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. Dogs do not bark purposelessly. Sometimes their bark is actually justified; maybe they’ve been forgotten outside the fence or the apartment, maybe they are ill or have a wound, or they’re hungry, thirsty or simply got bored. Dog may bark simply because they are curious about what is happening on the other side of the fence.

For some dogs it’s actually a learned behavior which is negatively reinforced by giving the dogs extra attention with doggie treats or extra TLC in hopes of pacifying and quieting them down, when what is really happening is that it is teaching the dogs that this is indeed a good behavior and that if they want more attention, all they need to do is to continue barking all the more.

When I first heard of a bark collar what came to mind was a slightly oversized regular dog collar that “zaps” your beloved canine with an uncomfortable pressure and I was not sure just how much pressure or pain was being inflicted. However, if you take some time to gather information on a bark collar, whatever model you want to choose, you will soon realise that it comes in many models, with various anti-barking mechanisms and none of them is likely to hurt your dog. If you consider purchasing such a device, then you should do some research oon all options available. Whatever collar you choose, it is much better than the alternative – debarking surgeries.

Debarking surgery involves removing a fold of tissue which is on each side of the dog’s larynx which tightens and vibrates with each bark. After the operation, your dog will barely be able to produce a vague barking, which will not be loud anymore. Think about this for a minute. Your dog, or yourself even, might run into a dangerous situation at some point. How is your dog supposed to alert other people and call for help if it can only be heard from a two-feet distance? Moreover, an anemic bark cannot keep enemies at distance. It doesn’t impress them at all. Moreover, even though the dog undergoes the surgery, there is no guarantee that the barking won’t come back. Sometimes these surgeries do not have long-lastiing effects.

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. This way the dog knows it is time it stopped making noise even before the spraying starts. 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 zap or a sniff?!.

Resource Box

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.