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Q: about ultrasonic bark collar

Chock_Full_o__N
Explorer
Explorer
My little Bichon is a lovely doggy, but his barking is off the chain. He was horribly abused before we rescued him 18 months ago and he has improved immensely except in one area: barking at strangers, especially men. Be becomes hysterical.

Our 27yo son recently moved back home and Tiki is having a hard time of it. DS works with him, rewards him for good behaviour, and Tiki responds well. But, then when DS turns to go the little monster comes out.

DH wanted to put a shock collar on him but I laid my foot down on that. So I'm thinking about an ultrasonic collar. Do you have any recommendatiins toward or against this?
"Those who dwell...among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life."--Rachel Carson, environmentalist, 1956


2009 Ford F250 XL
2006 Dutchmen 25F
Me & DH in non-parenting mode!
11 REPLIES 11

Brett_K
Explorer
Explorer
I think the fact that he was abused and is a rescue should be a big factor in how you proceed. Aversive techniques are ok in the right hands under the right conditions. Your dog has had that trust abused. I would recommend working with distractions. Have people give him treats and let him approach them. Do everything you can to make it positive. Pairing an aversive stimuli with an existing fear will only make it worse.

Chock_Full_o__N
Explorer
Explorer
cyntdon2010 wrote:
put that collar on your DH, He wont be a happy camper either..

No on the shock collars.

give the little guy to someone else...a sad puppy is NOT a happy puppy


A sad puppy is not a happy puppy? Brilliant!

I took the collar off around 8:30 last night. I couldn't stand to see h looking so...down-trodden. I noticed that when I set the collar on the coffee table, the light would flash when we laughed, so I think the collar was probably picking up other sounds too.

Okay, no more bark collars. I'll try a little spritz of lemon water and see how that works. I will say, Tiki is doing much better with DS this morning. Quite remarkable, actually. DS has been quick to comfort Tiki through this 6 hour experiment.
"Those who dwell...among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life."--Rachel Carson, environmentalist, 1956


2009 Ford F250 XL
2006 Dutchmen 25F
Me & DH in non-parenting mode!

stitchinsue
Explorer
Explorer
He isn't sad, he is scared. Try clicker training. I think it is the best way to train. Kikopup on Youtube is my favorite trainer to watch. Give it a try - Kikopup training no bark This is just one of her videos teaching no bark.

rdhetrick
Explorer
Explorer
cyntdon2010 wrote:
put that collar on your DH, He wont be a happy camper either..

No on the shock collars.

give the little guy to someone else...a sad puppy is NOT a happy puppy


Dumbest thing I've read today.....
Rob - Solo Full Timer
2017 Winnebago Travato 59G
Former 2006 Mandalay 40E

toedtoes
Explorer III
Explorer III
cyntdon2010 wrote:
put that collar on your DH, He wont be a happy camper either..

No on the shock collars.

give the little guy to someone else...a sad puppy is NOT a happy puppy


Right. Because the dog would not have the same issues in another home...

The OP is trying to be a good pet owner and is trying to help this little dog adjust to a normal life. Having done rescue work for years, there are many many people I would tell "give the dog to someone else" - the OP is NOT one of them.
1975 American Clipper RV with Dodge 360 (photo in profile)
1998 American Clipper Fold n Roll Folding Trailer
Both born in Morgan Hill, CA to Irv Perch (Daddy of the Aristocrat trailers)

Deb_and_Ed_M
Explorer II
Explorer II
Chock Full o' Nuts wrote:
USA Traveler wrote:
We bought and small devise, called the Egg, at PetSmart. When you dog barks you just say no and press the button. It makes some sound, which can not be heard by people. This has worked really good for us and doesn't hurt the babies, they just don't like the sound. Good luck to you in whatever option you choose and enjoy your life:)


This sounds promising. DH went and bought a sonic collar today and it seems to be working. Tiki isn't barking at DS now but he seems sad. I'm wondering if the collar may be reacting to ambient sounds and giving him too much stimulus. He usually will sit or dance for a treat, but he doesn't even do that. He hasn't eaten today but he is drinking water. We take the collar off when he goes outside so he can run around some. We'll also take it off during the night. If this continues I will have to ditch this collar. I'm not going to have him miserable, even though it has stopped the excess barking.


I bought an ultrasonic device to stop my dogs from barking for attention from customers while at work. The unit I bought had an audible setting, so I could hear what triggered it and yes, you are correct. A loud laugh, dropped item, loud TV commercial, etc can trigger the device. I would recommend buying a handheld device that you can control the correction. I bought one called the Dog Dazer II for about $25 from Amazon, and my dogs now shut up when they simply see it. No corrections needed.
Ed, Deb, and 2 dogs
Looking for a small Class C!

Go_Dogs
Explorer
Explorer
Some other ideas. A can with loose change in it. Shake it to get the dogs attention away from their barking. If they resume barking, shake and give a loud, 'NO'. If they stop barking-reward them.
You could also try a squirt or spray of lemon juice in their face and a loud, 'NO'. Reward them if they stop barking.
Basic obedience training is required. It's good to have someone practice knocking on the door or ringing the doorbell. Remember if you are calm when a stranger is present, the energy will cue the dog how to act. If you're hopping about, yelling, 'shut up!'. The dog will join in the excitement.
All of these ideas require you to have a good bond with the dog. The dog must recognize you as the pack leader, or they have no motivation to obey a subordinate member of the pack.

cyntdon2010
Explorer
Explorer
put that collar on your DH, He wont be a happy camper either..

No on the shock collars.

give the little guy to someone else...a sad puppy is NOT a happy puppy
2010 lacrosse T.T 318 bhs 34 ft,blue ox-tow bar,2005 FORD F-150 larait super crew,Firestone ready rite-air bags lift kit

Chock_Full_o__N
Explorer
Explorer
USA Traveler wrote:
We bought and small devise, called the Egg, at PetSmart. When you dog barks you just say no and press the button. It makes some sound, which can not be heard by people. This has worked really good for us and doesn't hurt the babies, they just don't like the sound. Good luck to you in whatever option you choose and enjoy your life:)


This sounds promising. DH went and bought a sonic collar today and it seems to be working. Tiki isn't barking at DS now but he seems sad. I'm wondering if the collar may be reacting to ambient sounds and giving him too much stimulus. He usually will sit or dance for a treat, but he doesn't even do that. He hasn't eaten today but he is drinking water. We take the collar off when he goes outside so he can run around some. We'll also take it off during the night. If this continues I will have to ditch this collar. I'm not going to have him miserable, even though it has stopped the excess barking.
"Those who dwell...among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life."--Rachel Carson, environmentalist, 1956


2009 Ford F250 XL
2006 Dutchmen 25F
Me & DH in non-parenting mode!

USA_Traveler
Explorer
Explorer
We bought and small devise, called the Egg, at PetSmart. When you dog barks you just say no and press the button. It makes some sound, which can not be heard by people. This has worked really good for us and doesn't hurt the babies, they just don't like the sound. Good luck to you in whatever option you choose and enjoy your life:)
Cody Dillon & Chanel Dion (Maltese), Brandi (mix)
2007 40' Monaco Knight, towing a 2009 Pontiac G6 hardtop convertible
Chunky,Cassie,Corky,Cammie-Maltese at Rainbow Bridge
Tinky-Gray Tabbie - Rainbow Bridge

toedtoes
Explorer III
Explorer III
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.
1975 American Clipper RV with Dodge 360 (photo in profile)
1998 American Clipper Fold n Roll Folding Trailer
Both born in Morgan Hill, CA to Irv Perch (Daddy of the Aristocrat trailers)