From: crs@beta.lanl.gov (Charlie Sorsby)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.dogs
Subject: Re: Barking
Date: 30 Sep 92 14:33:17 GMT
Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory

In article <BvCw47.8Lw@cmptrc.lonestar.org> andy@cmptrc.lonestar.org (Andy Hart) writes:
= (linda.j.young) writes:
= >
= >Does anyone have any suggestions to curb constant barking?  Or do you
= >think he will just grow out of this as he gets older and adjusts to my
= >life?
= 
= I'm not an expert and I've never tried this, but I've heard of collars that
= you can put on a dog.  They detect when the dog barks and "tickle" them
= with a light electrical shock.  I wouldn't think it would take too long
= to train him not to bark in this manner.

May I make a suggestion for anyone who decides to try these
collars?

Preface:  For those who see only black and white:  I realize
that what I'm about to suggest will not work every time, with every
dog, under every set of circumstances.  But I believe that it will
increase your probability of success.

My suggestion is based on the application of a little common sense.

If the dog realizes that the "tickle" is because of the collar,
then you will have to *always* use the collar for many, perhaps
most, dogs are clever enough to realize that without the collar
they are home free.  My suggestion is toward the end of minimizing
the probability that the dog will associate the collar with the
correction.

Put the collar on the dog but do *NOT* turn it on.  If there is no
provision to turn it off, remove the batteries.  Allow the dog to
wear it this way for several weeks.  Because, eventually, you must
either turn it on or install the batteries, you want this sort of
activity to be taken for granted just as the collar.  So, fiddle
with the collar frequently during the pre-exposure weeks.  Get the
dog used to the fact that nothing untoward is going to happen
either as a result of wearing the collar or of your fiddling with
it.  Only when the dog had taken both for granted should you
actually activate the collar.

Will that assure that *all* dogs don't become collar wise?  Of
course not.  But you have a better chance than if you just put the
collar on and at first bark the dog receives a correction.
Personally, I believe that this is better than use of a dummy
collar but, obviously, it will vary with the dog and with other
circumstances.  As to the dummy collars, I believe that some dogs
can tell the difference.

For those of you who believe that such collars are cruel, don't use
them.

Another thing that you may want to look at is the ultrasonic
devices.  There are kennel-mount units.  The principle is,
supposedly, that the bark triggers a pulse of ultrasound (higher
pitch than human hearing responds to) which distracts the dog from
the barking much as the tickle of the electronic collars.  There
are also ultrasonic collars but see below.

If you decide to get one of the electrostimulation antibark
collars, be sure that you get the variety that responds to the
vibration of the dog's throat rather than to external sounds.
After all, you don't want your dog corrected for the barking of a
passerby.  To my knowledge, the ultrasonic collars are not that
sophisticated so, if you were to decide to go the ultrasonic route,
I'd suggest the wall mounted units.  They will still emit their
"distraction" for a noisy passerby but at least it's not right next
to the dog's ears.

Also look at the various brands and models of electrostimulation
collars before you choose one.  You will want the feature described
in the previous paragraph but there are many other combinations of
features.  Tritronics make a variety and there are other brands.
Some give the dog a grace period of either a few barks or a few
seconds of barking but apply the correction if it continues.  Others
work on the first bark.  Some models give you the choice of either
mode.  Naturally, the more features, the more they cost.  Look in
the RCSteele catalog but try to get literature from the manufacturer
too.

The down side of all this is that the collars are costly and, if
you choose one that doesn't work for your dog, it's money down the
drain unless you can sell it to someone else.  It makes experimenting
to find the best solution a bit expensive.

A final note:  I have no intention of engaging in a flame war with
those who believe that these collars are cruel.  In some circumstances
they may be the alternative to having a dog put down or giving it away.
As I said before, if they offend you, don't use them.


-- 
Best,

Charlie "Older than dirt" Sorsby				"I'm the NRA!"
	  crs@lanl.gov
Organization: Graduate School of Industrial Administr., Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA