Many people think dog anti-barking collars are cruel because they incorrectly believe anti barking collars work by delivering an electric shock similar to the electric shock you would get from an electric fence. Dog anti-barking collars have a number of features that help correct a dog’s inappropriate barking behaviour, none of which are cruel or cause distress to your dog.
When dog owners are considering using a barking collar for their dog, it is important they reassure themselves that reputable dog anti-barking collars are in fact safe for their dog and not at all cruel. Understanding how the barking collar works and the safety features of the dog anti barking collar usually alleviates any anxiety – so let’s look at each of these features.
How do dog anti barking collars work?
Anti barking collars contain a sensor that is activated when the dog barks for more than three seconds. Upon activation of the barking collar, it delivers a vibration or a stimulus. The strength of the vibration or stimulus is adjustable and can be set by the owner following an initial training period. The level of the stimulation should be set at a level that is just enough to distract your dog from barking. It is certainly not harmful or cruel to your dog. Your dog will quickly figure out the association between the stimulus and barking and will also figure out that when the barking stops the stimulus stops.
To understand this sensation further imagine the feeling you get from static electricity – such as when touching a balloon, car handle or doorknob. The sensation does not hurt you and is not cruel, but it certainly gets your attention and stops you from doing whatever you were doing at the time.
What are the safety features of a dog anti barking collar?
Anti barking collars have many inbuilt safety features to ensure your dog is not harmed and to maximise the training features of the barking collar. These include 7 adjustable settings, progressive levels to ensure only the minimum strength of the stimulus, bark forgiveness which allows your dog to bark normally for a short period before being asked to stop barking and a cut-off feature that automatically turns the collar off if your dog persists in barking for an extended period of time.
The dog anti barking collars also include a bark counter which can be monitored remotely and are supported by training delivered either online or in one on one sessions.
Clearly, there are many safety features that ensure anti barking collars are safe for your dog and not cruel in any way.
So why do anti barking collars have a reputation for being cruel?
For a long time anti barking collars were unregulated and even today there are some models available from countries without any regulation. Dog owners should steer away from using these products as they can in fact be cruel to your dog due to the lack of inbuilt safety features.
The hidden fence only supplies anti barking collars that are approved by ECMA and BMCA and our bark collars have been designed by the best engineers in the industry. This means you can use our products in the knowledge that our anti barking collars are safe for your dog and far from cruel.
If you are interested in an anti barking collar for your dog talk to us about our Dogwatch brand or order directly online at the link below or contact us to discuss your dog
