Bark Collars...

[Cataholic]

Shep,
Can I throw in an additional fact? It is a mature beagle. I am not sure it has a prior understanding that baying is 'bad' or an unwanted behaviour. Is there training that goes along with it or is it just a crash course in learned behaviour? I feel as if I am indirectly responsible for my neighbor getting her beagle a bark collar, and I feel terrible.

[Cinder & Smoke]

Is there training that goes along with it or is it just a crash course in learned behaviour?

I feel as if I am indirectly responsible for my neighbor getting her beagle a bark collar,
and I feel terrible.

Barking can be very annoying ... don't feel bad.

IF the collar came from PetsMart - they have a great 30-day Return-for-ANY-reason
policy ... save all the carton, packing, and inserts - and they'll give a full
refund if Fido doesn't adjust to it.

The PetsMart brands come with an "Instructional Video or CD" - for YOU to watch -
not the dog.

[Alysser]

I am not totally against shock collars, but I find them useless unless someone has tried ALL forms of training prior to that.

[luvofallhorses]

I wouldn't recommend a real bark/shock collar. I would recommend the citronella ones, they are harmless. I don't know if a collar would work for a beagle, they're vocal and that's how they are!! Buster bays, too but I don't find it annoying. I acutally like the baying, probably because I love the hounds. I guess you have to REALLY love them to deal with the baying. People who don't like it shouldn't have a hound, period.

[MonicanHonda]

I wouldn't recommend a real bark/shock collar. I would recommend the citronella ones, they are harmless. I don't know if a collar would work for a beagle, they're vocal and that's how they are!! Buster bays, too but I don't find it annoying. I acutally like the baying, probably because I love the hounds. I guess you have to REALLY love them to deal with the baying. People who don't like it shouldn't have a hound, period.

I like it too. Does he bay for no particular reason or does he bay only when someone comes to the door, he sees something, etc.? We're getting a beagle soon and I was wondering about this. Zac's last beagle would only do it when someone came to the door/saw a rabbit, squirrel.

[scrain2329]

we use bark and optional chock collars too. The one that we are in control of is used in the field with the working dogs. The bark collar was for an old dog of our and worked great. the neighbors have it now, if it isn't on the dog barks for hours on end. constantly. with it on she tests it to see if it works and stops when she feels it. I recommend them only if everything else has been tried. some dogs just bark at nothing, and a bark collar is helpful. sometimes the citronella collars don't work if you have to re set them after they bark. The dog next door would turn her head and rub on the ground and bark until the spraying stopped then continue on with the day.. barking and barking (they had a battery one)! the bark collars, they aren't bad, and like somebody said earlier, the intensity is with the bark. Make sure somebody is with the dog the first time its on though so the dog doesn't get too scared! good luck!

[Twisterdog]

My opinion ....

Bark collars, used properly, are a humane last resort, when training fails.

I have known many people who had two choices with their dog ... stop the barking or euthanise the dog.

We used a bark collar for my husband's dachshund when we first got together. The dog was nine years old and barked constantly ... and I mean that literally. The only time he was not barking was when he was alseep or drinking. He literally barked while eating, while pooping .... seriously. Training had absolutely no impact. I really think he just wasn't quite right in the head, poor guy. But the bark collar worked perfectly.

[shepgirl]

Shep,
Can I throw in an additional fact? It is a mature beagle. I am not sure it has a prior understanding that baying is 'bad' or an unwanted behaviour. Is there training that goes along with it or is it just a crash course in learned behaviour? I feel as if I am indirectly responsible for my neighbor getting her beagle a bark collar, and I feel terrible.

Cataholic these collars don't really cause pain, more of a buzz. if the dog then continues the buzz gets a bit stronger but most dogs only need to feel it once or twice and they get the message. I got mine at PetSmart and I know that if anything at all is bought there they will take it back no matter the reason. one thing I do like about then.
But, saying this, I would never ever leave a dog alone with a shock collar n, thy aren't meant to be left on for long unsupervised periods. I've also heard of the ones where you hold the control in your hand and use it mostly when running the dog loose on fields but hose shouldn't be used as bark collars IMO.
If bark collars seem too barbaric then you can buy a monitor that you leave on a table , when the dog barks it activates the monitor and the dog hears an unpleasant sound so he can't associate it with anything or anyone, just his own barking since that's the only thing that sets it off. By the way, no one else hears a sound, which is very nice.
Beagles are a bit different but I've seen many people using bark collars on them without ill effects.

