Correctly Fitting a Bark Collar
Your dog's collar needs to be fitted high up on your dog's neck (just underneath their jawline) and adjusted tight enough so that it doesn't move side to side. Once it's in this position, give the module a quick shake-up and down to shuffle the probes through your dog's fur.
Step by Step Guide: Fitting a Bark Collar on your Dog
How to Fit a Static Electric Bark Collar
1. Position the collar high up on your dog's neck, just underneath their jawline
2. Tighten the collar strap one hole at a time until you can't move the module side to side.
3. Give the module a quick shake up and down.
When fitting your bark collar on your dog, it is important that you place the collar high up on the dog’s neck, under the jawline area. This is important because it is the narrowest point on your dog's neck.
When the collar is fitted properly, it will have no opportunity to slip to another position. If you were to place the bark collar on the fattest part of the neck (usually towards the base of their neck), it would slip up to a narrower part of your dog's neck over time and cause the collar to be too loose which results in the collar to stop working.
The image below gives you a good idea of how a bark collar should look when fitted to your dog.
The barking collar must also sit squarely under the dog’s neck with the box facing downwards, and the probes pointing in. All vibration-activated collars must sit in this position to detect the barking. If the collar moves away from this area to the side of the neck, the collar will not be able to detect the barking.
How to Fit a Citronella Spray Bark Collar
Ensure the spray outlet is facing toward your dog's snout.
For vibration-activated spray collars:
The collar needs to be fitted high up on your dog's neck and adjusted tight enough so that it doesn't move side to side. This ensures the collar consistently picks up the vibration of your dog's vocal cords and delivers the spray stimulation consistently.
How Tight Should the Collar be?
This is where most people get into trouble. Bark collars need to be fitted tighter than a regular leather or nylon collar. I’m sure many people think putting a bark collar on their dog as securely as what is required would be uncomfortable for the dog or would be choking the dog.
Remember, your dog has a very tough neck, far tougher than ours. The collar is not meant to obstruct the dog's breathing, but it does need to be secure so that it cannot move around.
The thickness of the dog’s coat can also play a major role in stopping bark collars from working properly. The metal probes can sometimes have trouble getting through the hair of thick-coated dogs. Some may have to trim or shave a patch of hair away if this is the case.
Keep in mind that if the metal probes are not making contact with the skin but the sensor probe is detecting barking, you can expect the bark collar's battery to flatten quickly as the dog will not receive the corrections and continue to bark.
Why Fitting your Dog's Bark Collar is Important
Whenever somebody calls us after purchasing one of our bark collars with a concern that their collar isn't working, we can confidently assume the problem arises for one of the following reasons:
1. The bark collar is faulty (very rare)
2. The bark collar's battery is flat (very rare)
3. The bark collar has not been fitted properly (very common)
Of course, if the collar is faulty we will replace it promptly. Fortunately, this does not need to happen often.
If the battery is flat, you simply need to recharge or replace the battery.
However, if the battery appeared to flatten too quickly we may need to look at things more closely. Often times a flat battery can relate to the most common problem. The incorrect fitting of the bark collar in the first place!
The bark collar must be positioned so that whatever mechanism (e.g. plastic vibration detecting probe, between the two metal probes in many models) that detects barking is in the correct position to detect the barking.
Secondly, the two metal probes must be making contact with the dog’s skin. When these two criteria are met the collar will work successfully. If one or both criteria are not met, the bark collar will appear as if it is not working or faulty.
Instruction Manuals - READ THEM
All anti-barking collars come with extensive instructions or in some cases DVDs. Now, like most men, I am not the best at reading the instructions either! However, take the time with your bark collar so you can ensure it is working correctly and putting an end to your unwanted dog barking problem quickly.
Please do not hesitate to call if you are having trouble fitting your bark collar.