There can be nothing worse than living next door to a dog who won’t stop barking. Whether the pup can’t stand to be left alone all day inside the house and so barks out of sheer loneliness, or it sits outside and yaps at the slightest sound, it’s enough to drive a person to insanity.
But what if you’re the owner of such a small dog with a bit of a barking problem? Fear not, because there’s a solution that will give your poor ears a break, and will have your neighbors thanking you profusely.
Let’s take a look at why getting yourself the best bark collar for small dogs will give you some much-needed peace!
Which is the Best Bark Collar for My Small Dog?
Well, let’s get to that right now, shall we?
Here we’ll take a look at the best bark collars around right now, and once we’ve gone through them all, we’ll let you know our favorite one, so you’ll have that bark under control in no time!
Best Bark Control Collars
We took a look at the best bark control collars we could find, and once we tested them out, decided on the top five finalists before picking a winner.
#1: SportDOG NoBark SBC-R Waterproof Rechargeable Dog Bark Collar
Straight out of the gate, this dog bark collar is seriously impressive.
We love that it’s so durable, made from a nylon strap that’s sure to cope with all kinds of weather, and not only that, the whole thing’s waterproof so even if your furry pal wants to take a dive into the boggiest of ponds, he’s not going to ruin the mechanism.
This rechargeable bark collar packs some serious technology, so even though it may look a little pricy at first, a little closer inspection will tell you that it’s worth an extra few bucks.
The bark recognition technology ensures that your dog only receives correction when he barks, and not when he makes other noises, and certainly not when other dogs bark!
There are three different correction modes, and ten different levels of static stimulation, so you can finely tune the programming to suit your dog’s sensitivity levels. With a rechargeable battery that lasts up to 200 hours on a full charge, this training collar seems to do the trick.
Pros:
- Waterproof, even when submerged up to ten feet! That’s plenty of depth for your furry friend so he can continue to wallow in pool and ponds.
- Rechargeable battery, so you won’t have to worry about the extra expense of batteries. Once this rechargeable bark collar has received a full charge, it’ll last for up to 200 hours.
- Adjustable shock level, giving you full control over your little guy’s training mode.
- Adjustable correction modes, including a safety precaution that shuts off after long periods of excessive barking, ensuring no harm will come to your pet.
- Clever vibration and sound technology ensure only your dog’s excessive barking is corrected.
- The collar is adjustable to account for a smaller or larger neck size, so can be used in small dogs and larger dogs alike.
Cons:
- Not recommended for dogs under 8 pounds in weight because it could be too heavy for them, so if you have a teeny little yapper, look elsewhere.
- A little pricier than other products on the market, although the technology is worth it, we found.
- You can’t attach a leash to the collar so you’ll need to have a second collar for walks.
#2: Garmin BarkLimiter Deluxe Dog Training Collar
Still a little on the pricy side, the Garmin BarkLimiter Deluxe Dog Training Collar has been engineered to be a training collar that will only be used until your pet has conquered his barking problem.
We like that idea a lot because even though dogs don’t come to any harm when using shock collars for dogs, they’re never meant to be a long-term solution.
We love that there’s an option to disable the shock factor on this shock bark collar, too, because if you’d rather not use a static shock for training purposes, you can set it to a vibration instead. Most dogs will respond to some kind of stimulus, not just shocks or spray.
Another incredible feature of this bark collar is that it records the number of barks your dog makes, so you get to see his progress over time! This is also particularly useful if you’re at work and want to check that the collar is working without leaving your desk.
We also liked that this bark collar has the kind of intelligent technology that means it knows the difference between a bark and another noise. This means fewer false corrections and faster training time!
Pros:
- Nifty little extras make this an excellent dog training collar that gets quick results.
- Rechargeable battery, so the initial outlay may be higher, but this collar is much kinder on the pocket in the long run.
- The ability to switch between a shock collar and a vibration collar in the same collar gives us two-for-one collar vibes, which we always appreciate!
- By recording the number of barks you get to monitor your dog’s barking even from afar, making it perfect for tracking his progress.
- Adjustable stimulus intensity so you can adapt the settings to your dog’s personal needs.
