AU$110.00
| We Accept: |  |
 Shopping Cart: 0 Item (s) View Cart |
My Account | Login
|
| We Accept: | |
Shopping Cart: 0 Item (s) View Cart |
My Account | Login
|
Hints and Tips No. 4 Getting Your Bark Collar Up and Running
There is nothing more frustrating than getting a new product, and then not being able to get it going in the way you expected. This can especially apply to bark collars! Particularly when you (and your neighnbours!) have been sweating on it's arrival to stop your dog barking problem.
Ninety-nine percent of all the calls or emails we get from customers who cannot get their bark collar going are fitting related. That's right! There is rarely any problem with the bark collar itself or the fact the collar is not suitable for the dog. The main issue is that the collar has not been placed on the dog properly.
All static electric bark collars and spray bark collars that are vibration activated require the collar to be fitted on the dogs neck in an appropriate way that the barking can be detected and in the case of electric collars, give the correction to the dog. This time of year with many dogs having a thicker undercoat to get through the cold of winter can make it a little harder than when the weather is warmer.
For more information on how to fit bark collars properly please read my article on, How to Fit a Bark Collar Properly
Australian animal welfare researchers have uncovered why city-living domestic dogs may be prone to nuisance barking.
In this month's issue of Australian Veterinary Journal, a team from the University of Queensland's Centre for Animal Welfare and Ethics report a case-control survey of 150 dog owners, including 72 dogs whose owners had sought treatment for nuisance barking.
Barking can be classified as being a nuisance when it causes distress or interruption to the life of the dogs' owners or neighbours.
The results suggest dogs most likely to become nuisance barkers are young dogs from herding breeds such as collies and kelpies, those bred in a home environment, and those that have access to the indoors or live with other dogs.
The co-author of the report, Professor Clive Phillips, says the work was prompted by the high number of public complaints and inquiries about nuisance barking, with studies suggesting approximately a third of dog owners possess at least one nuisance barker.
Professor Phillips says barking may be caused by separation anxiety, perceived threats in the environment and can sometimes be simple social interaction, canine-style. But human actions and responses also play a role.
In sub-tropical Brisbane, "more people may be outside and so it may be that they are more likely to notice dogs barking," Professor Phillips said.
The survey showed the greatest risk factor was the age of the dog. More than a quarter of those dogs that had been classified as nuisance barkers were less than a year old.
Professor Phillips says this is not surprising as at that age many dogs use barking as part of the learning process. The preponderance of young barkers may also occur because those dogs who are nuisance barkers at a young age do not remain in the home into old age.
The fact that herding dogs were more likely to bark also fits with the character of those breeds. Cattle dogs, German shepherds, border collies and other 'herding' dogs generally require more stimulation than other breeds.
In many cases dogs are very loyal to their owners, increasing the likelihood of separation anxiety, the study's authors write.
The researchers were surprised to find that dogs bred at home were more prone to be nuisance barkers.
"We had thought that dogs from shelters would be more likely to be nuisance barkers because they often arrive in shelters because of behavioural problems," Professor Phillips says.
"It may be that homebred dogs are greater barkers because of greater separation anxiety."
Animal behaviour specialist and author of A Modern Dog's Life, Dr Paul McGreevy of the University of Sydney, has studied canine separation anxiety and says barking is the most common way dogs have of coping when owners leave the house.
"People worry and recognise them as problematic if the neighbours are complaining. That's the key step," he said.
"A dog that's quietly melting in distress in the backyard, or in the home, is rarely identified as a dog suffering separation anxiety."
Dr McGreevy says while the sample size of the study affects the wider relevance of the results, it is a much-needed addition to research on the topic, which is responsible for the most dog-related complaints to local councils.
By Annabel McGilvray for ABC Science Online
