Let’s talk about the no shock bark collars. Yes, they exist!
Yesterday, I was at my friends house and her dog is a talker. As dog lovers, we know some dogs are just noisy. Others, not a peep. Her dog on the other is definitely a talker. All. Day. Long.
She had mentioned getting a bark collar for her, but it didn’t help. I asked if she used the shocker one or the spray one. She looked at me puzzled and said she didn’t know there were different kinds. She tried the shocker and it didn’t work.
How Shock Collars Work.
If your dog has long fur, which hers does, shock collars do nothing. For one, I don’t even like shock collars to be honest. But, two, if your dog has long fur, there’s no contact to the skin which is what is delivered a shock. So, when the dog barks, naturally the collar shocks the dog.
This is meant to do a couple of things. The dog, once shocked, is also stunned at what just happened. This is meant to get them to stop the barking immediately. Of course, this also has to do with the shock that’s delivered. Hopefully, you don’t have the thing turned up as high as it goes. That’s a nasty bit of electricity being delivered to your poor dog. Barker or not, that’s just not nice.
Once the dog is stunned, the barking stops. The dog is trying to figure out what just happened. They’ll probably still continue to bark. But the manufacturers think that if enough shocks are delivered to the dog and the pain is delivered, they’ll stop. This isn’t always the case.
Next, Why Do Some Dogs Bark So Much?
I know, I’m going backwards. But, I’m doing this because honestly, I hate shock collars. For good reason too. Try it on yourself and see what it feels like. If you’re willing to do it to your dog, you should be willing to do it on yourself. It hurts. Back to the question at hand, why do some dogs bark so much?
All dog breeds are different. Yes, yes, we know! What this really means is, dogs are like us, we’re all different. Some of us are shy, others are social, etc. Some dog breeds are just noisy. Chihuahua’s for the most part, they’re yappers. Can’t stop it, really, they just are.
But, it’s not really your dog’s fault. They’re trying to communicate and this is how they talk. They bark. So, even while it drove me nuts yesterday to hear her dog going on and on, I still wasn’t mad at her dog. She was trying to be the dog! “Stranger danger! Danger Stranger!” That’s basically what they’re doing. Trying to warn you, as well as just being emotional when others are around.
I did attempt to say, “No Speak”, but she continued on her talkative path nonetheless.
Ways To Control The Barking.
When I mentioned the no shock bark collar, naturally, she wanted to know more. Asking what the heck I was talking about, I pulled them up on my phone. She also mentioned that I’ve yet to write about them, so of course she didn’t know they existed. So, now I’m telling the world. Please don’t use the shocker.
There are different versions of a no shock bark collar. Ones that vibrate, and ones that spray. She tried the vibration one, but honestly, those don’t work too well. Take a problem child for example, do you think if you put a vibration on your kid they’re going to stop throwing that tantrum? No, of course not.
I mentioned the spray one after that and said that these actually work well. According to the many reviews I’ve seen anyway. Atlas isn’t a talker, so I’ve never tried it on her personally. And the Chihuahua’s? Forget it!
The Spray No Shock Bark Collar.
The point of the spray collar is that every time your dog barks, it sprays out a scent directly towards the nose of your dog. Now, this is really, really important to note. These collars are not meant for short muzzled dogs. I say this, because dogs with short muzzles like Frenchies or Boston’s already have breat
hing issues. I would absolutely stay away from putting any spray near these dogs because of it. Though, short muzzled dogs aren’t usually talkers, so there’s that.
There are different sprays these collars are able to spray at the dog. The more popular one is the Citronella spray. Generally speaking, you can get these collars at any pet retailer. Amazon sells quite a few that range in price from $40 and up. The $40 ones though, not good ratings. Higher ratings went with the $70 range, so I would stick with the middle ranges.
I found some on Petco that have gotten some good ratings and run the $70. It’s worth it if your dog is adamant about barking nonstop. It’s worked on a lot of stubborn dogs in the past and it’s much more humane to use the sprays. Just take a look at the reviews and you can see how many people are in love with them. Also, get the refills while you’re shopping. You will need them.
You can buy the collar here today and start the training to stop barking! For the refills, click here.
Training Young Helps Too.
Starting the training with your dog when you first bring them home helps immensely. I know, if you’re already reading this, it’s too late. For the next dog though! Start the training when they first start the insistent barking. Saying a simple command every time, “No”, should help and teach them that that’s not okay.
I’m also going to note that when people ask me why I train my dogs to understand the word, “Speak”, it’s so that when they’re barking and I don’t want them to, I can say, “No Speak”. Dogs aren’t dumb, they can learn commands. We all start with “No” for every dog. Teaching them the basics such as “Sit, stay, come, down, heel and speak” will make a huge difference in your dogs overall demeanor.
It might be too late to teach your dog “No Speak”, but it’s not too late to try the no shock bark collar. See if the spray works and helps calm that down. Especially if you find yourself becoming very irritated with the continuous barking that you just can’t stop.
For those short haired dogs though, I would stay away from the shockers. Honestly, the shock does hurt. When it’s turned up to full power, I’ve watched the muscles in a dog’s neck go crazy from them. It’s terrible to watch and it’s just painful for the dog. Please don’t use them for the sake of actually caring for your pet.
Do you have a talker? What have you tried in the past? Has it worked? Are you at your wits end with the barking?
I don’t like those shock collars either. Just imagining getting an electric shock in my neck … it must be painful. Sometimes a spark comes out of my finger when I touch my dog’s nose, it happens sometimes, and even that natural spark stuns both of us. It usually happens in bed, maybe the sparks come from the friction of skin with the blankets, who knows.
I have not heard of the spray collars and they sound much better. The price is a little high, but do these collars last for a long time? One of my dogs is easily excited and he is also high energy and he is barker. He doesn’t stop once he gets going, not because he can’t listen, but because he’s just so overly excited. Maybe a spray collar would make a difference. I can try it out.
Unfortunately Christine, they don’t last a long time, no. I think they pump out about 100 sprays before needing to be refilled. The good news is, is once the dog is more trained though, they do bark less. But, it might cost you about 3 refills before they get the hint. At least the refills are only $6.95, so they’re not bad as far as cost goes. It’s the initial cost of $70 that’s a little high.
Some dogs are just natural talkers and to them, they don’t see anything wrong with it since they watch us and as humans, we have a habit of talking. Dogs are pretty darn smart, so they do try to mimic us at times. I would try it, just to see. If all else fails and it doesn’t work, I would resell it for at least $50 and try to recoup some money. It works on a lot of dogs, just takes time with some of the more stubborn breeds.
I had a stubborn dog that passed last year and honestly with her, NOTHING worked. I tried everything with her, but she was just that kind of dog. But, I never stopped trying. She only calmed down after she was 11 years old. Which, at that point, I watched her deteriorate, so it was more sad then uplifting. I hated watching her grow old, especially since I adopted her at 8 weeks from the pound. But, dogs age and we just try to help them along I suppose.
Thanks for stopping by! I sure hope the collar works for you!!
Katrina