It is natural for all dogs to bark as it is the only way to talk or communicate with other animals and us. However, while it is normal for dogs to bark, some of them can bark really loud. What’s worst is that they might bark at everything! While it is good that the dog barks at intruders, it is not ok if he constantly barks at the neighbor or even barking at home even when there is absolutely no need for that. This may cause rifts in the house as well as rifts between you and your neighbors. Just think about it, you wouldn’t want to live beside a house, only to be constantly terrorized by loud barks coming from your neighbor’s dog.
What the anti-bark collar is.
Essentially, the anti-bark collar, as the name suggests, is a collar that prevents your dog from barking. Of course, while it may sound magical, there is some science towards how this device can work.
First of all, we will need to understand that dogs bark for a reason. It may be due to triggers that are unknown to us. For example, the puppy might be barking at night simply because it wants your attention, or it just prefers to cuddle with you on the bed. If the dog is barking at the window, it may be due to a vibration caused by the nearby rumbling truck that just wheezed past the house. Once we establish that the dog barks because of certain triggers, we can opt to prevent the triggers from happening again, or we can opt to use the anti-bark collar to help us distract the dog when the triggers are present!
Yes, you read it right. The anti-bark collar is one of the best devices that we can use on the dogs to distract them from barking. To do so, the anti-bark collar will administer a stimulus correction when the puppy barks.
Shock Bark Collars
The shock bark collar uses static stimulation to distract the dog. The static stimulation can be regarded as the same shock when you touch the doorknob during winter, where static can be relatively higher. Note that the static stimulation is not meant to hurt the dog. Rather, the static stimulation serves only to distract him or her from barking.
Vibration Bark Collars
Rather than using a static stimulation, the vibration bark collars use vibration via two prongs at the dog’s neck to distract the dog from barking. The vibrational levels are usually not that strong, but it is still effective enough to distract your dog from barking as the feeling of vibration at the neck is a sensation that is unknown to them.
Ultrasonic Bark Collars
Such a collar work by making a high-pitched sound that is unpleasant for the dogs and can prevent them from barking. The sound is undetectable to human ears, so you will never be disturbed.
How is the stimulation administered?
There are two ways in which the static stimulation or the vibration can be administered to the dog.
- Automatic: These collars have a listening device that can listen for your dog’s bark and administer the correction when it registers that he is barking. The bark collar can identify bark based on two signals that it receives. The first signal will be the presence of bark, and the second signal will be vibration from the dog’s throat. This two-signal verification method helps prevent the dog from being corrected even when it is not barking.
- Remote control: When training your dog to be polite and obedient, one of the best tools you can use is the anti-bark collar with remote control. This allows you to have complete control over the administering of the correctional stimulus on your dog.
What to note when wearing the anti-bark collar on your dog
Before you jump in straight and allow your dog to wear the anti-bark collar, here are some safety tips for it.
- "Acclimatize" your dog: Get your dog acquainted with the anti-bark collar so that it will not be scared off. If you get this step wrong, the anti-bark collar will be rendered useless.
- Wear only when needed.
- Tightness: When wearing the collar on your dog, you will need to ensure that the collar is not too tight or too loose. Follow the direction from the User Manual on how to put the device on your dog.