It is really simple the way these things work.  Each anti barking collar has a sensor at the bottom of it.  When you place your citronella or petsafe bark collar around your dog’s neck the premier ones start analyzing the dogs sound.  They give your dog three warning “beeps” before they go into action.  Your dog really has to bark loud and a lot for those gadgets to go off.  When they do the dog is “zapped.”  It is not a huge shock at all.  The collar is not trying to kill or hurt your dog.  Its more of an uncomfortable “zap” and it sends a message to your pet that what they are doing is wrong.  It burns in their head that whenever I bark out of control then I will get punished and they cease to bark “out of control” any longer.

Your dog will not stop barking.  That is not the point of these collars at all.  The point of them is to stop your pug, your terrier, Maltese, chuwawa, etc from barking at everything.  That’s the overall point.

There are many places to buy these things online.  I am a big fan of online shopping and hate going to the store so I buy everything from the website.  There is literally a store for everything that you need on the net.  There are several places that sell these.  Make sure that whatever place your purchase your anti bark collar has a liberal return policy and makes it easy for you to do it should the collar not work or is too big for your dog.  This might happen.  You may also get the collar and the batteries in it do not work or are out of juice.  In this case I would say send the collar back because the batteries for it can be expensive. They take the little round ones that are a little less the size of a dime.

You know that the anti barking dog collar still has power because there will be a little light flashing as long as the batteries are good.  When they run out of power then the little green light will stop coming on.  Its then time to replace the battery.

I started using them over a year ago.  I actually did experiments on several dogs. My business partner has two very cute dogs but they yelp at everything.  One of them, a pug, will even bark when he sees a dog on television.  It can be a real pain.  We went to a pet store and bought two collar for approx $100 each.  We put them on the dogs.  The first two days they got shocked all the time.  Especially Woodstock his pug.  They were depressed.  They did not know what was going on.  But they learned.  Now John even though the device was working always forgot to put it on his dogs everyday.  So he would remember for several days and they would stop barking than forget to put it back on the in several days they would start barking again.  We did this again and again.  That is why I wrote an earlier post saying you must remember to put you anti bark collar on your dog every single day and not forget.  Its only this way that it is going to work.  And it will work.  When you get up in the morning and make a cup of coffee put the collar on.  Do it for two weeks straight and you will have a new improved dog.  They are not “expensive” at all and you can pick one up for $60-$100.  The hardest part will be fitting the collar around your dog.  But you will easily learn all that.  Just follow my instructions and your favorite pet may be able to win dog of the year 

• Get your dog spayed or neutered. Spayed/neutered pets not only live longer and healthier lives, but they also make better companions. The best age to spay/neuter a dog is around five to six months old, at the beginning of puberty. Talk to your vet about the right time for your dog.
• Provide proper identification. Your dog should always wear an I.D. tag with your name, address and phone number. Getting your dog microchipped gives an added layer of protection and increases the chances that he will be returned to you if he is lost or runs away.
• Get training to help you understand your dog. Knowing your dog’s unique temperament and tendencies will help you to better control how he behaves. A well-behaved dog is less likely to upset people and other pets in public places, will be more welcome at gatherings, and will enjoy a better relationship with everyone he meets. Plus, his good manners will reflect positively on you, his responsible owner.
• Schedule regular check-ups with your veterinarian. Choose a veterinarian who shares your medical philosophies and beliefs; then follow his/her recommendations for vaccinations, diet, spaying/neutering, annual check-ups, and other care.
• Make time for your dog. Owning a dog is a big responsibility that takes time and discipline. Make time daily to pet, play with, take on walks, or do other activities with your dog that are fun for both of you.
• Provide regular exercise appropriate for your dog’s breed, age, size, and other unique characteristics. Whether it’s a short walk or a rousing game of fetch, exercise is essential to your dog’s physical and behavioral health.
• Provide shelter for your dog. A crate or doghouse is an ideal place for your dog to rest, sleep, and feel safe. The enclosure should be large enough for your dog to sit, stand and turn around comfortably, but small enough to retain his body heat inside the shelter.
• Travel safely. Keep your dog safe in the car by using a crate or by attaching the dog to a seat belt with a harness. Never let your dog ride free in the back of a pickup truck (he could be thrown into traffic) or allow him to hang his head out of the car window (a danger to his eyes).
• Watch for temperature extremes. Never leave your dog in the car if it is extremely hot or cold outside. Your car is like an oven under the blazing sun and a freezer in the bitter cold.

These tips are offered as a public service by Bark Busters Home Dog Training and are based on the experience and expertise of its worldwide network of dog behavioral therapists. Bark Busters dog behavioral therapists are renowned authorities in understanding, correcting and managing dog behavior.

About Bark Busters

Bark Busters, the world’s largest, most trusted dog training company, started in Australia in 1989 and came to the United States in 2000. Since inception, over 500,000 dogs have been trained worldwide using its dog-friendly, natural methods. With 250+ franchised offices in 42 states and more than 400 offices in 10 countries, Bark Busters is continuing its mission to build a global network of dog behavioral therapists to enhance responsible dog ownership and reduce the possibility of maltreatment, abandonment and euthanasia of companion dogs. Bark Busters is the only international dog training company that offers guaranteed lifetime support. SPCA International selected Bark Busters dog behavioral training services as the “Best of the Best” in its category. No other training company or dog trainer received such a distinction.

