Quote Originally Posted by catnapper
Be careful with the sonic device: certain breeds have extra sensitive hearing and can go deaf.

The only thing that truly and effectively stops barking is you being consistant about hushing them and rewarding them for quiet. Try telling them to "Leave It" when they are barking at other dogs and the tv. Leave It is pne of the most powerful commands and easy to teach -- with time, patience and consistency. If you don't put the time and consistency in, you won't get results. You have to consistently tell them quiet and consistency praise them. If they get away with it once they'll keep trying until they get away with it again.

Depending on the breed, you'll never quiet them 100%, but you can reduce it.
I agree 100%! I have four Chihuahua's and they can bark up a storm. I have a cousin who has five of them and boy I can tell a difference between theirs and mine! I tell mine to hush or a firm no, but, no yelling while they are barking or they think it's ok because I'm being as loud as they are. If I say hush or no in a normal tone they have to hush to hear what I'm saying. When they've been quiet for a few min's I tell them how good they are. Boy what a difference there is in the two house holds. When we visit my cousin his dogs just keep up their barking until he gets exasperated and puts them in another room, where they continue to bark. While mine are sitting on the sofa being good fur kids.