According to Matt Davies Harmony Communities, when you search for anti-bark collars on the internet, you’ll come across all kinds of collars. Some have a dedicated deterrent method while others use multiple deterrents. Let’s dive deeper and figure out how these different anti-bark collars work.
The Collars
1. Shock collar – Dog owners don’t appreciate it when their pet barks at non-threatening people who walk past them in the park, in the street, or in their home. If you have young children with fragile sleep habits, uninvited barking in the middle of the night for no reason would disrupt your entire routine. However, dogs are designed to react to noise when there’s a dangerous stimulus. Some dog owners turn to shock collars to discourage bad barking behavior. Shock collars work by administering a small eclectic shock to dogs and can be controlled via a remote from a distance.
If your dog barks up, you can press a button and immediately control its behavior. Usually, these collars also allow you to control the intensity of the shock. However, using this type of anti-bark collar has a lot of disadvantages. They are illegal in a lot of EU countries including Spain, Germany, Austria, Sweden, and more. When dogs are repeatedly trained by shock collars, their body produces more cortisol, a stress hormone. Over time, they show their psychological helplessness with tense body language and are always in stress, fear, and trauma.
2. Spray collar – Spray collars are a much more humane alternative to anti-bark collars that deliver an electrical shock to your pet. These collars spritz an unpleasant aroma onto your dog’s face when they are barking. Most of these collars use citronella while others use diluted lemon juice. These collars are very effective and humane.
However, some dogs learn to jump and avoid the spray. Even then, the smell is offensive to your dog. Just because this is a very humane method of controlling your dog’s bark, you shouldn’t use it unnecessarily. Suppressing your dog’s natural impulse to bark may have negative consequences.
3. Static and Ultrasonic Collars – Static collars use vibrations to animate dogs’ voices. They are usually more expensive due to the tech that goes into them and their effectiveness. They can accurately recognize when your dog is barking and mimic dog noises to control that behavior. They can even be stopped with a remote so that the dog isn’t discouraged to bark when there’s an intruder or a fire.
On the other hand, ultrasonic collars detect the barking sound of your dog or their throat vibrations to create an ultrasonic sound that’s inaudible to humans. This doesn’t cause the dog any pain but can be detrimental if not used properly. Sometimes, they may also be triggered by vibrations when the dog moves, the sound of a crying baby, or even a car driving by. If you buy one of these, get a sophisticated model that has fewer false warnings.
Conclusion
Matt Davies Harmony Communities suggests that while choosing an anti-bark collar, it’s best to stick with a static, spray, or ultrasonic collar. You should avoid shock collars since they provide a short-term solution and create long-term problems.