Before enlarging on whether dog collars are ethical or not, we should first try to understand the reason why dogs bark in the first place. Most of the times dogs have real reasons to bark. They might be irritated by something, lonely for too long, hungry or thirsty. Dogs are curious creatures. If you challenge their curiosity, hide something from them or there is an intriguing event happening outside the fence, they will definitely want to find out what’s going on.
Others bark out of habit or because their owners have encouraged their barking with treats and extra attention, instead of penalizing them for the useless noise. Owners think that cuddling the dog when it barks might quiet it down, but instead they only provoke it further.
A bark collar is often regarded as something similar to a regular dog collar, that might hurt the dog by subjecting it to uncomfortable pressure. As I learned more and more about the variety of bark collar choices I began to breathe a bit easier when I discovered there were actually a few different types of bark collars and not all had even the slightest amount of “zap” to it. If you own a dog that barks too much or too loud, you probably consider all anti-barking options you’ve heard about. One is that this is not something that will necessarily need to be worn by your furry friend 24/7 and it is a far better option in my opinion than putting your dog through what is known as debarking surgery.
This kind of medical intervention is rather invasive and consists of cutting off a part of the dog’s larynx that is responsible for creating the barking sound. The surgery removes the tissue and following the surgery, dogs are only left with barely just a whisper of a bark. Vets might present you this option in an attractive manner, yet you should carefully think about it. Let’s say your dog got outside of the house and happened to be found in a situation with a bigger dog or pack of dogs or even worse, a coyote or other aggressive animal. What good is a whispering type bark going to do to call for help or defend your dog at that point? A mere whispering bark does not have nearly the aggressiveness that is called for as a mean growl or loud incessant barks. In addition, surgery isn’t successful in 100% of the cases and sometimes it only works for a few months. It is also an uncomfortable, even painful procedure.
Fortunately for both you and your dog, the anti-bark collar is a more reasonable solution to the barking problem. Citronella collars are the most popular anti-bark solutions. They only release a mild citrus scent whenever the dog barks. The animal dislikes this smell and stops making noise. There are citronella collars that make a “hiss” before spraying. Most dogs get the picture rather quickly and quit the annoying incessant barking. Some university studies have proven the citronella barking collars are at least two times as effective as what are known as shock collars. In the end, you are the one to decide what you prefer. A rough method such as the shock collar or just an annoying smell.
There are situations where dogs use their barking as a defensive strategy. If you are annoyed by your dog’s constant barking, there are plenty of bark collar varieties you can choose from. Please click this link for emore information on bark collar models.
Tags: bark collar, bark collars, barking dogs, Pug, pug puppy, small dogs
