[H1654]How To Stop Dogs Barking

Barking is as natural to a dog as talking is as natural to a human being. Trying to stop dog barking altogether would be like trying to prevent someone to talk forever! It's impossible and it's not exactly a nice thing to do. The thing is, excessive barking (much like excessive talking) is a major annoyance-not just to you but to your family, your neighbors, the children at play, the mailman, and every one else in earshot.
Though barking is not to be blocked-after all, it's handy when your dog uses it for proper reasons like warning you, warding off trespassers, or telling you something of significance-it must be controlled. If you want to keep peace in the neighborhood and between your neighbors, controlling your dog's barking habits is important.
A lot of people-even dog owners-aren't too aware that there are many ways to try and stop your dog from barking at whim.
These days, busy dog owners tend to run to these things called anti-barking collars. They're convenient as they don't seem to require much time from the owner. The great thing about collars is that they can manage a dog's barking habits even when the owner is not around. As of late, there are normally three different types of anti-barking collars available in the market.
One is the sonar collar. This sonar collar is a discreet little thing. Whenever the dog barks, it releases a sound with a certain frequency inaudible to humans but irritable to dogs. This in turn will get them to think that the irritable sound is a punishment to their barking and will (hopefully) get them to stop.
The second one is the citronella collar. The citronella collar sprays a scent that dogs don't really like. Whenever they bark, the collar would spray this scent so that, similar to the sonar collar, the dog would find the scent as a castigation for their incessant barking. Though this seems pretty useful, a lot of people say that their dogs have already found a way to get around this anti-barking device.
One anecdotal report states that their dog would just keep on barking until the collar runs out of citronella. Afterwards, he will go on barking the whole day without having to deal with the citronella smell. Other dogs find other ways, like making a face (that probably gets them to hold their breath somehow) when the collar sprays and then barking again.
In general, citronella collars should be used as a last resort (i.e. driving you and your neighbors to madness) because the scent is extremely offensive to dogs (although not physically harmful). It also doesn't address the actual cause of barking. If there is a physical or psychological cause behind his barking, then it's counterproductive to restrain his ability to tell you that something is wrong.
The third one is the shock collar. Now, this collar is the most controversial of the three. Whenever the dog barks, it shocks the dog with electricity. The strength level of the electric current can even be changed from 1 to 6; 6 being the highest and the one that stings the most.
Many people regard this collar as inhumane and condone it. Come to think of it, no decent person would want to do that to their own child (or anyone they want to discipline for that matter) so doing it to their own pet sounds insane, illogical and altogether cruel as well. As much as possible, this kind of sonar is avoided-and for good reason.
Although they may all seem very practical, easy, and promising, collars are at most, simply a supplementary solution to incessant dog barking.
The best thing to do is to find out first why exactly your dog has that kind of habit. If humans have psychologists, dogs have veterinarian behaviorists-their role is to generally observe a dog's environment and circumstances to figure out what exactly triggers their socially unacceptable behavior and then find solutions to eliminate the behavior with proper training methods based on their findings.
Some reasons as to why a dog would bark are things like lack of things to do (meaning they have so much energy with nothing to use it with) or frustration (perhaps they're being bullied by another dog in the family or by the people around them) to name two.
If you can't pinpoint what exactly triggers their unwanted behavior, call a vet behaviorist near you to help you find out what's bothering your dog. A vet behaviorist will also teach you what to do.
In extreme cases, they might suggest an anti-barking collar but that should be used side by side with proper training method. Like, say, if you find out that your dog is just plain bored and has no other way to release pent-up energy, then work on giving your dog something to do.
Provide them with physical movement like walks, catch, and play time with other dogs. If you're always out, put them in the care of someone else while you're out-like a relative or a friend or a dog walker or a doggie daycare. Especially when you're alone in the house, when you're out, like humans, your dog feels lonely and bored and he will do anything to use all his energy.
You can also use other tricks like the "QUIET" command, which you will have to implement whenever he barks senselessly. If you've already established yourself as the alpha of your "pack", then it won't take much trouble to teach this.
If the barking becomes too much of a nuisance and is already inspiring hostility among your neighbors, then using an anti-bark collar might be acceptable, but only temporarily or only as a training supplement.
It is highly suggested that you stick to the sonar collar as it is possibly the most humane choice of the three and also the most fool-proof one as much as anti-bark collars can get. Never forget to tackle the problem with hands-on solutions and obedience training as well. Training your dog to answer to obedience signals is still the best and lasting way to tone down incessant barking but still maintain his freedom to do what he naturally does.