spray anti bark collars - do they REALLY work?

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Perce

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My dog gets very excited/stressed whenever I ride/work my horse. Combination of excitement, stress, jealousy and this has gone on for years and I am at desperation point. His barking/whining starts when I tack up and increases if I 'up the pace' when I'm riding. ie. trotting is more exciting than walk.
His bark is loud and penetrating. We recently built a school and if I school for 40minutes he can bark for 40 minutes! I won't go into every thing I've tried and he has improved massively but...not enough. I am thinking of trying a spray collar, but want to know that it works before I fork out a fortune. If someone said for a thousand pounds they could stop my dog barking while I ride I would find that thousand pounds. It would be worth it!!
unfortunately I am usually on my own and schooling horse whilst training dog is very difficult. He is quite 'me' focussed and hates to be away from me so if I tie him, up he will bark. if I lock him in a stable he will bark...and difficult to deal with whilst trying to deal with horse at same time.
Any suggestions/help?

Thought I'd start this thread as I keep meaning to and need to try something. He is now 6 and a half. I love him to bits and I don't want to leave him elsewhere when I do the horses...so...

Interestingly if I hack out and leave him at the yard he only barks when he sees me go and when I return. He is good as gold while I am away. So I know it's about me...

anyone?

Thanks
 
Can you explain your situation a bit more? Does he come out with you? Can he see you school? I could say 'put him somewhere where he can't see you (in a run, though, I hate tying up) but I don't know the geography.

I don't think an anti-bark collar would work...they are not THAT expensive...I had a battery 'zap' collar and that did not work...my bitch barked because she was hyper and neurotic and insecure...I had to find out and treat WHY she was hyper and neurotic and insecure and now she barks a lot less.
Could someone else 'work' him while you ride?

I know you love him but leaving him somewhere else while you ride would be kinder to him and you, he won't be stressing and you won't be stressing because he is stressing. The fact that he is fine when you leave him to hack should tell you that!
I used to think my male dog stressed when I left him, he did, for the first five minutes. Then he went back to sleep.
 
I have the EXACT same problem with my JRT so i understand your pain, its so frustrating and i cant even hear myself think over it! I haven't tried a spray collar but we are using a collar that make a beep when she barks (possibly more annoying than the actual barking) we have only used it a couple of times so far but it seems to shock her enough to stop her for about a minute, im hoping it will improve as we use it more. It only cost £9.99 from the local tack shop so it might be worth you giving it a try as a cheep solution. I cant remember the name of the product of the top of my head, will ask my mum tomorrow. Out of curiosity how much does a spray collar cost?
 
Up to £70.
LB, and Perce, what is your reaction? Just asking because mirror behaviour can make it worse.

In our experience:

barkbarkbark
shut up oi shut your face QUIET enough stop
barkbarkbark

If you are hyper and stressed back, you will excacerbate the barking.
 
We (or rather my now ex) took in a rescue collie that yapped non stop. We tried a spray collar on him, the sort that sprays citronella. It worked for a while and then he started barking again. When we watched him we found that he was shutting his eyes when he barked thus avoiding the spray !
smirk.gif
When ex left and didn't take the collie I rehomed him to an elderly couple who were at home all the time, and he was much happier, his past meant he just not cope with being left for any length of time.
 
We use a spray collar on our one Pyrenean and it is very effective. We can actually now put it on him without switching it on and he then doesn't bark - the important thing we have found is only to use it selectively at times when you now he might bark. We use cironella and a mustard type spray. Be wary of the electric shock type collars as some dogs can react badly to them. The other option is the type which emits a high tone pitch which can be useful if you have dogs which set one another off except you 'punish' all dogs even if only one is barking!
 
I bought a spray collar and it was useless. It was the expensive one with a westie on the front (small dogs) so not a cheapy rip off one.

Zak (schnauzer) went through one can of refil spray in about 3/4 of an hour..... he just didnt care once he worked out that it really wasnt that bad, and far more fun to bark anyway!!!
 
My dog barks in the car when we leave her in it. We tried a bark collar, she just barked and when you came back to the car, none of the other dogs in the car could breathe because of how much had sprayed, yet she was still barking.
If possible, get someone to stand with your dog while you ride and 'correct' him when he barks. This could help
Nickie
 
thanks for your comments! i just spent absolutely ages writing a response and accidently delated it! AGGGGHHHH!!! i haven't the time or energy to do it again now!
sorry! will try to find time later in week so please check back.

briefly
HH - i don't get stressy - well very occasionally as i'm not a saint! but usually calm, consistent, etc

he can see me when i school. i've tried putting him in stable but he barks/whines cos he knows i'm there. i recently put him in my horse trailer as it's cool and dark and he can't see me - he hated it and howled for the first time ever. i tried it 3 times and the howl was developing rapidly so decided to cut my losses before he really learnt to howl.
i can put him in the car when cool enough. benefit of shutting windows to dull noise but still barks most of time.

dog doesn't get 'fearfully' stressed (i don't believe) it's more excitement, nervous energy, bit of jealousy thrown in for good measure.

ladybones - please let me know the name/make of beeper as that might be the solution. i was lent an electric collar with a beeper on. i don't like electric collars at all but wanted to try the beep and it was the most successful thing so far. i could just beep to 'snap him out of' his barking and did not need to say anything. just started session with going to the arena, saying clearly 'NO bark! and then beeping if he did. unfortunately i felt there was a slight delay between my finger and the actual beep and often the Bear barks twice in quick succession then stops before repeating and i felt it was almost too slow, so although i pressed the moment he barked it did not beep until he stopped - BAD timing!! so have been looking for a collar with a beep but no electric zap since with no luck.

horses at yard, not home so if leave dog at home to ride he will be at home for hours and miss company/exercise so really need to take him with me. i leave him sometimes if i need peace - ie saddle fitter came the other day and didn;t want barking dog there!
Cant get someone else to work/train/distract dog as usually at yard on my own so need to do both.

has improved massively since a puppy. - used to bark in car, now doesn't - used to bark when horses rolled, now can stop him - used to bark when turned out but with clear, strong proactive commands can control behaviour when i turn out. can now lunge with him by my feet .. and so on.

no more time.
sorry

perce
 
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