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The Constantly Barking Dog - How To Deal With Him

Dogs bark for any number of reasons. Most dogs will bark to alert their owners to possible trouble, pain or being frightened of something. Yet other dogs will constantly bark in order to gain the attention of someone or worse yet to sound menacing. Dogs falling into the latter category are showing negative behavior as far as we are concerned.

Whatever reason the dog may have for barking, we humans often consider constant barking to be a nuisance. Due to this, here are several methods one can employ to help control a barking dog.

By far the best method of controlling constant barking is to train the dog not to bark or, more specifically, to bark only at the appropriate times. There are several ways to accomplish this, but dog trainers usually agree that traditional reward and reprimand systems are the most effective and the kindest to use.

Some people may employ what is called a "bark collar" or a "shock collar" to attempt to control a constantly barking dog. These devices deliver a small shock to the dog when it barks and the idea is that the dog will associate a minor pain with his barking, becoming startled and eventually stop.

There are, however, some problems associated with the bark collar method. Some dogs will simply not associate the shock delivered by the collar with its barking, and will continue to bark anyway. Yet still, dogs with thick fur many not even feel the shock of the collar because the collar's metal contacts cannot directly touch the dogs skin. Eventually some dogs will get the message and stop barking, but most will still require some sort of reward/reprimand training to eventually control their barking.

Experts agree, it is not a good idea to use bark collars for a long period of time.

Some owners find the idea of delivering an electric shock to the dog to be "cruel". While that may be a matter of opinion, the collars provide only minor discomfort for a short time and will not actually cause harm the dog.

Yet another type of collar that operates on the same principle will deliver a mist of citronella in front of the dog's nose. Dogs hate the smell of citronella and will soon realize that it is caused by the barking. Success rates for citronella collars are comparable to those of the electronic collars.

The most extreme method of trying to control a dog who constantly barks is to it undergo de-barking surgery. This procedure entails removing a small fold of tissue from the larynx of the dog, making it unable to bark. Many people find this to be completely unacceptable and inhumane not to mention the dogs bark may return after a few months anyway. Most vets will not recommend this procedure except in extreme cases.

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