Wanting a well-behaved dog is one thing, actually having one is another; this is something you get to learn as soon as you welcome a canine into your family. I’m not saying it’s mission impossible to train but it can turn out more challenging than expected because same as people dogs have personalities of their own.
Of course, training is just part of the process, along with maintaining a relationship with your four-legged friend and keeping up with daily habits to avoid the boredom which usually leads to unwanted behaviour such as excessive barking.
Barking is the means of communicating feelings, using it to alert the owner, ask for food or a walk, but when it turns incessant it can be difficult to deal with, to say the least, not just for you but the neighbours too so unless you want sleepless nights or worse, fines, it’s time to give a simple solution, like a dog silencer, a try.
Since there’s a huge variety of silencers, differing in their prices as much as in their features and designs, it’s important to consider your dog’s breed first and foremost to determine whether you require something modern, like ultrasonic devices great for sensitive dogs, or spray bark collars for the bigger and more stubborn dogs.
In case you’re not sure on the degree of stimulation suitable, it’s advisable to acquire a collar that provides you with the chance to adjust the stimulation like that of shock training collars with low shock intensities. In instances with puppies and older dogs, it’s best to consult your vet first.
Why Buy a Silencer?
Unlike treatments that are only convenient for the owner and are at the expense of a dog’s nature, as is the case with debarking, a silencer is an easy and safe way of handling the problem. Moreover, it’s affordable and won’t harm your dog in any way.
Thanks to how useful it is, it can turn out into a great training tool that serves more than just for the barking; have you thought how ideal of a purchase it is for training in general? Whenever you want to teach your pup a certain trait, just use the dog silencer a couple of times and be amazed by the outcome.
Likewise, it proves to be a great purchase even for people who don’t own dogs as it’s essential in keeping your peace and quiet from noisy neighbour dogs or strays, no contact needed. This is possible thanks to the remote transmitters that send signals to the dog’s collar, so you don’t have to be near a dog to make an impact.
Also, having this in mind, you don’t necessarily have to be with your dog to be able to train it which is great for individuals with a busier lifestyle or those working from home.
Additional Methods
If the excessive barking isn’t that recent of a bad behaviour, it might take longer to get to the result you want, so it’s essential not to give up easily or get stressed – just give yourself and your dog time to get used to the dog silencer.
Depending on the stubbornness of the dog, it could be useful to resort to additional methods, such as giving positive reinforcement a go. You’d be surprised how greater of an impact pleasant words have than punishment will ever do. However, this isn’t to say you should treat the barking with petting or hugging because it would give your dog the impression that you’re rewarding the bad comportment and reinforce more of it.
The same goes for treats! Any dog loves a good treat, so it’s no wonder they’re perfect as training means, especially when it comes to rewarding improvements but this isn’t to say you should exaggerate with them either or you risk spoiling your pup.
Why the Barking?
This being said, it’s advisable to understand what it is that triggers this kind of behaviour. Is it mere boredom, loneliness and attention seeking behind it? If so, you have to think about those daily habits, like playing with your dog for a certain time and going for walks together.
If on the other hand your dog is just over-protective and barks at any person who reaches the doorbell, mistaking them all for intruders, use the collars to stop it if the barking is long. Whenever there’s anxiety, as in this case caused by people getting to the door, it might be good to keep your dog away so it doesn’t have a view of the door.
This is also helpful in appeasing fearful dogs who find any stranger to be a threat. Sounds may also be a problem, and if that’s what you’re dealing with you could try recording the very sounds and play them time and time again, to show your dog there’s nothing to be afraid of and motivate a relaxed behaviour.
Additionally, it’s important to do vet check-ups to see whether there might be some health issue behind it as well.
