Let’s be honest: if you’re a dog owner and your dog barks excessively, then it’s probably brought you to the end of your leash more than once. It’s called nuisance barking; and if you have neighbours, you can be pretty sure that they’re even less enthused about it than you are.
While there’s nothing wrong with your dog barking, excessive barking treads a thin, discretionary line that you don’t want your dog crossing. As a responsible pet owner, you want to know why your dog’s barking; you also can’t afford to ignore the noise abatement regulations that many city councils have regarding nuisance barking. That means failing to rein in anything that could be perceived as excessive barking can lead to fines and even investigative procedures looking into your pet’s care and wellbeing.
In short, for both your and your pet’s benefit, you want to get ahead of the process by identifying the reasons for the nuisance barking. It also means looking into anti-bark technology that can help aid you to curb unwanted behaviour.
Making Bark Control Devices More Effective Than They’ve Ever Been
While there’s no shortage of opinions on the use of technology to control nuisance barking, the availability of wearable and stationary stop barking devices for dogs gives pet owners an option on how to go about addressing the problem of nuisance barking. Fortunately, today’s no-barking devices are a world away from the ones used only a few years ago. They’re intelligent, intuitive tools which, when combined with proper training, can help dog owners to hone in on, and confidently address the root causes of nuisance barking.
There are three principal types of anti-bark devices commonly used today, all of which are triggered when an episode of nuisance barking is detected.
· Anti-bark collars. These indoor or outdoor barking devices for dogs rely on a variety of short-duration interruption stimuli that dogs learn to associate with undesirable behaviour.
· Indoor bark deterrents. Indoor bark control devices for dogs are designed to emit a high-pitched, short-duration ultrasonic tone whenever excessive barking occurs within a specific area.
· Perimeter bark deterrents. These anti-bark devices also rely on the emission of high-pitched ultrasonic tones whenever your dog begins to bark excessively, but their wider coverage and added durability make them perfectly suited for outdoor use.
Possibly the most important aspect of these devices is that, unlike earlier generations of no-bark products, today’s anti-barking devices aren’t meant to be one size fits all solutions. It’s no secret that smaller, higher-strung breeds require completely different stimuli from larger, inherently more stubborn ones. That’s why modern control devices are designed to fit the precise size, weight, and temperament of each individual dog, making them more effective, and ultimately safer than they’ve ever been.
Reinforcing Better Behavior with Anti-Bark Collars
In contrast to remote-controlled-style training collars, anti-bark collars make use of advanced vibration sensors to detect the very specific range of vocal cord vibrations that occur only when a dog barks. These unique dog control devices are designed to deliver a painless interruption stimulus that dogs quickly correlate with their barking, and they come in the following types:
· Electric bark collars. These barking control devices deliver a harmless static pulse stimulation to the dog as a form of correction whenever they bark.
· Spray collars. Spray collars contain a refillable module that releases a quick burst of scented citronella, or another unscented spray that dogs learn to associate with barking.
· Audible bark collars. An audible anti-barking device using unique SoundBurst™ technology emits a variable-length sound that resembles an aerosol can as a way of disrupting a dog’s behaviour.
· Vibration bark collars. Vibration collars produce up to 10 different vibration stimuli, and are the preferred collar for puppy bark control, or for dogs that are old, timid, or have other impairments or disabilities.
· Ultrasonic bark collars. These collars emit an ultrasonic sound that only your dog can hear, which they’ll rapidly associate with their barking.
These bark control devices are lightweight, and fitted with either rechargeable, or PetSafe-compatible 3V batteries. They’re also capable of distinguishing barks from howls, whines, and other vocal activity, so your pet’s never at risk of receiving an unwarranted stimulus.
Technology Gives Today’s Collars the Edge
Although today’s stop barking dog devices are built around simple adjustability, their greatest attribute is technical functionality. Not only can they time and stage and various patterns of stimuli, but they’re also capable of learning your dog’s barking behaviour and safely modifying the level of stimulus being applied by:
· Regulating the intervals between them;
· Refraining from over-stimulation within a factory preset timeframe; and,
· Preventing unintended activation by other dogs or activities.
Make no mistake: with proper reinforcement, a properly fitted and positioned collar is the anti-bark device that your dog will most immediately identify with behaviour that they need to curb. They can even measure your dog’s behavioural progress by tracking the number of times a stimulus needed to be delivered.
Indoor Bark Deterrents Help Keep Your House Quiet
Stationary indoor bark deterrents are similar to ultrasonic bark collars in that they also emit a high-pitched tone that’s only audible for dogs. Instead of being worn though, these passive dog barking devices are designed to be used in pairs, and to respond to your dog’s barking only when it enters a certain area.
These standalone anti-barking devices for dogs feature:
· Internal microphone sensors;
· An operating range of 8m; and,
· Long life, 3V lithium coin battery operation.
Whether they’re used for controlling nuisance barking near doors or windows, or curtailing it throughout your entire home, these dog bark control devices will help bring peace and quiet to your indoor surroundings.
Outdoor Bark Deterrents Help Keep Your Yard Calm
Perimeter bark deterrents function exactly like indoor bark deterrents, only they’re built to withstand extended outdoor use. These barking control units can be hung discreetly from any tree or pole without distracting from the natural beauty of a yard or garden, and are effective at calming both your dog’s and even your neighbour’s dog’s nuisance barking.
These perfectly inconspicuous units feature:
· ON/OFF functionality;
· An adjustable operating range of 4.5m, 9m, and 15m; and,
· Long life, low-cost 9V battery operation.
And unlike wearables or even indoor bark deterrents, these dog anti-barking devices won’t draw your pet’s wary attention. This allows you to potentially set up multiple units outdoors without your dog becoming accustomed to them, or learning how to avoid them.
The Final Word
At the end of the day, it’s important to remember that compulsive behaviour like excessive barking isn’t just a problem: it’s also a symptom. It may just be as simple as a sign of boredom, but it might also be a sign of an undiagnosed medical problem. Whatever it is, you need to get to the bottom of it; and fortunately, the technology’s available to help you do it.
Positive reinforcement, together with wearable and stationary stop barking devices for dogs are the best tools you can use to help identify and isolate the reason for your pet’s excessive barking. They’ll help you to make sure that your pet stays healthy and happy.
