Q: about ultrasonic bark collar

My Bat-dog is fearful of strangers and would bark non-stop at them. Here's how I've handled it:

1. always have a filled squirt bottle at hand and as soon as she barks, squirt her in the face. Tell her "no bark" as you squirt.

2. tell folks to ignore her. Don't look her in the eye. Don't try to pet her. A few soft words to her while looking at something else is the most they should acknowledge her. If she starts to come towards them, don't acknowledge it - just let her make all the moves.

3. treats. Teach her to sit for her treats automatically. Then, let the "stranger" show her a treat, when she sits, the "stranger" can give her the treat BUT only when she sits. This teaches her that a calm quiet reaction gets rewarded.

4. Don't say things like "it's OK" or "it's alright" to ease her fear. We use those words to say it's OK for the dog to do what its doing - which in this case is being fearful and/or barking. Instead, use a word like "easy", "calm down", etc. and use it only when she is scared as part of your calming efforts.

5. Have your son take her for walks. Having him control her leash on a "fun" walk when she is happy and excited can help her forget he's a "stranger" and evil.

With Bat-dog, I've been doing this for 4 years now. She is still scared of people, but she has improved 95%. She will let people spend the night in our RV with us and not freak out; she will let the vet check her out (we do use a muzzle in that situation just to be safe) and give her shots without going nuts; and she doesn't go nuts when people stop to say hello to me.