Is a bark collar humane?
Is there such a thing as a humane bark collar? Is a citronella collar better than a shock collar? What about those ultrasonic things?
If a shock is “wrong,” are puffs of citronella, vibrations, or ultrasonic tones “right”?
Generally, as a positive-reinforcement, reward-based trainer, I don’t recommend any of them. Here’s why.
The Principle—How They All Work
A shock collar is an aversive-based tool: the dog is bothered by the sensation and changes his behavior to avoid (or stop) it. For the collar to “work” the sensation has to be unpleasant enough to influence the dog’s behavior. If he liked it, he’d have no reason to avoid it.*
That’s the principle most positive-reinforcement, force-free, fear-free dog trainers have a problem with, and that’s the principle that ALL the above collars and devices employ.
For the citronella to work, the dog has to dislike it.
For the ultrasonic tone to work, the dog has to dislike it.
For the tone to work, the dog has to dislike it (or in this case, what it predicts).
It’s that dislike (and the fallout from it) that we care about.
We don’t deny that this approach changes behavior, but we don’t want to change behavior that way.
I want my dog to spend his time cheerfully, and confidently choosing the correct behavior. Not avoiding something unpleasant.
So it doesn’t really matter if it’s a puff of air, an ultrasonic noise, a vibration, a beep, a shock, or a pinch. If it makes the dog stop _____, it’s an aversive, avoidance-based tool.
Furthermore…
The other problem is that bark collars don’t treat the underlying cause for barking.
If the dog is scared, a bark collar will make the fear worse.
If the dog is bored, it doesn’t add enrichment.
If the dog has separation anxiety, it doesn’t ease his panic.
So how do we stop the barking?
First, determine the underlying cause, then apply the correct treatment.
If the dog is scared, minimize exposure to his triggers then systematically teach him those triggers predict good stuff.
If the dog is bored, increase appropriate and varied enrichment. [Enrichment feeding] and [Sniffaris] are two of my favorite enrichment activities!
If you suspect your dog struggles with isolation, get in touch with a certified separation anxiety trainer (Kim Roche and Sarah Bond are two local CSATs). Separation Anxiety IS treatable!
*Some might argue that a shock collar could be conditioned as a happy thing…as a signal that the dog has done right and will get a reward (just like a clicker). But, if that’s true, why do we need the shock collar when many, many people are doing the same thing with clickers, whistles, lights, gentle touches or words?