I'm curious to know what your opinion is on using a barking inhibitor. I have a 9 month old wheaten terrier who has developed a barking problem over the past 3-4 months. I have a trainer, who I feel has helped us make some significant steps forward with basic obedience training, and the trainer recommended my using Tri-tronics' "the companion" as a means to rid this obsessive barking habit. Just curious as to your feelings on this subject; your opinion..any advice would be appreciated. My initial concern in using that kind of collar was, would it hurt her throat or voice box

Answer:

Electrical stimulation is a major part of how a brain operates. Research I have seen, as well as anecdotal information from trainers and owners, indicates unpredictable behavioral effects can happen with electrical stimulation on a dog. It needs to be done under expert guidance. The citronella collar is said to work for at least as many dogs as the collars that give the dog electrical stimulation. So if you want to take the collar route, the citronella type would be my first choice. As far as physical injury to a dog from an electronic collar, if that occurs, it is probably on a level we are not able to detect.

Depending on the circumstances in which your dog barks, there are also other options to consider. In a free-standing house with my dogs housed indoors, I use the recall method--call the dog to me whenever she barks. This improves temperament and the relationship between owner and dog, while not risking any new problems.

If you live in a free-standing house or in housing with sound-proofing between units and the barking is happening with the dog outside in the yard, retraining her to stay indoors except when you are supervising her outdoors would manage the barking, too, and protect her from many other deadly hazards at the same time. The recall method would then help you bring her barking under your control, and she would not be disturbing neighbors by barking inside your home when you were not there.

In an apartment situation, your options are fewer and your neighbors definitely deserve every consideration. I would still use the recall method to reduce the problem and for the other benefits, but you may have to also do something more, at least for the short term. The citronella collar is probably the least risky. Yelling at the dog is just "barking" along with her, and has other negative effects, such as causing your voice to mean less to her at other times.

To use the recall method, simply call your dog to you in a pleasant voice, every time she barks. When she reaches you, praise her, pet her, THEN give an additional reward of play or food if you wish (do not show this reward at all until AFTER the praise). Then release her. If she goes back to barking, repeat the recall, praise, petting, and other reward if you wish to use one. Do this 7 times in a row if you have to, at first. Never lose your temper on the recall--she is leaving off an adrenalin rush to come to you when called! That is pretty cool, and deserves GENUINE praise, so be real about it. If your recall is not this good, your trainer can show you how to improve it. You will notice, as time goes by, that the dog does not go back to the barking as quickly, barks less often, and barks for shorter periods of time. If she barks and you call her to you, it will probably require only one or two recalls to quiet her.

I do not mean to cast aspersions on your trainer, who may be a wonderful, ethical person. But here are some questions everyone employing a trainer who recommends an electronic collar should ask themselves: Is the trainer the one who is going to sell me this collar? How much money will the trainer make from this sale? If the trainer spent the time to teach me how to handle my dog without the electronic collar, would that be as profitable for the trainer?

Dog training is a rather wide-open profession with many different opinions and practices. It's your dog, and you will be the one to have to live with any mistakes a trainer makes. This is a lesson I learned the hard way, when a trainer inflicted punishment on my dog that set back his training for 2 years. Some dogs never recover mentally from such experiences.

You are doing the right thing to question, investigate, and think carefully about any correction you use on your dog. You are ultimately the one with the most power to protect your dog. Whatever else you do, use the recall method, because it can't do any harm, and will be great practice!