Static No Bark Collars

Does any one have any experience/advice/comments about those no bark
(zapping) collars for nuisnace barkers, are they effective etc?

TOTE...

They can be effective. They can also cause new additional behavior
problems. It depends on why the dog is barking. In the majority of cases
they are used because the person is unwilling to takes steps to address
why the dog is barking.

First step is to work on why the dog is barking. While some dogs bark
just for the joy of it most nuisance barkers are barking because they are
anxious. In the long run it is far more effective to remove the reason
for the anxiety than to punish the dog for being anxious.

The majority of nuisance barking occurs when the dog is outside. Most
nuisance barking can be curbed by improving the level of daily interaction
with the dog. Keeping the dog indoors except when supervised, being
played with or trained is generally quite effective. Twice daily walks,
plus daily play and training sessions also tend to reduce anxiety as well
as providing a healthy alternative to unsupervised outside time.

Reducing the source of the things that stimulates barking will help. For
example, blocking the dog from being able to go to the edges of the
property line - using fencing or other such barriers to keep the dog four
to eight feet from the property line - can make that gap rather than other
people's property what the dog guards. Blocking the dog's view of the
public street or stimulating activity in side yards will help, IF the dog
still has at least one vantage to view things. If there is one side open
the dog will focus on that, and be more willing to ignore the other sides.
If there are no sides open the dog feels equally threatened from all
directions and has no focus, and thus is anxious.

Taking steps to make the dog feel safer will help. A dog that is locked
out of the den (place where the pack sleeps) will feel more anxious than a
dog that can retreat to the den. So for people who struggle with keeping
the dog indoors while they are at work, a dog door that provides access to
some part of the house is a better alternative than no access to the
house. It is most effective if the dog can reach a portion of the house
normally occupied by family so that the scent of family can provide a
feeling of safety.

Defensible space helps create a sense of safety. While there is a natural
inclination to think the dog would like more, often this is not the case.
More room means greater difficulty in defending space. More space
requires alarm barking as a warning, while smaller space can be defended
by merely body posture. More room is more responsibility - and more
anxiety. A smaller dog run that is visually screened on three sides makes
the dog feel protected from those three sides, and it can then focus
attention on the one open side. And if that one open side faces an open
area but one which is devoid of "threats" e.g. neighbors, wandering dogs
etc. then the dog feels safer.

A significant problem with mechanical means of reducing barking (such as a
bark collar) is that the collar can't distinguish between appropriate and
inappropriate barking. A dog that won't bark is more of a danger than a
dog that will. A dog should be able to announce its fears BEFORE acting
on them. The desire to warn its pack members of impending danger is part
of what the dog is. Teaching the dog what is, and is not, a danger is
long term more effective and long term mentally healthier for the dog than
punishing that natural behavior. This can be approached by making the dog
feel protected rather than being the protector.

Good obedience training goes a long way, but so does the manner in which
the person responds to the dog's alerts. Barking can be quieted more
quickly by getting up and physically checking for the "threat" then
telling the dog to quiet. On the occassion where the barking was
appropriate the dog can be praised. Gradually getting up and checking can
be replaced by body language of the person that indicates to the dog that
one is aware of the cause for alarm - going part way - sitting up
straighter - "listening" then again asking the dog to quiet. Once the dog
is confident that the person is in control, and will at least acknowledge
the anxiety, the barking will decrease and will subside after just a
single commmand.

There are many approaches to curbing nuisance barking that will result in
a healthier, more companionable dog. They just require a bit more
interaction with the dog than slapping a collar on.