- Suitable for all ages, and the best bark collars are the ones that work quickly, cutting off the bad behavior while your pet is still young.
- Impressive intelligent technology ensures a reduced number of false corrections, so dogs are less likely to become confused by being shocked when they haven’t barked.
Cons:
- This collar is not waterproof, so is best for use at home, and not used when taking dogs out for long rambles where they may get into water-related mischief.
- A little heavier in weight because of the extra features so some dogs have found it can irritate their skin. This could be fixed by wearing it for less time, but it could also mean you should choose a different collar.
#3: PetSafe Static Basic Waterproof Dog Bark Collar
At almost a third of the price of the SportDog NoBark collar, we were immediately interested in the PetSafe Static Basic Waterproof Dog Bark Collar as an option that’s easier on the pocket. But does that mean it came out as being only a third as effective?
It’s another shock bark collar, this time with 6 levels of progressive static correction, which we like the look of. It means that if your dog doesn’t respond to the first anti bark shock, then the levels increase one at a time until you get the dog to stop barking.
That doesn’t mean the levels carry on to an unsafe level though, of course, because once the dog barks continually for 50 seconds the correction stops.
We like that it’s also waterproof, although there’s no knowing whether the collar is immersible, or whether it’d stop working underwater. It seems to be at the cheaper end of the vibration collars market and yet we can’t see that it would be much less effective than a more expensive brand, so this could be the perfect bark collar for your pet.
Pros:
- It’s waterproof, which is always going to come in handy for those dogs who get into scrapes and like to explore.
- It has 6 levels of correction, which increase until the stimulus has an effect on the dog.
- Adjustable neck size to accommodate pet growth.
- Uses a vibration sensor chip to detect sound and vibration together, working immediately.
- The correction modes will automatically shut off after 50 seconds, so dog safety is guaranteed.
- Lightweight, making it one of the best bet collars for small dogs, although it’ll still fit a range of dog sizes from small to medium and even large.
Cons:
- Not knowing if this collar immersible, so keep this in mind if your dog’s the kind to go leaping into ponds, lakes, or the sea.
- This bark deterrent collar does not have rechargeable batteries, so once the battery life has ended you’ll need to purchase more batteries, which could prove costly in the long run.
#4: PetSafe Elite Little Dog Waterproof Spray Dog Bark Collar
If you’re a dog owner who wants to start training your dog without resorting to shock collars, this PetsSafe Elite Waterproof Spray Dog Bark Collar could be just what you need.
This collar is a citronella collar, the kind described earlier. As a spray collar as opposed to a shock collar, the collar works by hearing the dog’s bark and then emitting a spray of citronella to distract the dog and stop him from barking.
The citronella spray is not harmful and merely distracts your dog. The high sensitivity levels on the collar are triggered by both sound and vibration, so the collars can sense the dog’s bark before it even becomes a bark.
Pros:
- An excellent choice for those owners who don’t want to use shock collars to curb their dog’s barking.
- Citronella spray is not harmful to either dogs or humans and instead is also a handy mosquito repellant so you can curb your dog’s barking and also ensure he isn’t bitten!
- The waterproof mechanism allows for plenty of fun in the sprinklers.
- Requires no complicated settings, and can be used immediately.
- Can get results in as little as a few days.
Cons:
- These collars for dogs are not usually as effective as shock collars for dogs.
- Spray collars for dogs are more likely to irritate a dog’s skin, especially if they prove to be allergic to citronella.
#5: Eyenimal Deluxe Lemon Scented Spray No Bark Collar
Another one of the best bark collars on the market that don’t rely on shocking techniques is the Eyenimal Lemon Scented Spray No Bark Dog Collar. Like the citronella spray collar, the Eyenimal responds to sound and vibration in the throat, and squirts lemon-scented spray before your small dog barks.
We like that it’s lightweight, with reports of good battery life. The nylon strap is thinner than other dog bark collars, and we imagine it will be a lot more comfortable for the dog to wear.
As this is a lemon-scented spray dog bark collar as opposed to a citronella one it won’t give the extra protection against mosquito bites when your dog barks so are sure to keep him topped up with topical bug bite treatments, too.
