Are anti bark dog collars cruel? Get Your Pet Thinking

Most anti-bark collars are actually designed with such features:

  • Activation through vibration – The stimulation/correction/distraction, to prevent your dog from barking excessively, is activated by the vibration through his vocal cords. This is ideal for dogs that bark and growl to people A LOT.
  • Activation through sound and vibration (Dual-Activation sensor) – The correction is delivered once the bark collar sensor detects your dog’s bark sound PLUS the vibration through his vocal cords. This is great if you have 2 or more dogs – another dog’s bark will not trigger the other dog’s correction.
  • Activation through sound – The distraction is activated once the bark collar sensor detects the sound of your dog’s bark. This is ideal for dogs that always howl or whine. However, it may get activated by other dogs’ bark – so we recommend this for solitary dogs.
  • More About Citronella Bark CollarsCitronella Spray Bark Collars are best for tiny to medium-sized dogs.

    Citronella is a kind of natural fragrance that can effectively distract dogs, we also recommend this type of collar to younger and senior dogs.

    This is also rated to match with dogs that have sensitive personalities – those easy startled but still responsive.

    This type of collar also comes with different and combined activation features: vibration, sound, and vibration and sound.

    We also have waterproof Citronella Spray Bark Collars that come with rechargeable and replaceable batteries.

    More About Ultrasonic Bark CollarsUltrasonic Bark Collars are best for tiny to medium-sized dogs who are super sensitive but easy to train.

    An ultrasonic is a kind of sound that is inaudible to humans’ ears.

    This type of bark collar comes with sound (bark) and vibration activation – through your dog’s vocal cords. This type of collar usually comes with replaceable, long-lasting batteries.

    More about Vibration Bark CollarsVibration Bark Collars are best for tiny to large sized dogs.

    This is also perfect for your young and seniour dogs who have sensitive temperaments.

    It comes with the sound and vibration activated sensor – your dog will only get vibrated (distracted from his barking) through the sound of his bark and the vibration of his vocal cords.

    Bark collars react to the sound of barking or the vibration of your dogs vocal chords by spraying the dog with citronella, emitting a high pitched sound, or shocking the dog. All of these punishments fail to address the reason for the barking. In the best cases, they make the dog fearful and uncomfortable. In the worst cases, they cause pain.

    Bark collars are cruel in that they inflict discomfort and/or pain as a method of stopping barking. There are better and more humane ways to deal with barking that dont hurt your dog and also will address the root of the problem. Bark collars do not address the reason for the barking. Barking is a normal behavior, so punishing your pet for just being a dog is a cruel choice.

    Rehome by Adopt-a-Pet.com is the safe, reliable, and free way to find a loving new home for a pet. Our dedicated team of experts is here to support you with resources to help you keep your pet when you can and find the perfect new home for your pet when you can’t. Learn more.

    The Risks Associated with Anti-Bark Collars

    The science of Animal Learning and Behaviour tells us that behaviour is controlled by environmental conditions (external and internal). So, a dog’s barking might be triggered by the neighbour’s children playing in their yard, a noisy truck rumbling past the property, a hot air balloon flying over, a burglar breaking into your house or because the dog is in pain or suffers from fear or loneliness. Internal conditions are impossible for us to fully understand but we can detect them by watching the dog’s behaviour and body language.

    In addition to triggers, behaviour is also controlled by consequences: A behaviour is likely to occur more often in the future, if it leads to favourable outcomes for the animal (reinforcement), and less often, if the results are not so good (punishment). Anti-bark collars operate via positive punishment (adding something to the dog’s environment to reduce the behaviour of barking). Punishment can be a very effective way to reduce behaviour, so what’s so bad about it?

    The timing and “clean” execution of positive punishment may be easy enough in a laboratory, but there is no guarantee your dog won’t form unintended associations when they receive the shock, spray or sound from the anti-bark collar. Anything that the dog may hear, see, smell or otherwise perceive at that time may become associated with the negative experience. The neighbour’s kids, the cat on the fence, a hot air balloon flying over—anything. Now the dog feels even more motivated to bark when confronted with those elements in the future. Anxious and aggressive behaviour can easily follow.

    Attempting to block or suppress an individual’s behaviour by providing aversive consequences has known risks. Dogs who are happy and confident may become anxious, apathetic or aggressive following the use of anti-bark collars. This can manifest itself only in certain contexts or it can generalise and affect the dog’s behaviour in other situations. The frightening part is that dogs who show less behaviour overall, i.e. dogs who become less active or even apathetic, are often labelled “well-behaved” dogs. But a decrease in overall behaviour is not a sign of being well. It’s a sign of being mentally or physically ill.

    For dogs who bark out of anxiety, for example those who suffer from separation anxiety or noise phobias, the use of aversive consequences can be particularly catastrophic. The collars simply heap more nightmarish experiences onto the dog’s already troubled mind.

    When an individual is at the mercy of forces they cannot control, their quality of life is seriously compromised.

    Dog shock collars: How they work & why you may NOT want one