Anti Bark Collar and other methods

[RuffWoof]

Has anyone used an anti bark collar T where it sends a sound and or vibration to the dog to stop them barking? Do they work and what are the pros and cons?

What other methods can be used to stop dog from barking? Very barky dog at home inside and outside of house and garden and has free reign of the property.

You need a trainer first to know how to use the collar properly or you'll not get it to work. It may not even be the right tactic for your dog.

Have a look at Southend Dog Training on Facebook / Instagram / Tik Tok. They put A LOT of videos up - you might find them helpful first.

Please ignore the above post and DO NOT look at Southend Dog Training or use anti bark collars.

Join the Dog Training Advice and Support group on facebook and learn some gentle and kind training methods.

Why anyone would want to use an anti bark collar is beyond me.

I’m not a fan, these omit a shock when dog barks, from a gentle shock to a quite painful shock. We have a barker, but he only barks for a reason, cat, bird or another dog walking past, we then call him in. Where we live it seems every third house has a dog, so they set each other up barking.

I agree with looking at a trainer to help you, but not Southend dog training. They are too harsh and not balanced.

id look to teach a quiet command, there are tutorials online but you basically start with teaching to bark on command and then add the quiet

if they are barking at visitors I’d teach to greet with a toy so the mouth is busy

if they are barking at people going past them I’d look to desensitise them to that distraction.

I just took a look at that dog trainer and he put up a video 3 days ago appearing to endorse the collar?

We have used one- it was either that or regime the dog, and it's been really effective. No longer have notes put through the door by unknown neighbours.

Can I ask why you state not to look at that particular dog trainer?

I have read that they are human and it is a vibration like when a phone is on silent.

@RuffWoof Southend uses aversive techniques. Unnecessary and cruel in my (and many others) opinion.

I also believe these collars should be banned.

My dog's previous owners used a vibrating anti bark collar on him. They also managed to turn him into a nervous wreck who was too scared to bark.

I don't know exactly what happened in his first home, so I can't say the exact extent to which the vibrating anti bark collar caused it, but I do know that it was only when he relaxed that he started to bark again - at normal things, like the doorbell - and that was part of his healing journey.

He had ten months with his previous owners, and presumably less than that with the vibrating anti bark collar, and 5 years with me, input from properly qualified behaviourists, and we're still dealing with anxiety issues that will never be fully resolved.

Please don't use one.

Some barking is entirely normal dog behaviour, and you should never seek to completely prevent it - any more than you would stop children from shouting in an appropriate context.

But - reducing it by identifying why the dog feels the need to bark and removing those causes will help. For instance, mine will bark at passersby at the front window; keeping the blinds shut or using window film prevents the dog from feeling the need to bark.

If your dog has learned that barking can be used to demand something (for instance, waiting for food or the ball to be thrown), wait until the dog has stopped barking before giving them the thing they want. They will soon learn that barking doesn't work.

I also fetch mine in from the garden the moment he starts barking; he's learned that will happen and it has vastly reduced the barking (he only does it now when he feels it's really necessary, mainly when the neighbours barking dog sets him off).

These sound really cruel 😔

Another vote here for not using Southend. Awful methods.

There is a big difference between a shock collar and a vibrating collar.

Its one tool in the training tool quiver and should be used correctly with a trainer who knows what they are doing.

Have you looked into why your dog is barking? Is there a pattern or particular trigger? If there is, that gives you a starting point on how to manage it without using a collar.
Barking is a means of communication for your dog. They're trying to tell you something and using a collar only really tells them that you're not listening, it doesn't reassure your dog or help them to understand whatever they're barking at so that they no longer feel the need to bark. A collar might seem like a quick fix, but might end up making your dog frustrated, which could manifest in other behaviours.

Can you give an example aside from the anti bark please?

I wouldn't do anything that trainer endorses. Their methods are cruel and outdated. Anti bark collars, even ones which use vibration still hurt the dog and are cruel. Why anyone would want their dog to obey out of fear is beyond me.

Can you explain further please.

Just seems to be the world around him, trees leaves birds sounds everything

I would not use an antibark collar I would train. Look for a " qualified " dog trainer.

My friend resorted to a collar after everything else failed. The constant barking was distressing them and, more importantly, their neighbours.

It was that or rehome/PTS.

It worked.

I honestly can't understand how a vibrating collar can hurt a dog. Could you explain, please?

A vibrating collar uses as much "force" in the vibration as your mobile phone does on vibrate mode. It is nothing like a shock collar.

It's also far from the first thing any competent dog trainer will use, including SEDT. It's a last resort. Not a first attempt.

Having spent years working with my dog on so-called soft, gentle techniques as advocated in the same dog training Fb group mentioned above, we now have two reactive dogs and one is becoming so aggressive towards other dogs we might have to muzzle her for everyone's safety. She's 28kg and I struggle to keep hold of her.

Pink and fluffy training is all very nice, but it's not the only or even always the correct method for each dog.

Is one not enough.
You don’t train a dog by making it afraid to do something, you train them by making it attractive to do something or stop doing something

Just seems to be the world around him, trees leaves birds sounds everything

Fetch him in every time he starts barking. No fuss, no added punishment, just call him in or use his collar / lead, make it super boring. If there's a lot of barking this will involve some tedious repetition for a while, but in the end the dog will grasp the idea that barking outside = being made to come inside.

Same principle as teaching dogs not to jump up for attention by ignoring them until they have all four paws on the floor.

If you want to get into the theory of dog training, this is technically negative punishment, where

• negative = removing something (positive / negative doesn't mean good / bad in this context, it means adding / removing something)


• punishment = aiming to reduce the frequency of a behaviour

In this case, removing the nice thing (being outside) as a consequence for barking, with the aim of reducing the frequency of barking.

Anti bark collars are positive punishment - adding something the dog finds unpleasant or scary to try and reduce the barking. To a certain extent they're also negative reinforcement - when the barking stops, the unpleasant thing stops.

Positive reinforcement = adding something nice (e.g. a treat) to increase the chances of a behaviour happening again (e.g. sitting, or coming when called).

An anti bark collar is an aversive. It works because it does something the dog doesn't like, or in the worst cases, it hurts or frightens the dog. In order to work, the dog has to really not like it, especially because barking is a self rewarding behaviour for a dog. By using one you are a) not addressing the reason the dog barks in the first place, so it might not bark, but it might still be stressed or anxious (or MORE stressed or anxious) for example. You are also b) running the risk of 'side effects'. There have been instances where the dog begins to associate the negative effect of the collar with something else. It may be the room the dog is in when it happens, or a person that is around when it happens. It might associate it with having the collar put on and then might feel the same way about any collar, which can in turn trigger a stress reaction and in the worst scenarios, biting.

Depending on what breed your dog is, it may be extremely difficult to stop barking altogether. A behaviourist would be a good idea to try and get to the bottom of it, one that uses reward based methods/positive reinforcement. You can find one on the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors website. No decent trainer would advise one of these collars IMO.

You can try things yourself such as teaching/rewarding the dog to be quiet, or teaching an alternative behaviour at times when the dog would bark. So if it's when the doorbell rings, teach the dog that the doorbell is a cue to go and sit on a mat/go in their crate/lay down at once and that they are rewarded heavily for doing this. It takes time and infinite patience tbh. There is no quick fix that doesn't involve unpleasant and risky methods.