[IRescue452]

I got mine at walmart, its green, I don't remember the brand, but the battery lasts only a few days of use and then we have to buy another battery. The batteries cost $7 each. Don't go to walmart.

Autumn had all the training we could think of. I even taught her to bark on command since I'd read in so many places that teaching them to bark on command was a good step toward teaching them not to bark when they haven't been commanded. Hahaha. Autumn's picked up a good trick of her own though, she grabs a ball or a stuffie when somebody comes to the door. It muffles the barking (which she still does for a full few minutes with the toy in her mouth). I encourage her to get a toy first thing when the doorbell goes off.

[finn's mom]

I tried an electric collar on Finn once, and it didn't go over well. I had it on a very mild shock, used it on myself first. I zapped him four times for coming into the kitchen (that's what I was using it for) within a twenty minute time frame, and never had to zap it again. That sounds great, doesn't it? Except for the fact that not only did he not come into the kitchen, he didn't come anywhere near that end of the house. He cowered in the bedroom.

I took it off of him and about an hour later, put it back on to train him not to cry when he was outside alone (he's definitely a people dog). I wasn't even able to zap him once, because as soon as I put the collar on him, he just lay down in the corner of the yard. I hated it. It basically made him afraid to move or do anything. And, he's a pretty tough dog. It worked great for my dad's dog, though. I think it depends on the dog. I've never tried the citronella collars.

[Cataholic]

Thank you, everyone for your input.

Phred- no dog collars on the cats, though they could use some sort of training! LOL.

I am very relieved to hear that they aren't really 'painful'. That was my first fear. But, as Finn's mom said, I am concerned that the beagle won't understand it, and cower or react some way negatively. BUT, I must trust my neighbor on that, it is her dog, not mine.

For those of you that think you must love the breed/baying, I scratch my head at that one! How do you love 30 minutes of baying at 7 am on a day you don't go into work? I can over look the day light baying, but when it interferes with the sleep thing, I get grouchy.

Thanks again for everyone's input!!!

[kokopup]

i know that there are people that feel assured at a barking dog. i had a neighbor that had a dog that barked 24/7. They said they never heard it bark. It was very annoying to say the least.

If my dog barks I get up to see what is happening because it doesn't bark unless it senses real danger. The UPS man can come and go and I never know it because they are best buds. If she has ever seen you in the past then you are ok and she will not bark. We have deer frequently and she will always alarm with a braying bark.

I have thought about getting a collar like The invisible fence. i hear that these are ineffective for some breeds. One of my friends had a lab that learned that he could run fast through the Fence and it only hurt once both ways. It would run out and then later in the day run back in.

[Seravieve]

We have a training collar that we use on Bunny, since she gets overly excited and jumpy when we have people over. She's also a toe licker... Its one with the remote, has a 1-5 setting and it beeps and shocks. It works great for her. We can even have her outside off leash and she will respond with just the beeps of the collar. We dont even have to shock her anymore. She's learned that where there's a beep, there will be a shock if she doesnt listen. Of course, she's also learned that just having it on means behave.

I've never put it on Eli, as I think he would freak out, and doesnt need it either. I think it really depends on the dog if it will work or not.

[bckrazy]

IMO... bark collars are just another training bandaid. Throw them in there with prongs, chokers, and anything else that controls a dog using pain/fear/avoidance. In general, they are a cop-out, and not solving any real issues. In fact, they create issues. I would much rather have a barking dog (and do no training) than have a barking dog who becomes fear-aggressive because of all of the negative associations that a bark collar can cause.

I would discuss it with your neighbor. Ask her if she has ever taught her Beagle a "quiet" command, a solid "come", "leave it", etc. Encourage her to get into Obedience classes with a local Obedience group or a certified behaviorist. Beagles definitely are vocal, and they need to be taught when enough is enough. Yelling at him to shut up isn't going to cut it, either. Nothing, no spraying/beeping/shocking collar, is a substitute for being present and training your dog. Beagles are also huge foodies, so using lots and lots of treats, good timing, and positive reinforcement for being quiet could probably quiet him down fairly easily. Training is not an instant fix and it requires more effort than pushing a remote (if even that), but it won't create a fearful, freaked out dog who is much more likely to bite first and bark later.

[CathyBogart]

I have a bark collar for Jasper. It was that or us getting evicted. I love it. He droops a little when he sees it but he knows what it means and he doesn't "test" it very often. It has six levels of correction, the mildest feels like a small static shock and the highest like a hard static shock. I've zapped myself with it and it was startling but not painful. Which is the point.