Choosing the right bark collar

For dogs with barking problems, there are a lot of bark control collar options available. Having many options is great, but it can be overwhelming when it comes time to choose a single collar for your dog.

The reason there are so many options is because every dog is different, every situation is different, the environment is different, and the reasons for their barking will vary.

The first thing to consider when choosing a collar is the breed of dog and its size. Secondly, you want to ascertain the reason for its excessive barking. Is it anxiety? Protective behavior? Boredom? These things will help paint a picture of the dog’s temperament, which is important to know when exploring bark control options.

The more information you have, the easier it will be for the team at DogMaster Trainers to help find a solution that suits both you and your canine friend.

Different types bark control

Citronella collars: Citronella collars and products are a great option for smaller dogs, and dogs that have had water sprayed on them as a disciplinary measure in the past. Citronella is an oil that has a variety of uses, and dogs generally find the smell unpleasant. Citronella collars spray only small amounts of the oil and it doesn’t have any harmful side effects on the dogs or the environment. One downside to citronella collars is that they don’t offer any other measure of bark control, so if the citronella doesn’t work you will have to explore other options.

Static correction collars: Static stimulation is a very effective and safe method of bark control. Larger dogs and those that don’t respond to citronella collars are better suited to static correction. They can either be remote controlled, or are bark activated, the latter of which can be a microphone sensor or a vibration sensor. A breakdown of exactly how they work can be viewed here. A great thing with static collars is that they usually have different settings for the static stimulation, and some also have vibration settings. Vibration can act as a warning, or as an alternative to more timid dogs. For multiple dogs in confined areas, using microphone sensors on the collar can be problematic, because one barking dog may also activate static stimulation on any nearby collars. This is where vibration sensors come into play. The sensors pick up the vibration on the dog’s vocal cords and static stimulation is activated only on that collar.

Vibration only collars: Vibration only collars are great for small and timid dogs that don’t respond to citronella, and work in a similar way to static correction collars. For any other questions you may have, our Resource Centre has a stack of info about the range of products at DogMaster Trainers, otherwise feel free to call directly on 1800 300 364.