Vibrating Dog Collars

[arealhuman]

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Well, after spending enough money to clear the debt of a small nation on training, our dog still barks like mad at most (no longer at all) dogs.  No amount of treat tempting, luring, kind/encouraging words, or trying to turn away and so on will silence him or have any effect when he's "zoned in" and as you can imagine, it sometimes causes us massive embarrassment.  We also had an incident recently, where he struggled so much, he managed to pull his head through his collar - and it's not slack at all - so you can imagine how that turned out (he was out of his harness due to his recent op).  So, that got me thinking which I know is dangerous(!)...  I'd read ages ago about collars that incorporate a vibrating/beeping unit so when the dog barks, these go off, distracting it and hopefully discouraging them from barking.  These are not shock collars and I wouldn't consider using one of these.  Does anyone have any experience of these or thoughts about using them?  You can see a selection on Amazon here.  As always, thanks in advance of any replies  

 

[arealhuman]

Anyone with any words of wisdom?

 

[cass]

I have a vibrating collar I used to get my deaf dogs attention when on a walk, and it did the trick. I also used it to try and break a habit my Lab developed, eating other dogs poo! Again it worked, but this one uses a remote control, and I didn't like to risk it in wet weather. I think it could be effective to try and stop barking, but there is a school of thought that you should teach your dog to 'speak' and then you would be able to teach it 'shush'! I'll be interested to know how you get on please. I've just ordered something you keep indoors that emits a sound only audible to dogs, that deters them from barking. My own dogs don't bark, but visiting ones sometimes do...

 

[arealhuman]

Thanks for the reply. I'm looking to see if a device will be more effective after quite a bit of training! Any particular recommendations for types of device welcome

 

[doggie1]

I would be interested to see how this turns out. I have a 2 year old rescue dog for two months and he lunges and barks at other dogs. I've taken him to two trainers, one was totally ineffectual, the other put a slip collar on and I tried with just his collar, but he pulls so much he's choking so I'm not going back to either.

 

[JudyN]

Have you tried behaviour adjustment training (BAT)? Behavior Adjustment Training: A New Approach to Problem Behaviors At the beginning it will probably involve walking at different places, or unsociable hours, but it avoids the dog repeating the behaviour you want to put a stop to. Generally, the more a dog repeats a behaviour the more entrenched it becomes, even if it is followed by a negative consequence.

 

[arealhuman]

Thanks both for the replies. @doggie1 - that's pretty much what happens to us, although he has a harness. He pulls hard and the bottom of the harness compresses his throat. The harness was recommended by a trainer too!

@JudyN - thanks for that, not tried it, had a quick glance at the page and it looks interesting. What strikes me though is all of these websites that teach dog training - and even one of the two dog trainers I have used - always refer/use a reasonably controlled environment ("oh, look at that other dog over there, let's keep our distance then approach to see when you trigger"). Many website don't appear to deal with unexpected situations, e.g. two large dogs coming around a corner right into the face of our dog. But still, I'm open to all ideas!

 

[doggie1]

Thanks both for the replies. @doggie1 - that's pretty much what happens to us, although he has a harness. He pulls hard and the bottom of the harness compresses his throat. The harness was recommended by a trainer too!

@JudyN - thanks for that, not tried it, had a quick glance at the page and it looks interesting. What strikes me though is all of these websites that teach dog training - and even one of the two dog trainers I have used - always refer/use a reasonably controlled environment ("oh, look at that other dog over there, let's keep our distance then approach to see when you trigger"). Many website don't appear to deal with unexpected situations, e.g. two large dogs coming around a corner right into the face of our dog. But still, I'm open to all ideas!

Tell me about it! The trainer I last went to brought his dogs out and my dog went off lead around them , on a long lead.It looked great - I can't let him off lead, he runs - but it was a very controlled environment and the trainer's dogs were perfectly behaved.

 

[arealhuman]

Can't let mine off lead either

 

[doggie1]

Have you tried behaviour adjustment training (BAT)? Behavior Adjustment Training: A New Approach to Problem Behaviors At the beginning it will probably involve walking at different places, or unsociable hours, but it avoids the dog repeating the behaviour you want to put a stop to. Generally, the more a dog repeats a behaviour the more entrenched it becomes, even if it is followed by a negative consequence.

i'm looking into that now, thanks.

 

[Sezzy]

I purchased this handheld device that emits an inaudible sound to us. Misty kept barking at nothing in the garden, just attention seeking knowing her! When she barked I pressed the button and told her “quiet”, I could tell she could hear it by the funny quizzical look on her face! I only used it twice, now I just show it to her and she shuts up if the quiet command hasn’t worked.

Hoont Electronic Dog Repellent and Trainer with Flashlight / Powerful Ultrasonic Dog Deterrent and Bark Stopper + Dog Trainer Device / Protect Yourself + Train Your Dog [UPGRADED VERSION] https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06X163P2H/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_1JXhAb9K3Y17A

 

[JoanneF]

I don't like these sort of devices at all. Any of them. I think they address the symptom of the problem and don't get to the root cause. If you use an aversive technique it might stop the outward behaviour but the problem causing that behaviour will just come out in other ways. It's a bit like denying people the right to speak. They protest. They revolt. Take a battery out of a smoke alarm and you will stop it ringing. Do you want that? No. There are several risks in using aversives with your dog. The first like I said is that you suppress the behaviour and don't address it. Another big one is that you damage your bond with the dog - the trust relationship is compromised. You are causing/allowing/not preventing this unpleasant sensation. And it is unpleasant, that's the whole point. For the dog that stopped barking at the mere sight of the aversive, why do you think THAT had an effect when your quiet cue didn't? It's not that your dog 'understands' it better, it's because she dislikes or fears it being set off. And it affects any other dogs around it too, you can't isolated to just yours.

For the dogs that are reacting to other dogs, in their view it's your job to keep them safe from these dogs and if you aren't doing that they think they need to step up and warn the other dogs off. There are a couple of threads running about how hard it is to avoid other dogs (cut me some slack on the details of this, I've been travelling and working since 7.00 am) but to address this you really need to find isolated places or unsociable hours. Punishing them for their aggression is like just telling someone not to fear heights/spiders/snakes/whatever and if they don't 'switch off' that fear you will make them uncomfortable as a result. You just can't switch off an emotional response like that, it's too deeply rooted. Yes you can modify a behaviour but like I said you just suppress it, not address it and you just don't know how or when the consequence of that will come out later.