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — The Riverside County Board of Supervisors approved Tuesday an anti-nuisance ordinance aimed at silencing noisy dogs by slapping their owners with fines that can range as high as $500.

The ordinance, which the board tentatively approved in December, also changes the way dog nuisance complaints are handled by delegating authority to administrative hearing officers to determine whether a nuisance gripe is justified and how to remedy the problem.

Under current county law, when a resident in an unincorporated community complains about a barking, howling or otherwise noisy dog, an Animal Services officer investigates the matter, generally by visiting the location where the disturbance has been reported, according to Riverside County Animal Services Field Commander Rita Gutierrez.

She said because officers are busy and can’t wait around some place to document the disturbance first-hand, investigations can drag on for months as the residents affected by the nuisance collect their own evidence. Often, the result is a $100 to $150 fine imposed on the owner of the nuisance animal. But Gutierrez said that does not consistently solve the problem.

“We can write ticket after ticket on somebody, and they can go down and pay it at the courthouse, but there’s no abatement order,” Gutierrez said in a recent interview.

Matters are further complicated when the infraction is challenged in court, and a busy judge is forced to get to the bottom of the complaint, sometimes dismissing the case — and the fine — out of frustration, according to Gutierrez.

Under the ordinance, an administrative hearing officer — sometimes a practicing attorney with expertise in arbitration — will hear nuisance complaints and make a decision within days.

According to the measure, once Animal Services receive a nuisance complaint, the agency will issue a warning letter to the owner of the noisy dog. If the nuisance is reported again within 12 months of the warning, Animal Services will set a time for a hearing, involving a hearing officer, the owner of the problem animal, the complainant and any witnesses.

If the hearing officer determines an animal is a nuisance, an order will be issued telling the owner to abate the problem, according to the proposed ordinance.

Remedies might include obedience training, containing the animal within an enclosed space, such as a garage, restricting the amount of time the animal is allowed outside — or debarking the dog so it doesn’t vocalize beyond a whisper.

If an owner fails to follow the county’s order within 10 days, civil penalties can be imposed, according to the ordinance. Fines will start at $100. A second violation of the abatement order within 12 months would result in a $200 fine, and for every subsequent violation, dog owners will be fined $500.

“People start to stop and take notice at that point,” said Gutierrez.

She said the ordinance mirrors how the city of Riverside handles noisy animal complaints, “which has worked really, really well.”

The measure will take effect in 30 days.

Woodstock

The no bark collar is a great gadget for getting your cute but yipping pug to stop barking.

So I put the PetSafe anti bark collar on Woodstock as I had said in the previous article .  He was so happy.  I sort of felt bad at first.  He thought, and still does I might add, that it was his usual dog collar that I put on him to go for a walk.  He was excited.

As it turned out a kid got off the school bus not three minutes later.  His attention was immediately diverted.  He started barking at the kid walking home.  The anti bark collar is set to give three little beeps.  Its almost like a warning.  Note:  dogs get smart using this.  The next no bark collar I get I want to be able to change the settings because believe it or not dogs adjust by only barking two times before getting shocked. Woodstock got buzzed.  And he got buzzed good.  He let out a yelp.  I couldn’t help but laugh.  He was perplexed.  “How could this be happening,” he thought.

He got shocked all day.  But he learned real fast.  After several hours and someone passed you could see him wanting to bark but knowing the consequences and holding back.  The dog collar had worked better than expected.  It took one day.  Because Pugs have very short hair so the anti bark gadget works great on them.  They really feel the effect and learn quick.

Remember though you are supposed to take the thing off at night.  The problem with me is that I forget to put it back on and all it takes without consistent use is several days and the dogs are barking again.

I love my dogs.  I have the cutest little pug you have ever seen and a lasso who is way past his prime of being cute.  I live on a busy street.  People jog by all the time, cars pass by every minutes, just tons of activity.  So what does that mean???  It means tons of barking.  Its non stop.  One person jogs by….bark.  Kids get off the school bus…bark.  The mailman…bark.  A person rings the doorbell…double and triple bark.  Its annoying.

So I went to PETCO.  They just built a PETCO store in Anchorage, not too far from where I live, and they have everything, or supposedly.  I take my pug, Woodstock, in with me, and start to look for the anti bark collars.  Couldn’t find them anywhere.  I finally find someone and they take me to the front where a glass case is (much like the case where stores keep cigarettes).

They had 3-4 different styles.  I picked the the Petsafe one.  I got two.

One thing to note about PETCO.  Before I went I looked on the internet for anti bark collars.  I searched on PETCO and found the one I was looking for.  Their website said it was $90.00.  But when I went to PETCO the sticker said $130.00.  They tried to pull a fast one.  One of the managers said it was due to shipping.  Thats a bunch of crap.  I told them I wanted that collar but was not going to pay $130.00.  Someone else in town, a small time store, was selling no bark collars for $99.99.  The only reason I went to PETCO was because of their selection and good price online.  It said that the prices would be the same in the store.  So to make a long story short I negotiated the price of the dog collar down to $85.00.  They still made money, trust me, and I got the collar for under what I had planned.

I will talk about this more another time but the anti bark collars do not work well with all dogs.  For my pug it worked great.  He got buzzed several times and figured it out quickly that his barking days were over.  I wish I could have said the same about the lasso.  His hair was thicker and his bark never triggered the shocking mechanism.  So for a long time I had one dog who didn’t bark and one who did.  Not the situation I was looking for.