Dog Barking Help
You probably need dog barking help because your dog barks constantly or at least not at convenient times. Is that yap, yap, yap racket driving you crazy? There are fast ways to deal with dog barking and then there are slower ways that take more time. First the fast ways, then the better ways.
Believe it or not, your dog can quickly be debarked. This requires an operation which cuts the dog’s vocal chords. Yikes!! Dog are supposed to bark some of the time. This seems like a cruel move just to stop barking. And the vocal chords sometimes grow back so it would be done again if the barking starts back. Surely there’s a better way!
Another way combats noise with noise. This one can even work on that noisy neighbor dog. You can get an ultrasonic noise generator to blast away noise at dogs when the howling starts. This is irritating to the dog, but not to you since it’s not audible to the human ear. Another option is an ultrasonic collar noise maker that fires up when your pet starts barking. This is better than debarking, but don’t you want your dog to bark sometimes? And when the collar comes off or the batteries die, here comes the noise again. Plus ultrasonic noise does not stop all dogs from yapping. Some just keep up the noise in spite of your noise makers.
Other dog barking collars are used too. Commonly used is the electric collar. The dog barks and gets an electrical jolt. Most dogs stop barking quickly, but at a cost. Many dogs become fearful and unbalanced when subjected to shocks for awhile. I think I would too, don’t you? Shock collars work, but surely there’s a better way! One better way is a citronella collar. When the dog wearing this collar starts yapping, she gets a whiff of the pungent citronella oil which is sprayed right near the nose. Most dogs stop the noise to stop the small. Studies show that these work as well or better than the shock collar.
Last, but not least, is to realize that dogs bark for a reason and try to deal with the cause directly. Since dogs can’t talk, it’s up to us to determine the cause of the racket. Often dogs bark because of fear or loneliness or maybe it’s just too much energy from too little exercise. If you’re willing to watch and think, you most likely can make a good guess about the cause of the barking.
Once you have a theory about the cause, can you eliminate the problem? At the same time you must link in the dog’s mind rewards for desired behavior. Also link up some negative event with undesired action. And never forget that you must be in charge to train your dog. What you choose is acceptable is what you train toward. Gentle, but firm, discipline will produce results.
You can buy devices to help stop the dog barking. Why not work with your dog and eliminate the causes of excessive barking? Then train your dog not to bark when it isn’t acceptable. Everybody around you including your dog will be happier!
Written by Al Bullington
