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Dogs bark for any number of reasons. Most dogs will bark to alert their owners to possible trouble, pain or being frightened of something. Yet other dogs will constantly bark in order to gain the attention of someone or worse yet to sound menacing. Dogs falling into the latter category are showing negative behavior as far as we are concerned.

Although dogs bark for a number of reasons, a constantly barking dog is considered by dog owners and neighbors to be a nuisance and there may come a time when some extreme measures need to be employed to control a constantly barking dog.

By far the best method of controlling constant barking is to train the dog not to bark or, more specifically, to bark only at the appropriate times. There are several ways to accomplish this, but dog trainers usually agree that traditional reward and reprimand systems are the most effective and the kindest to use.

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.

It is a bad idea to use the bark collars for an extended period of time.

While these collars provide only a minor pain, most people would agree that the use of a bark collar would seem to be cruel to the dog. Use of a bark collar for short periods of time will not harm the dog.

Yet another type of collar that operates on the same principle will deliver a mist of citronella in front of the dog’s nose. Dogs hate the smell of citronella and will soon realize that it is caused by the barking. Success rates for citronella collars are comparable to those of the electronic collars.

Another method of controlling constant dog barking and by far the most inhumane is to have the dog undergo de-barking surgery. This procedure involves removing a bit a tissue around the larynx of the dog, rendering it unable to bark. The surgery doesn’t always work and most vets will not recommend this extreme measure.

Tags: Dogs

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