No shock collars. No hitting. If you don't want to take the time to understand how the animal you want to own works than you shouldn't get one. (generalized not directed @ ya JWB)



-Reward the dogs when they are not barking, and being calm.

Absolutely agree.
Don't forget too, you want your dog to bark at certain occasions. Most importantly, when there are intruders trying to get into your house, or people you want to scare off (noisy gang that won't move on etc). As well as that, stopping a dog barking is taking its natural instinct away, and although I've never heard of these bark collars (but I now hate them) it soudns like they would do dangerous psychological damage to the dog. What does your vet say?

Remember, your dog(s) deserve(s) to be treated fairly too; he/she/they are not just something you push the mute button on when they get too loud. Part of the joy of having a dog is the happy bark; you don't want to take that away. Learn how to control them properly. Ever watch The Dog Whisperer?

no, can't say i have. honestly though i look forward to the day when i'm not a pet owner. i actually do like animals, truth be told. i just like them best as either wild animals or other people's pets.

don't worry though. for all my apathy / seeming heartlessness, i don't want to do anything cruel. i had a feeling everyone would feel this way. i'm not gonna get the bark collars. if worse comes to worse i will just deal with the fact that they bark.

A swat on the behind for screwing up is quite a bit different that an electric shock around the throat for doing something that comes natural.

You can minimize the barking though. One of ours is bark crazy. Whenever I have the chance to catch her in the act I get in her face and sternly say NO BARKING. Just those two words. I don't vary it at all. After a while she now knows what no barking means. She may start barking as usual but after I say no barking she tapers off a lot faster now. Will also close the shades on the windows that face the street to sometimes.

I absolutely support the use of bark collars, just not on dogs.

what about on children?

Babies only.

Muslim babies.

Why use a bark collar when you can just tell the child it's less than nothing? That seemed to work on the kids I used to babysit. They'd shut up and stay in their rooms for the rest of the night.

that wouldn't work on me when i was a kid. i would just report you to the fbi as a secret muslim