Anti Dog Barking Techniques

Choosing the right technique to get your dog to stop barking is very tricky. Some dogs respond to treats and verbal training very well. This should generally be your first step in training. If you dog is finding more joy in barking than the treats you are giving them you may need to move on to another tactic. A secondary, and very effective alternate way to train your dog not to bark is to use a citronella dog collar. Every time your dog barks they get a little spray of citronella. The only time this method doesn’t work is if your dog doesn’t really mind the citronella but really loves barking.

It has been my experience that one of these two methods will normally work for anti-bark training but there are a few other controversial methods which I do not recommend. The next drastic step is a shock collar. Like the citronella collar this collar performs and action if the dog barks. However, unlike the citronella dog collar, a shock collar sends a small amount of voltage into the dog which is very irritating. It is nothing like a stun gun on a human but if the dog continues to bark it can really start to hurt them. And if it malfunctions to be on continuously you could be in for some animal cruelty charges. I challenge you to put it on your neck and bark and see how well you like it. If you are not willing to do this, I surely hope you would not put your dog through it. And the final method is debarking surgery. This removes the dogs vocal box so that when they think they are bark only tiny amount of sounds come from them, like a whisper. I would never do this to a dog but I do feel it is better than a shock collar. The dog still gets the satisfaction of thinking they are barking and you get peace and quiet. It is along the lines of clipping tails and ears for me. I wouldn’t do it but it is not technically cruel to the dog.

Try the first two techniques on your own but consult your vet before trying anything else.  There is nothing I hate more than a pet owner that is lazy instead of informed.
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