Shock collars for dogs, what to do with a barking dog?

Question

Do shock collars for dogs work? I was just wondering are there any alteratives to shock collars. I have called a few personal trainers, and one suggested this to me (collar) I would really hate to use it, but we are getting ready to move to an apartment and my dog has separation aniety and barks when we are gone. He is a pit bull 9 months old and his name is Scrappy. If you have any alteratives then please let me know, you can also e-mail me, my e-mail is in my profile~ Thanks

Answer 1

No reason not to use it. I have only had a couple that got freaked out about it. Most of the time they learn real quick. 3 barks beep bark again you get shocked.

I did have one that mastered the reset??

Answer 2

The spray collars can be activated by other dogs barking. Anyways that has been my experience which is why I neither use them or recommend them. A good quality anti bark collar like tri-tronics or dogtra will not shock to dog if the dog is quiet and other dogs in the area are barking. Personally, I would not use a shock collar on a young puppy. Many dogs can be taught not to bark without them. Plus dogs that are well exercised usually don't nuisance bark.

Answer 3

Dogs bark for attention and the best way to deter barking is to ignore it or correct it yourself. Shock collars are very painful. I tested my friends dogs collar set at level 2 and I would rather be shocked by a light socket. The other problem with shock collars is that if the dog is injured and yelp it gets shocked or if planes take off over the house or there is a strong base that travels through the dogs body it can cause the collar to inadvertently go off. I am strongly against them. Just like raising a child if the kid cries everytime it wants something then you don't give it what they want you ignore it or dicipline it. The same for dogs. If you are set on a collar I'd go for a citronella collar instead. It's a lot more humane and effective. Besides, shock collars only build up a dogs titration level which makes it more difficult to train the dog.

Answer 4

A shock collar should be a last resort. First, I would make sure that you're giving him a good 1-2 hours of exercise a day to help with energy. When you're gone, I would leave him in a crate - that may make him feel less stressed and more secure. Leave a toy or a bone with him. You can even drape the crate with a sheet if that helps. You should test all these methods with practice runs - pretending to leave and waiting outside for awhile.

Also how do you know the dog barks when you are gone? Are neighbors complaining? Because usually, even if a dog barks when you are leaving, eventually it will become bored with it and lay down.

Here's other things you can do that may help:
- draw the curtains - darker is calmer for most dogs
- leave the tv or radio on softly as background noise

Another thing I would emphasize is obedience training. This makes an overall better dog, and strengthens its understanding of the dog-human relationship that you're the alpha boss. Buy a book on training or take him to classes - I use the clicker method. Also watch the dog wisperer on animal planet, he's pretty good.

If he is suffering from separation anxiety you may need to also socialize him a little more, with other people and other dogs.

Answer 5

A shock collar may make your dog's stress or anxiety worse when you leave. Now not only do you leave and it causes him stress, he will then get shocked when he tries to relieve that stress. He may not bark but, you are masking the problem and he will probably do something else distructive instead. Your dog barks when you leave because he's panicked and the barking helps him relieve his stress.

Seperation anxiety is a very common problem for few reasons; 1) dogs are pack animals it is unnatural for them to be alone 2) owners don't get them gradually accustom to being alone and they act like it's a big deal( Bye, I'll miss you or I'm sorry, I missed you so much etc...) 3) The dog has energy and nothing to do while your gone.

Your best bet is to start gradually leaving him alone for very short periods of time and gradually increase that time. Don't make a fuss when you leave or when you come back. Even when you leave a room act as though it is no big deal, by not giving him attention if he gets excited when you come back.
If he starts barking or crying when you leave you know he has a problem. However, do not give him any attention if he does this, if you do you are telling him he should behave that way (he gets what he wants, attention from you). Try using a crate and make the crate a nice place to be, by giving him treats for small amounts of time in the crate.

Work on getting him tired before you leave (long walk, run, game of fetch). A tired dog will sleep instead of getting into trouble.

Give him something to do when you leave. Try a Kong stuffed with peanut butter or a Buster Cube, with kibble in it (make sure you adjust his food intake accordingly).

Getting another dog can sometimes help, however, I would avoid doing that unless you can get some control on this behavior. Also, it's not a good idea if you can't provide enough exercise etc.. for your dog you already have.

