Barking driving me mad!!!

[Fii]

I have two dogs one very very very small jack eight yrs the other long legged jack about three yrs and they BARK a lot , they bark when they hear next doors gate open or close, if a helicopter flies over, if they hear a siren or voices out side they even bark at the anoying blackbird outside the back door, they egg each other on, what do you think about anti bark collars do they work, anyone recomend the spray ones or the electric pulse ones?? also i think the bigger of the two is scared of the dark as when i let him out for last pee at night he runs out shouting and yowling at the top of his (very) high pitched voice. a.ny help gratfully received

 

[dorani]

I think the spray ones are much kinder and seem to be very effective.
Good luck!

 

[CorvusCorax]

I have bitch who is prone to yappiness and the zap collar just made her more hyper.

My way of dealing with it was either to admonish her using a 'NO' or 'QUIET' in a loud, but deep and slow voice (rather than 'yapping' back) or simply removing her from her situation.
If she barked in her run she was immediately, quickly and calmly taken into a crate or to our exercise pen out the back, where she can't see any of the normal triggers (cats, people).
When she isn't out for a walk she spends most of her time out the back now, she is usually very quiet.

Other people have suggested making a loud noise, like banging pots and pans to startle them, or spraying water from a garden spritzer. I think they are supposed to work for smaller dogs.
Both are cheaper than a collar!
Also, praise the dogs when they are quiet or fall silent after barking, so they get positive attention when they are not barking and reprimanded when they start up again.

 

[merlinsquest]

I found the spray collar useless.... he just continued to bark till it ran out

I did try a shock one for a very short period of time.... The poor dog did stop barking, but also stopped doing anything else either

He would just stand and shake

Also gave him excema where the probe things touched his neck

I have the same problem with my two yappty schnauzers..... I think I am going to invest in a water cannon thingy

I will sit on my kitchen door step and shoot them when they bark at the neighbours

 

[GinaB]

Schnauzers love the sound of their own voices!

I tried squirting Beastie with one of those bottles, didn't stop her and she just ended up soaked!

 

[Fii]

Ok i have done the saying no and shouting it and the loud noise thing,(small metel feed bowl droped on flagstone floor). Its not as bad during the day as it is at night which is why i think bigger of the two is fraid of the dark. I let them out one at a time in evening, and am now going out with him to hold his paw, have new neibours dont want to p**s them of .think i will hold off on collars for the mo, but do like the sound of the water cannon,(evil laugh). thanks all.

 

[Shellfish82]

Just a thought, but if your dog is scared of the dark, why would you want to use a spray or shock collar that works through causing fear of pain? You can't tackle fear with fear, and will almost certainly make his fears worse.

The problem with punishment is that it has unforeseen fallout, and that it doesn't teach what the correct alternative response is - if you use a bark collar, your dog might learn not to bark when the collar is on, but he isn't learning to choose to be quiet. You really need to embark on a desensitisation and counterconditioning program where you teach them they don't need to react to their triggers, but it's a slow process and these things can't be fixed over night.