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Shock
collars
deliver an electric jolt to a dog when it starts barking. These
devices have 7 levels of intensity delivering a higher shock every time
the dog does not stop barking. The promise is that over a
couple of months the dog would stop barking and you can remove the
collar.
This is
especially not good for puppy training. An electrical shock is
both unnatural and harmful. Would you
test the collar on yourself
or use it on your child for 2 months while
they misbehave?
They
simply do not work with all dogs. Some hard core barkers would
rather endure the shocks than to stop barking. This cycle of
negative reinforcement will result in a
dog that is unbalanced and neurotic and may some dogs mean.
For behavior modification
to truly work you have to reward your dog for good behavior and
reprimand for bad behavior. This is not accomplished with a shock
collar only the punishment for bad behavior, which for a dog,
barking is their natural communication.
Ultrasound devices
emits an irritating sound to a dog (humans can not
hear) when they bark. Although the ultrasound will be heard by
the barking dog, so will it be heard by all other pets in the home that
are not
barking.
Ultrasound collars are being fazed out by retailers because of their relative poor success rate resulting in a high return rate.
These devices are arguably emotionally
damaging. A dogs acute sense of hearing is overloaded
causing confusion and anxiety.
Training
dog to stop barking by causing
discomfort and irritation will only make matters
worse.
Ultrasound devices or collars do not offer
a long term solution.
Citronella
collar
emits a harsh chemical spray onto the dogs nose and face when the dog
barks. These collars can break, are not small for little dogs,
and require repeated refills of citronella.
Some say it does not hurt a dog. If you can believe that and can
bring yourself to spray citronella into your face and eyes, then
consider using it for your dog.
Spray
collars could be used in a situation where you have to stop the barking
fast before you lose your dog or apartment. You put the
collar on while you are away. When you return you would
know your dog was barking because the scent
would still linger.
But,
to truly correct dog behavior you
must be present to reward for
good behavior and reprimand for bad
behavior. If you are away you
will never be present to reward
your dog for good behavior.
So
the problem is not fixed and your dog does not learn
good behavior.
Dog
barking
control
cannot permanently be
achieved by gadgets. |