Barking is a natural doggie activity just like talking is to humans. Trying to stop your dog from barking altogether would be like trying to stop someone to talk forever! It’s impossible and it’s not exactly a nice thing to do. The thing is, excessive barking (much like excessive talking) is totally irritating-not just to you but to your family, your hot neighbor, the children at play, the mailman, and every one else who can hear it.

Though barking shouldn’t be eliminated-after all, it is very useful when your dog uses it for the right reasons like warning you, warding off trespassers, or telling you something of importance-it must be controlled. If you want to keep peace in the neighborhood and between your neighbors, controlling your dog’s barking habits is important.

Many people and dog owners don’t know much about curbing incessant dog barking behavior.

A lot of dog owners would basically just run to an anti-barking collar. They’re convenient as they don’t seem to require much time from the owner. What’s so appealing about collars is that they can help the owner supervise incessant barking while the owner isn’t around. So far, there are generally three different types of anti-barking collars available in the market.

One is the sonar collar. Sonar collars are discreet things. When the dog barks, it gives off a sound with a frequency that humans can’t hear but dogs find irritating. This in turn will get them to think that the irritable sound is a punishment to their barking and will (hopefully) get them to stop.

Another one is called the citronella collar. Citronella collars spray a pungent scent. When the dog barks, they spray so that, like the sonar collar, the dog would assume they’re being punished for their non-stop barking. Though this seems pretty useful, a lot of people say that their dogs have already found a way to get around this anti-barking device.

Some would just keep on barking until the citronella in the collar runs out. Then he’ll just go on barking for the rest of the day. Other dogs find other ways, like making a face (that probably gets them to hold their breath somehow) when the collar sprays and then barking again.

The third one is called the shock collar. This collar is very controversial. It stops dog barking with electric shock. Intensity of the current can usually be changed.

People contast that shock collars are inhuman. After all, no sane person would do that to another person so why even think of doing it to their own pet? A lot of people reasonably avoid the sonar collar.

Though collars seem very convenient, they’re merely supplements to help you control your dog’s barking habit.

The best thing to do is to find out first why exactly your dog has that kind of habit. If humans have psychologists, dogs have veterinarian behaviorists. A veterian behaviorist basically observes a dog’s environment and circumstances to figure out what exactly triggers their socially unacceptable behavior. And then based on their findings, they give training solutions to eliminate the behavior problem.

Some reasons as to why a dog would bark are things like the lack of things to do (they might have too much time in their paws with nothing to spend it with) or frustration (are they being bullied by dogs or other people?) to name two.

If you don’t know why your dog keeps barking, you can call a vet behaviorist to help you out. A vet behaviorist will also teach you what to do. They might recommend you to get an anti-barking collar but only to support training.

If you find out that your dog is just plain bored and has no other way to release pent-up energy, then work on giving your dog something to do. If you think your dog might just be bored, then it’s time to spend time with him playing-take him for walks, play catch with him, and let him socialize with other dogs. If you don’t have time, then hire a dog walker or take it to a doggie day care. Especially when you’re alone in the house, when you’re out, like humans, your dog feels lonely and bored and he will do anything to use all his energy.

You can also implement the “QUIET” command whenever he barks out of control. If you’ve already established yourself as the alpha of your “pack”, then it won’t take much trouble to teach this. If the barking is much of a nuisance and is already getting in the way of your chances with the neighborhood hottie, then using an anti-bark collar might be acceptable, but only temporarily or only as a training supplement.

The sonar collar is most recommended as it is not just humane, but more efficient than the two as well. Never forget to tackle the problem with hands-on solutions and obedience training as well. Training your dog to respond to obedience signals is still the best and lasting way to tone down incessant barking but still maintain his freedom to do what he naturally does.