[spyla]

Hi, I looking to control Shadow's barking when left in my back yard. I would like to try spray type first before trying the shock kind.

I looking at these two. anyone have experience with either one

Amazon.com: Premier Spray Sense Anti Bark Collar: Kitchen & Dining

Amazon.com: Innotek Anti-Bark Spray Collar, Citronella: Kitchen & Dining

 

[Whiteshepherds]

The pages wouldn't come up for me but I can tell you without looking I wouldn't use either one of them.

If the dog is unattended it means no one is telling him what he can and can't bark at. If the collars work your dog will be trained not to bark...at anything. This will make the guy trying to climb in your window very happy.

If you use them for a training tool when you're with the dog that changes things. I still wouldn't use one but that's just a personal choice.

 

[Zoeys mom]

Why not teach her quiet? Dogs shouldn't be left outside without shelter for long periods anyway. When your not home that means your dog should be inside the house where she can not be a nuisance, or danger to herself and others. When you let her out and she barks you tell her quiet and bring her in when she's not, or reward and praise when she is. Shock collars or spray collars are not going to solve the barking problem- she'll get used them and bark anyway

 

[AgileGSD]

The pages wouldn't come up for me but I can tell you without looking I wouldn't use either one of them.

If the dog is unattended it means no one is telling him what he can and can't bark at. If the collars work your dog will be trained not to bark...at anything. This will make the guy trying to climb in your window very happy.

That's actually not true. Dogs quickly learn to not bark when the collar is on but bark normally when it isn't.

I use e-bark collars over citronella/spray ones for a couple reason. The main one is that the citronella collars are more likely to malfunction. I know someone who ordered the Premier one and had to return it 3 or 4 times for it breaking within a few weeks of use. Have also heard of the collar getting stuck and emptying the whole canister at once. And that the canisters often don't last as long. I also personally feel that being sprayed in the face with something as strong smelling as citronella is probably more aversive to dogs than a static shock.

If you want to try a spray collar, I'd go with the Innotek. As I said, the person I know with the Premier hasn't had much luck with it working properly. Don't know anyone with the Innotek collars though.

Why not teach her quiet? Dogs shouldn't be left outside without shelter for long periods anyway. When your not home that means your dog should be inside the house where she can not be a nuisance, or danger to herself and others. When you let her out and she barks you tell her quiet and bring her in when she's not, or reward and praise when she is. Shock collars or spray collars are not going to solve the barking problem- she'll get used them and bark anyway

It is extremely hard to "train the dog not to bark" when the dog is only barking when they are outside by themselves. You may feel that dogs should never be outside by themselves but that doesn't mean that everyone feels that way. If my dogs were never outside by themselves, they wouldn't get near the playtime and exercise time they do now. My dogs are never outside when no one's home but they are outside when no one is out with them.

If you bring the dog in whenever they bark, they start to learn that barking cues you to do something, which actually reinforces the barking. Correcting or rewarding the dog for not barking is only effective if you are right outside with the dog, all the time. That works for some people but other people have to be able to leave their dogs outside alone sometimes. Most dogs don't learn to bark through bark collars and with most dogs, wearing a no-bark collar does solve the problem.

 

[SARAHSMITH]

AgileGSD, thanks for that "real world" response.

 

[Whiteshepherds]

That's actually not true. Dogs quickly learn to not bark when the collar is on but bark normally when it isn't.

Okay...but if someone is leaving their dog outside when they aren't home I'm assuming the collar is on the dog when they're gone. That was the impression I got from the OP.
That's why I tried to differentiate between using it as a training tool and using it anytime the dog was outside.

 

[mssandslinger]

personally i think collars and sprays are not very nice or effective, most dogs quickly become desensitized to these situations, they lean much faster and better with their owner telling them when they cant bark. first teach the dog to "speak" on command. that way you can then teach "quiet". works wonders for everyone i know who had trouble with barking dogs.

 

[spyla]

Shadow is never outside when we are not at home. I am looking for solution for situations like on a weekend I would like to sleep in a little longer. he needs to go out around 6 AM. I would like to able to leave him out in the backyard without him waking up the everyone in the whole subdivision.

 

[Rerun]

mssandslinger - spoken by someone who hasn't used good quality equipment. Dogs do not become desensitized to them.

The common misconception with bark collars is that the dog spends the day getting zapped. In reality, the dog barks once or twice, gets a quick correction by the collar, and they don't bark again while the collar is on.

AgileGSD hit the nail on the head. It blows my mind that on a german shepherd forum people are so anti dogs being dogs and being allowed to play outside.

 

[AbbyK9]

looking to control Shadow's barking when left in my back yard

You can very easily do this without purchasing a no-bark collar: bring her inside and leave her safely crated or gated off in a dog-safe room when you are not home. Problem solved.

Dogs bark when they are left alone in back yards because there are things to bark AT - neighbors, other dogs, kids running by, squirrels and other wildlife, the neighbor's cat, etc. They also bark because they are lonely and bored and there isn't anything else to do. Or they bark because neighborhood kids are teasing them, throwing rocks, etc.

Being left outside in your yard is not SAFE and it isn't fun for your dog. Bring her in, crate her safely in the house, and you will have a happy dog and no complaints to Animal Control from your Neighbors.

