The Weekly Woof by KT Pet Supply

A bark collar can often be an effective and important tool in dealing with nuisance barking. In this post, I’ll answer some of the most common questions I’m asked when customers are considering the purchase of a bark collar.

Are bark collars humane?
This is the number one question I’m asked. The answer is a resounding yes!

There are several different types of bark collars (Aboistop/Spray Collars, Ultrasonic Collars and Shock Correction Bark Collars). For the purposes of this guide, I’ll focus on Shock Bark Collars since the majority of concern about safety and humaneness seems to center on this type of bark collar.

Shock Bark Collars work by delivering a static shock correction to your dog when he/she barks. The bark is detected through the collar by your dog’s vibrating vocal chords, a microphone that detects the sound of your dog’s bark, or a combination of both.

The static shock received is similar to the shock you experience when you scuff your socks on a carpeted floor and touch a metal object (or sometimes a person!), or if you’ve ever stuck your tongue on a 9 volt battery, you get the idea. Startling? Yes. Painful? No.

Used properly and with consistent training, shock bark collars can be an effective, humane way to curb excessive or nuisance barking.

What type of bark collar is best?
This question is a very individual one and really depends on your dog. Significant strides have been made in the development of bark collars, and there are a wide variety of collars to choose from depending on your individual circumstances.

Some things to consider when purchasing a bark collar:

• Your dog’s age: Your dog should be at least 6 months old when considering any type of bark collar or remote training device.
• Your dog’s size & weight: When looking at bark collars, always take into consideration your dog’s weight and neck size. A little dog bark collar will not be effective for a large or stubborn breed. An easy way to measure your dog’s neck size is to take a piece of twine or string, and wrap it around your dog’s neck, the way a collar would fit. Then, measure the length of the string. Of course, you can also measure your dog’s current collar to get an accurate size.
• Your dog’s temperament: Consider carefully your dog’s temperament. Is he/she typically easy to train? Or, is he a little more on the stubborn side? A very timid dog may respond better to a Spray Bark Collar or Ultrasonic System. Likewise, a stubborn dog will in all likelihood respond better to a shock collar specifically designed for big dogs, such as the PetSafe Deluxe Big Dog Bark Collar.

Do bark collars work for all dogs?
While the success rate with bark collars is very high, unfortunately, a bark collar won’t work for every dog. The key to success is consistent training. By choosing the bark collar most appropriate for your dog’s age and temperament, and applying consistent training, your chances of eliminating excessive or nuisance barking increase greatly.

I hope this post has been helpful in answering some of the most common questions related to bark collars. Should you have any questions about which bark collar would work best in your particular situation, please feel free to contact me at sarah [at] ktpetsupply.com. I love to help my customers find a solution that will work best for them!

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Purchasing a dog barking collar may save your dogs life. Nothing will alienate your neighbors and bring the police to your door quicker than a chronic barking dog. Every year barking dog conflicts cause misery and the final loser is almost always the dog. Thousands of dogs are sent to animal shelters to ultimately be killed just because the owners did not take the time and effort to train their dog not to bark. A dog barks for many reasons. Not all barking is bad just ask any who has had a criminal try to get into their house or whose house was burglarized. The trick is to teach the dog when it is appropriate to bark and when it is not. The proper use of a dog barking collar will help you achieve this goal.

The use of a dog barking collar will in many cases be the fastest and most economical method of correcting a barking problem. However these dog training collars require you to understand how and when to use them properly. There are three types of dog barking collar on the market that are effective in curbing unwanted barking. These include the citronella spray, sound wave and the electronic stimulation dog bark collars. Of these the most effective dog barking collar uses electric stimulation. The use of citronella collars is popular with people who think electric stimulation is wrong. The problem is that many dogs soon become desensitized to the citronella spray and begin to ignore its effects. No matter what dog barking collar you plan to use you must understand why your dog is barking.

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It is always good to know a bit about how something works when you have it installed in your home. Especially if it is something like an alarm, a heating and / or cooling system, or an electric fence, for example. Usually people get to know their gadgets, just in case a quick fix is required. A window air conditioning unit, for example, may be something that breaks frequently but that you can fix easily because you understand how it works.

An electric fence, however, is different. How are you to know if it is not working properly? There are ways to check, of course, but to fix an electric fence is more difficult than repairing many other kinds of electronic home merchandise. The secret to a long lasting invisible dog fence is in the installation of it. Reduce the risk of damage, wear and tear, and so on. This is, of course, to ensure a high quality result with the right merchandise and, of course, the right manner of installation.

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The best time to start crate training any dog is when he is a puppy, or if that is not an option when you bring him home for the first time. If you decide that crate training is something you want to do then you should be prepared to continue it for the life of your dog. The reason for this is simple, if properly done the crate will become your dog’s personal space where he can feel a sense of security and familiarity, even when away from home.

Crate training your dog is a process that takes time. If you know you will be traveling with your dog a lot then his crate will be his home during those times. Simply pushing him into a crate the first time you travel with him is not the way to do it. The idea is to get him used to the crate even before you ever put him in it.

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