Pros:
- Another of the spray bark collars means no shocks for your dog, only a pleasant lemon scent.
- Provides the conditioning your dog needs without you having to worry about cruelty.
- The collar comes with an additional bottle of spray for refillable use in case your pet is a little more stubborn than others!
- Not waterproof, but it is a showerproof bark collar, so don’t worry if you get caught in a little rain unprepared.
Cons:
- It May not work if, when hearing the dog’s bark, the nozzle is not pointing toward the dog’s nose.
- The flammable formula inside these collars – do not smoke when refilling!
Here are some Questions and Answers:
Why is My Dog Barking So Much?
Barking is the way that dogs communicate with us, and with the world around them. They bark because they’re happy, because they’re scared, or simply to say hello to people and fellow canines.
Often, dogs bark because they’re warning those around them that they sense danger approaching their home or their pack. So, while the mailman’s only there to make delivery of a package you’ve ordered from Amazon, your dog doesn’t know that and instead feels threatened.
You should never expect your dog to be completely silent. Sure, some dogs almost never bark, but they’re few and far between. To want a dog to be silent all the time is unrealistic – it’s like wanting to have a baby who’ll never cry.
However, there are some dogs, particularly small dogs, who bark incessantly, even when there’s no impending threat, and it appears that there’s nothing around setting them off. This is when the dog may simply be bored, or suffering with anxiety that’s causing them to bark non-stop.
If we were to yell at the top of our voices for more than a minute or so, or throats would be extremely hoarse and we’d have to stop before it hurt. Dogs, though, can seemingly bark all day and all night without any adverse effects to their throats, and it can be agonizingly frustrating for those around who have to hear it.
Do I Need to Get my Dog a Dog Bark Collar?
Maybe, or maybe not.
The first thing to do is work out why your dog is barking so much. An anti bark collar might do the trick, but it should be used as a last resort for incessant barking because there may be other environmental factors that are triggering the barking.
This could mean that even though the bark dog collar stops your dog from barking, the thing that made it bark in the first place is still troubling your poor pooch.
Make a note of when your dog’s barking. The problem could be something as silly as a terrifying garden statue that your dog thinks is a threatening figure. It might be that your dog doesn’t bark when you’re at home but doesn’t stop barking when you’ve left the house, so this is an anxiety issue that can be alleviated with the proper training.
Small dogs will naturally see the world around them as more imposing and scary than larger dogs would, so he may be barking to assert his dominance, giving his little doggy lungs plenty of exercise to prove he might be tiny, but he’s still top dog in the neighborhood.
Your dog might simply be bored, and not even the best bark collars in the world will solve that problem. He might stop barking, but he’ll still be miserable. So, always be sure to give your dog plenty of exercise to tire him out and keep his mind occupied with toys and puzzles with treats inside.
Experts recommend at least one full hour of exercise per day for your dog, but if you can manage to give him more than one hour, even better. After all, a sleeping dog can’t bark!
Can I Train My Dog Out of Barking?
Yes, it’s possible to retrain any dog out of a behavior they’ve come to use as a mechanism to help them deal with a trigger. Training your dog to adhere to good behaviors is always advisable as is assures your place as pack leader.
One way to train your dog out of this behavior is to give your pet some exposure to the trigger and if they bark, ignore them. If they don’t bark, give them a treat. By reinforcing good behavior, the dog will learn not to bark at that trigger.
Dog experts will always attest to the fact that reinforcing good behavior is a much better tactic than punishing bad behavior, but we also know that dogs do not always respond the way we’d like them to! Some dogs are particularly stubborn and need a firmer hand.
Training experts and veterinarians will be able to advise you on other ways to deal with a barking dog but it can be one long, frustrating process for all involved.
I’ve Tried Everything, and My Dog’s Still Barking!
In that case, a bark control dog collar may be your only resort to stop the dog barks from plaguing everyone’s ears.
Even the most stimulated, entertained dog in the world who has you at home all day for company as you live together alone in a deserted forest with nobody around for miles and miles may still bark because they’ve simply developed this bad behavior that you can’t get them to stop.
If that’s the case, then you should absolutely consider anti bark collars as an option. A bark control collar is one of those products that once you’ve tried it, you’ll probably wonder why you didn’t think of it before.