As far as spray collars go in general, I have not had any useful experiences with them. Some dogs just learn to love the smell. Others learn quickly how long it takes for the spray bottle to empty. Others figure out ways to turn their heads or move the collar to avoid getting sprayed. IMHO they are a waste of money.

 

[AbbyK9]

Shadow is never outside when we are not at home.

When you are home, you should be outside WITH him. Dogs don't exercise themselves because they're turned out into the yard, they need their people to provide them with things to do.

If he needs to go potty by 6am on the weekends, take him outside to potty, then bring him back into the house. He obviously does not enjoy being stuck out in the yard by himself if he's barking the entire time.

 

[spyla]

I like getting all the inputs, but I would really appreciate if we could stay on my original questions. I know there are many ways of doing things but I have choosen to go this way and am not here to hear people preach to me. I would appreciate you sharing you experience with these or similar units.

Also what e-collars have you used to control barking and how has it been.

 

[Rerun]

Being left outside in your yard is not SAFE and it isn't fun for your dog.

hahahahaha

Tell that to my dogs. Micah, Kodi, and Dante are currently wrestling in the yard, literally, as I write this. Audrey's laying out in the sun chewing on a nylabone.

They must be miserable, I should stick them in a cage instead of allowing them to enjoy a gorgeous day playing outside. If Akira hadn't been raised more like a human than a dog she'd be outside playing too. Unfortunately I used to buy into these theories of "dogs outside are unhappy dogs" and to this day she doesn't like to be outside much. The ones that do get to go outside if they want!

 

[Rerun]

When you are home, you should be outside WITH him. Dogs don't exercise themselves because they're turned out into the yard, they need their people to provide them with things to do.

Sure they do, mine routinely play chase, they are wrestling right now, they walk around all day if allowed to be outside and nap on occasion.

They sure get a lot less exercise in a cage.

 

[AbbyK9]

but I would really appreciate if we could stay on my original questions

I thought the question was how you can keep your dog from nuisance barking in your yard, which probably annoys you just as much as it annoys your neighbors.

You have to understand that this nuisance barking is a problem that you have created by turning your dog out and leaving him outside unsupervised, whether you're in the house when this occurs or whether you are gone from the premises altogether. Your dog barks because you leave him out in the yard and he does not enjoy being stuck out there alone with nothing to do. That is simple fact.

A no-bark collar will prevent him from barking, but it does not fix the problem. The problem is that your dog is bored and lonely. Once you take the bark, he won't annoy you and your neighbors when you turn him out to amuse himself. He will, however, find other things to do to amuse himself and they will probably be just as annoying - like digging up the yard, tunneling under the fence and running loose, etc.

If you want to fix the issue, be outside with your dog and provide him with proper exercise. When you have a dog, especially a large, energetic breed such as a German Shepherd, you may need to sacrifice sleeping in for the sake of properly providing for your dog.

You may feel that dogs should never be outside by themselves but that doesn't mean that everyone feels that way. If my dogs were never outside by themselves, they wouldn't get near the playtime and exercise time they do now. My dogs are never outside when no one's home but they are outside when no one is out with them.

And AgileGSDs case is very different from the OPs - she has SEVERAL dogs who play with each other. The OP has only ONE dog who is left out by HIMSELF and bored.

 

[AbbyK9]

Tell that to my dogs. Micah, Kodi, and Dante are currently wrestling in the yard, literally, as I write this. Audrey's laying out in the sun chewing on a nylabone.

Again, a very different situation from the OP. Your dogs are a GROUP and play together. A group of dogs plays with one another. Even just two dogs will play with one another unless they don't get along. I am, however, responding to the OP. And the OP has only ONE dog that is left outside ALONE and clearly does not enjoy it if he barks the entire time.

And no, it is NOT safe for any dog to be left outside in the yard when nobody is home. (The OP did not state she is home when her dog is left outside in the original post, which I was responding to.) There are plenty of accounts on this very forum of dogs getting poisoned, stolen, teased, etc. when left outside with nobody home.

 

[Rerun]

Ok, I can see your point one dog vs a group. However, not all dogs bark because they are unhappy. Some dogs are just flat out reactive and bark at things in general, but may be having a perfectly good time outside.

 

[AbbyK9]

However, not all dogs bark because they are unhappy. Some dogs are just flat out reactive and bark at things in general, but may be having a perfectly good time outside.

I believe I addressed many different reasons of why dogs who are left outside may take to nuisance barking in my post further up, from having things to bark at, to fence-fighting with other dogs, to being teased by kids.

I do wonder whether any of those are actually the cause with the OP's dog barking, though, if he does it around the early morning (6/7am) on the weekends? I live out in the country and we have a lot of wildlife, but things tend to be pretty quiet around that time in the morning, not loads of things to bark at.

 

[JeanKBBMMMAAN]

hahahahaha

Tell that to my dogs. Micah, Kodi, and Dante are currently wrestling in the yard, literally, as I write this. Audrey's laying out in the sun chewing on a nylabone.

They must be miserable, I should stick them in a cage instead of allowing them to enjoy a gorgeous day playing outside. If Akira hadn't been raised more like a human than a dog she'd be outside playing too. Unfortunately I used to buy into these theories of "dogs outside are unhappy dogs" and to this day she doesn't like to be outside much. The ones that do get to go outside if they want!

How do you know that they are doing this?

 

[Rerun]

Because I had just gone to look out the back windows and checked on them....