<p>I have a poodle mix dog that is driving me insane. If he wants his ball, or some water,or my other dog gets his toy, he gives a short, non-offensive little bark. However, if someone rings the doorbell, or he even catches a glimpse of anyone walking by our house, or if my DH or DD comes into the house and our security system beeps, he goes completely berserk. His bark is a screaming, hair raising, heart attack inducing ordeal that just infuriates me. He is a cute little fellow, and has a lot of character, but I’m actually starting to hate this dog.</p>
<p>I saw an ad for a type of collar that shoots a mist of citronella towards the snout when the dog barks. It’s considered a “humane” collar vs. the electric shock collars. It’s a little pricey, but if it works, it would be worth its weight in gold.</p>
<p>We tried a regular shock collar - it was unreliable and we only used it for a few days. (Sometimes it seemed to shock him after he stopped barking.) We coughed up $100 for a trainer to come and work with him, and he introduced us to the little bicycle tire inflating canisters. They make a sharp 'Hissss" sound if you hold down the handle. Dog did not like that sound, and now when he barks, we use the canister or say “shhh” in that same sharp tone, and he stops. Try a trainer- it’s worth it!</p>
<p>One of our friends have two lab mixes that bark when they are away from the house. The neighbors left a note and she went out and bought the type of collar you are talking about. They didn’t stop them from barking, in fact they loved the citronella and ate them off each others neck. </p>
<p>We use the e-collars in our house with our two labs. The minute the collar goes on, there is no barking. The dogs are smart enough to have learned the meaning of the collar early on. We only put the collars on when we are gone at work. The rest of the time, the dogs are with us. We live in the suburbs and many of our neighbors are stay at home moms.</p>
<p>Many of the collars have multiple levels of intensity. Start low and increase as necessary.</p>
<p>I used one successfully with my Schnauzer for a while (the shock kind, not the citronella kind), until the batteries wore out. She also learned to shut up when the collar went on. She liked to bark incessantly when we threw the ball for our shepherd. Now the shepherd has knee issues and can’t run, so we aren’t throwing the ball anymore (old knees like the humans in the house).</p>
<p>Not sure it will work for the situation you describe. Agree that sometimes the shock collars are more effective than the citronella collars, unless the problem is boredom or attention barking. For protective barking the citronella collar doesn’t work.</p>
<p>Another solution is debarking, also called bark softening. You need an experienced vet to do the procedure, and there’s a recovery period where the dog must be kept quiet. Doesn’t seem to bother the dogs, it just changes the tone to something much less offensive to our ears, and quieter. Dog still 'expresses himself"!</p>
<p>If the option is euthansia because of barking or a surgical procedure – you decide. Not everyone will feel it’s OK … but a lot of Shelties get this procedure because their barking is loud and sharp. I’ve never had it done, but I am aware that if I want to send my puppy out with a show handler, it may be a requirement.</p>
<p>We have one for my little poodle. (his bark is very high pitched). It works great when he wears it, but the second it is off…yip, yip, yip. The hardest part is trying to get the darn thing on the dog and remembering to turn off the power when I remove it.</p>
<p>Sometimes I use the spray bottle of water. Usually I just have to pick it up and he stops. I also bought one of those machines that emits a high pitched noise (only dogs can hear), but found that other household noises and the other dogs would set it off so all three dogs would get treated to the noise.</p>
<p>With a bark collar, for an effective shock, you need contact with the skin. They suggest shaving the area. That’s a laugh. Good luck with that one! </p>
<p>So, if you buy the bark collar regardless (in desperation, as I did), you put it on and hope for the best. If it is snug. it digs into his/her throat, with these metal prongs so you loosen it a bit. Then next thing you know they scratch and it slips a bit sideways. This makes it work less effectively. Then there is the emergency trip outdoors when it is wet or there is snow on the ground and it gets wet and dies.</p>
<p>So, in the short run, when it is on correctly and it hasn’t died or gotten spun around, it stops the barking. But as soon as it comes off, the barking is right back.</p>
<p>It sounds terrible, but one of the best things about coming home from vacation is that i think the dog barks non-stop at the kennel and she comes home so hoarse that we get a couple of days of blessed silence.</p>
<p>One thing I have found somewhat effective is to thank the dog and tell her that she was good to tell me about it (the plastic bag blowing by, the mailman, etc.) and that “I’m on it”. That is, it is her to to alert us to threats. She is doing her job. And the message has been delivered. So, a few short barks (mom! the trash truck!!!) then run to the kitchen, get praise and a biscuit and sit there quivering until the truck goes past as she waits for the second biscuit. This is the only thing that has really worked.</p>