The anti-bark collars for dogs stand out for being a tool not only quite popular, but also widely used. Nevertheless, really knowing how it works is essential Or in other words, it is essential to know the mechanism that this tool has in order to understand the possible side effects that its use could cause.
That is why throughout this post we will be showing you each of the things you should know about bark collars, paying special attention to what would be separation anxiety, since it is usually among the main reasons why this power tool is used most. And finally, we will offer the opinion of an expert and indicate if it is really good to put the anti-bark collar on the dog or not.
How the anti-bark collar works
The anti-bark collar is created in order to act as a “help tool" inside of the dog training. Essentially, it can be said that it consists of a completely normal necklace which has a small box through which auditory signals and / or electrical stimuli are emitted, as well as vibration.
The intensity of the electrical impulse varies according to each specific collar, however, in any case this intensity is increased as the barking increases; thus, you want to "bother" the dog and make him feel uncomfortable so that he stops engaging in this kind of behavior.
The average power that these necklaces have is around 6 volts, but as we have just pointed out, this will vary depending on each product. If you are considering the idea of acquiring it, it is advisable to try it before in order to understand what your pet will feel when putting it on.
The idea behind the use of this tool is to punish the dogs just at the moment they are barking and, thus, to be able to eliminate the barking; however, it must be remembered that punishments may well encourage the development of new inappropriate behaviors. So even though the bark collars could help reduce or completely eliminate barking, could also favor the development of excessive shyness or aggressiveness in the dog, and could even generate a submission urination. That is the reason why, it can be said that, they are not the best tool to train a dog.
In the same way, another problem posed by bark collars is that it is possible that they are activated due to the barking of a nearby dog; so they are useless if there are several dogs within the same household. Since otherwise, the dog wearing the collar could end up developing complex behavior problems, since the punishments would not be given for any action carried out by him.
Apart from this, even in cases where the anti-bark collars can work properly, the reasons that generate the barking will not be eliminated, so it is quite likely that the dog will develop new inappropriate behaviors to replace the barking. Which usually occurs mostly when using this class of collars in canine breeds that were bred for the purpose of barking in various situations.
Effectiveness vs side effects
The effectiveness of the anti-bark collar has not been proven in any case, so there is no concrete evidence about it, which is why it is quite easy to find negative opinions about its use on the Internet.
It also happens that many keepers often use this kind of collar as a method of punishment, which is quite negative because it does not help the dog to understand what is happening and why it experiences these discharges. Other than that, leaving a dog with this collar alone is not only inappropriate, but also very unsafe.
That is why it can be said that the anti-bark collar has greater negative effects, compared to its positive effects; within which it is possible to mention the following as the most common:
- Incomprehension.
- Anxiety.
- Nervousness.
- Stress.
- Discomfort.
- Aggressiveness.
In addition, those dogs that suffer from severe stress and / or anxiety could be considerably worse due to the use of this collar, so obviously its use is not advisable. It should be noted that most of the negative effects that we have previously pointed out are severe behavior problems that could be avoided by going to a professional instead of trying to change the behavior of our dogs using tools that are not really reliable.
What you should do to prevent your dog from barking
They are completely common and understandable dog barkingas it is about how to communicate. However, it is equally possible that it consists of a severe problem for him when he can't stop doing it, as this will promote the development of both stress and anxiety.
Each of these problems stands out for being treatable and it is possible to solve them through the help and appropriate guidelines that professionals could offer; Therefore, undoubtedly, going to both an ethologist and a canine educator are usually the most appropriate ways to treat this kind of problems effectively, while avoiding the development of problems that can become considerably more severe and complex, and that could appear as a result of use of tools completely discouraged.
Expert Opinion
“I met with a family, specifically a father and his son, who owned a German shepherd. The young man was desperate because your pet wouldn't stop barking when you left your home Instead of going to a professional, I made the decision to use an anti-bark collar that had a fairly powerful effect. His father warned him not to use the necklace, but after trying each of the tips and tricks that he could find on the web, without anything working, his son decided to use it.
The problem got worse in no time when I used the collar for the first time; on that occasion they were both walking quietly until the German shepherd he started barking when he ran into another dog. When he received the first electric shock, the pastor simply went crazy and ended up biting the father who was next to him.
Why did he act that way? The German Shepherd did not understand where this physical pain came from and he believed the person responsible was the father (with whom he had a lesser affinity). After that, the treatment that the dog had to face was long and quite complicated, considerably more than it could have been if the anti-bark collar had not been used and had tried to treat its behavior in a different way.
This true story could happen to you too or notIt all depends on the power of the anti-bark collar you decide to use, the type of dogs you have and the relationship between the two. So you should be clear that it will always be more appropriate to use other methods when you want to change your pet's behavior, such as positive reinforcement.