Work on making it a gradual and pleasant experience when your gone. And try not to feel guilty about leaving him alone, that will only make him feel like it is a tragic event when you leave. Who knows this may not even be an issue, and if you expose him slowly it shouldn't be. If there is a problem and my suggestions do not help, get a dog trainer (positive methods only) or an animal behaviorist before a habit develops and it gets harder to fix.

Good reading:
The Other End of the Leash by, Patricia McConnell
The Power of Positive Dog Training by, Pat Miller
The Loved Dog by, Tamar Geller

Answer 6

I've never liked the idea of a shock collar being used to train, whether humane or not...it's like you're telling the dog he's bad for doing something that all dogs instinctively do.

Do you have any family members who live close by? Or, could you become friendly with some new neighbors in your area, and perhaps someone wouldn't mind either staying with the dog at your place, OR you could bring him to their house/apartment?

That way, you're socializing Scrappy and he will be happy to be around someone while you're gone. Your best bet is to try with a family member I think, since you'd really want to get to know any strangers first and make sure they're okay with dogs.

But anyway, even if someone couldn't stay at your place all day, if a relative or someone you know is retired, at least he/she could check on Scrappy frequently and spend some time with him, keep him occupied, take him out for a walk, etc. Your pup is always going to bark, so at least you can try to work around it rather than punish him for being him. Good luck to you... :-)

Answer 7

I do not agree with the shock collar, when you use it you are teaching him that he is not to bark. What are you going to do if someone breaks into your home and he doesn't bark cause of the shock collar. But on to the anxiety thing I have a 1 1/2 old pit bull and she did the same they will bark for a few minutes then go on about occupying theirselfs. If you havent tried this make a CD with you talking to your dog and play it while you are gone make sure to set the repeat on so it will play all day.

Answer 8

Shock collars are banned in some counties and states as a cruel act--Yes they do work but the dog is effected and can become timid and suffer uncontrolled bowel/bladder motions due to them
Debarking is an option but i think is cruel to an extent and some vets won`t do it
There are alternative devices /one is the citronella collar it sprays a harmless smell that the dogs hate so they stop barking.
The thing is to find out why your dog barks a lot things like boredom, lonely-ness
These problems can be fixed with giving toys etc to keep the dog happy and to chew on

Answer 9

I too had this problem with my dog. I couldn't bring myself to get a shock collar, I just couldn't do it. I have heard that they work good, but then again, it would work on anyone if they were getting shocked. I bought this thing online that everytime it heard a dog bark, it would give a dog whistle.($30) It worked ok, but it only works with consistent barking, not a bark or two. I would most recommend researching separation anxiety in dogs and practice some training techniques and excercises. Good luck to you and Scrappy!

Answer 10

Such an aversive technique should only be used in situations where there is danger of someone or something getting hurt. If, for example, your pit bull is prey aggressive and hunting down bicyclists. If you use a shock collar improperly, you can really hurt a dog psychologically and end up with a fear aggressive pit bull.

Your dog is a puppy and you have an opportunity to nip the problem in the bud. If you are short on time, a good vet can prescribe Prozac or other drug that can make it easier to modify his behavior. Exercise, crate training, food rewards for staying by himself, etc. will also make improvements faster.

You need to teach him asap that being alone is not frightening but, is instead, pretty nice. Put him on a flat collar and a leash and tie him to something secure. Walk away from him and toss him some really tasty treats. Praise him, let him loose and play with him.

Repeat until he looks foward to you leaving.

:)

He has negative associations with your leaving him so you need to make positive associations with your leaving him.

Here are more suggestions for dealing with separation anxiety:

http://www.metpet.com/Reference/Dogs/Training/separation_anxiety_in_dogs.htm

Answer 11

There is no way I'd use a shock collar on a pit bull with separation anxiety. They are inhumane to begin with but this will make your dog's anxiety much worse.

I'm not sure its the right choice either, but an alternative is a citronella spray collar. It is effective and I'd sure as heck try it before resorting to a shock collar. I'd also work with a trainer on the separation anxiety - but not the one that suggested a shock collar. You can also use an herbal remedy called Rescue Remedy that works for some separation anxiety dogs. As a last recourse, I'd try medication from the vet during training to calm the dog before resorting to a shock collar.