to eventually control their barking.

Experts agree, it is not a good idea to use bark collars for a long period of time.

Many people consider the idea of employing a bark collar to be cruel to the dog. While this may be a matter of opinion, these collars emit only a slight shock and will not cause harm to the dog if used over a short period of time.

Still another type of collar is called a citronella collar which emits a mist of citronella to the nose of the dog when the dog barks. Dogs hate the smell of citronella and many will soon associate the negative smell with their constant barking. Citronella collars have a similar success rate of the electronic kind, but are a bit less cruel.

The most extreme method of trying to control a dog who constantly barks is to it undergo de-barking surgery. This procedure entails removing a small fold of tissue from the larynx of the dog, making it unable to bark. Many people find this to be completely unacceptable and inhumane not to mention the dogs bark may return after a few months anyway. Most vets will not recommend this procedure except in extreme cases.

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