How do Dog Bark Collars Work?
Different dog collars work in different ways. Some of them emit a low frequency noise that your dog doesn’t like, so it works like a dog whistle on a frequency that can’t be heard by humans. Dogs dislike the sound, and so once they realise it’s the barking that triggers the noise, the barking stops.
Another kind of dog bark collar is the shock collar. These are the best kinds of anti bark collar for small dogs, and the kind that many owners of barking dogs believe get the best results. They work by giving the dog a small static shock, similar to the kind you feel when you’re wearing a woollen jumper and you touch a metal pole.
When the shock collar detects the vibration of a bark in the dog’s throat, it administers the small shock to stop your dog from barking.
A third kind of anti bark collar uses citronella to stop your dog from barking. These anti bark collars are equipped with a sensor similar to that of the shock collar, only instead of a static shock, the collar releases a burst of citronella to distract the dog and stop the barking.
Are Bark Collars Safe? Do they Hurt the Dog?
Yes, dog bark collars are safe, for both dogs and dog owners.
When people hear words like ‘static shock collar’ and ‘shock levels’ they may think that they’re dealing with the kind of voltage you’d find in a cattle prod or electrified fence, so they think that shock collars are unsafe for both dogs and humans.
That’s not the case. Bark control products are only ever used to distract the pet, not hurt it. The idea is never to cause pain, only to give the dog an association between a bad behavior and an unpleasant experience, whether that’s a small static shock or a burst of citronella.
Some dog owners will always refuse to use an anti bark collar in any form because they believe it’s cruel, but bark collars are only ever meant to be last resorts, when you’ve tried everything else and nothing will work.
This doesn’t mean that they’re a permanent solution to a barking problem, either. A bark collar should only ever be worn for a maximum of ten hours per day, so it might be a good idea if you put the bark collar on your dog as you leave the house, but once you return, remove the bark collar if your presence relieves the desire for your dog to bark.
Once you have managed to get your dog to stop barking with a bark control collar, then there may be no need to use it anymore. Bark collars are meant to be used as dog training devices, so once your pet has got the message, the behavior will stop and they can go back to a regular collar.
How do I Train My Small Dog Using a Citronella Bark Collar?
A good quality citronella bark collar uses bark recognition technology to detect the low vibrations in your dog’s throat as he prepares to bark. When this bark recognition technology picks up on bark, it releases a puff of citronella.
You can also find citronella dog bark collar products that come with a remote control, so you can control the citronella spray to deter the dog from other bad behaviors, not just barking.
Dogs aren’t allergic to citronella, and it won’t do them any harm at all. It’s simply a sharp, citrus smell that gets their attention and snaps them out of their barking reverie. It’s the equivalent of snapping your fingers and getting your dog to think of something else, only this way saves your fingers!
In Conclusion…
We truly understand how frustrating it can be to deal with the times when your dog barks continually in your house! When you’ve exhausted every other option to stop your dogs from barking, then often correctional collars are the only answer.
The good thing is that these collars are only ever meant to be used as training implements and never as a long-term solution to a barking issue. For small dogs especially, one or two weeks of dog bark collar usage has shown to be highly effective in curbing barking behavior.
It’s a tie!
We believe that the PetSafe Elite Little Dog Waterproof Spray Dog Bark Collar is a winner!
This is because results have shown that a burst of citronella from bark collars can be almost as effective at breaking the dog out of his barking reverie as shock bark collars.
With the added extra of protecting him against mosquito bites thanks to the citronella formula, we can rest assured that while our dog is outside, not barking, he’s also protected against bug bites!
But we also like the SportDOG NoBark SBC-R Waterproof Rechargeable Dog Bark Collar!
If your small dog is allergic to citronella or you yourself can’t stand the scent, then the SportDog NoBark SBC-R collar is not to be rivaled.
There’s no need to worry about battery life thanks to its rechargeable battery, which restores a full battery life in just two hours. This could really be the perfect bark collar for your needs when all else has failed.
By choosing the right bark collar, along with positive reinforcement in your regular dog training routine, your barking troubles will soon be over and bark collars will be a thing of the past for your little pal!
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