Bark collars started as an idea, probably by a neighbor of someone whose dog was anxious or neglected, and barked much too often. Living in a neighborhood where one or more dogs display this behavior can drive you crazy in a very short amount of time.

Among the three types of bark collar, the static device was the first one to be invented. The first versions of static collar came with some complications. They often reacted to the barking of another dog, and could not differentiate between the types of barks, so would correct the dog when it was responding as any dog would; and did not necessarily have a safety cut-off in case the dog was hurt or panicked. Some owners did not supervise their dogs during the first few days of wearing the device and their animals displayed various kinds of trauma.

In the time since they were first introduced, no bark collars have improved dramatically.

These collars are not dangerous and they merely annoy the dog and make it bark less often. (The collars aren’t meant for barking alone; they can be used to correct a wide range of behaviors).

There are now three types of correction available: spray, sonic, and the already mentioned static. The spray bark collar uses a strong scented fluid, such as citronella; the sonic bark collar uses sound, above the frequency of human hearing but within the dog’s range. Both these options are great for dogs that are sensitive to physical stimuli (the collar using citrus smell shouldn’t be used on scent hounds, because they sense of smell is extremely well developed).

The static bark collar has the most flexibility and the highest rate of success, due to improvements and innovations. Vibrations prolongued for a determined period of time can trigger the high-pitched sounds of the static collar. The static collar only reacts to the barking of the dog wearing it. Due to its volume and frequency settings, the collar only reacts to continuous barking, and isn’t triggered by reactions of fear, pain or stress. Many of the static bark collars have adjustable steps (and increasing levels of correction); and most have an automatic timed shutdown if the dog barks for an extended period without cease. In addition, the static collar auto-resets to lower levels if the dog doesn’t bark for a certain period. This will make the dog understand the benefits of barking less.

Collars are most efficient only when combined with dog training. They are only adjuvants in the training process. Training should be based on rewards and play for good behavior.

When used for the purpose they were intended, bark collars are effective and much preferred to the alternatives- ‘debarking’ surgery that involves cutting the vocal cords (with all the risks inherent in any surgery), and having to find another home for what is supposed to be a forever friend

Even though the first versions of bark collar weren’t perfect, they have been improved in time. Most types of dog collars can be adjusted manually or digitally. If you want to find out more about different types of bark collar, click here.