bark collars - Page 1

i used the search option and located a number of threads that discussed bark collars, but i did not find a discussion on brands used.  i am not interested in lectures  on whether or not to use them.  i am interested in hearing what brands are preferred and what options are a neccessity......rechargeable, water proof, etc.  also, i would be interested in hearing about the ones that are not worth wasting money on.  it sounds like the auto reset models seem to be very effective.

thanks,

pjp

try training your dog instead of using collars they don't work nearly as well as good old time and effort 

comments such as the above are not helpful.  as i said, i am not looking for lectures.  i have already evaluated my position and am looking for recommendations for brands and features.

pjp

that is my recomendation i have dealt with alot of people who have used them and they dont sound all that good.

I use a citronella bark collar on Blitz and it works great for him. However, it doesn't work for a lot of dogs and you might need an electronic collar instead. Maybe you could borrow a citronella collar and try it on your dog before buying one?  May I asked where you live? I currenty have an extra and would be happy to loan it to you. I don't know the brand of the citronella collar I bought, but would be happy to look it up if you're interested. Have never owned an electronic anti-bark collar, so can't recommend a specific brand.  However, I would buy one if needed.

I've used the electronic bark collars in the past to help teach the dog when it's not acceptable to bark.  I only had to resort to using them for a short time maybe a few weeks and only putting it on the dog when this unwanted behavior was happening.  I've seen the collars that have the spray mist and asked people about them but I was told they don't work on a lot of dogs.  The one I had to use a bark collar on was my young male when he was about 7 mo old and I don't think the spray kind would have worked on him as nothing really phases this boy.  The electronic collar was much more effective and now we don't need it at all anymore.

If the collars are used as a training tool and not a constant crutch I see no problem using them.  I know trainers who have had to resort to them as a training aid. 

I have the Tri-Tonics bark collar and it has worked well for me.  Now I just have to walk out of the house with it and everyone shuts up.  I don't think I've actually put it on a dog in 6 months or so.  I have cranky neighbors so it's come in very handy and saved me alot of grief.

I recently purchased a Dogtra bark collar and was not impressed at all. The new collars( both Dogtra and Tritronics)have the vibration sensor directly behind the unit. Thats nice because the size of the collar is smaller. But you can not really move it around on the dog's neck. So you can get skin irritation from the contact points with prolonged use.

My old Tri-tronics one had the vibration sensor on the side of the collar. This way, you could move the collar up and down on the dogs neck or reverse sides. You can't do that with the new collars. My malinios was a bad barker and I had a bitchy neighbor so she had to wear it for long periods of time. The ability to change the contact point location made it alot more comfortable for her.

The other thing I did not like about the Dogtra was the length of the contact points. They were too long. They are also pretty large in diameter. My dog has a very thick undercoat so the contact points often wouldn't make complete contact. That is not good. Even when I sheared her coat a bit. What ended up happening was the collar was ether on too tight and really uncomfortable for the dog or it wasn't tight enough to make contact leaving the collar inconsistant and/or ineffective. With that said, you can buy shorter contact points. Additionally, the charger seems like a good idea, but for me was a pain in the ass. The dial to change intensity was not the easiest thing to work either.

I have not seen the newest Tri-Tronics. I guess they have a push button to change the intensity and a bark odometer. The odometer would come in really handy if you have a difficult neighbor. I still don't like the sensor being directly behind the unit allowing for no changing of position.  I would get the Tri-tronics if I had to do it again.

What ever collar you choose just make sure you are consistant with it's application and ensure it is on the dog correctly.

I would spend the money on a good one the lesser brands don't work as well as the tri tronics ( altho I don't have the newer one)

Don't get those untrasonic bark controllers...  did'nt phase the barking dog and annoyed the non barking dogs and the Parrot

If you have a really drivey dog I would expect the same effect from the citronella collars

There are some dogs that are just barkers and even with a bark  collar they will still bark BUT the bark collar will reduce the problem somewhat. I think the problem is worse when ever something puts them into drive.  (such as a training days My old girl will go nuts if she sees a tracking line or a sleeve)  So you may want to look at anything that triggers the behavior and see if you could alter them (such as a privacy fence  or well placed bushes) 

Training is important as well

best of luck Jeff

Tri Tronics all the way............They are great............They will stop the dog from Barking.

Rodd