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Page:73-74

While most barking problems can be interrupted by training the dog to be quiet on command, these techniques are unlikely to be effective when the dog barks in the owner's absence. Depending on the dog's level of motivation and the intensity of the stimulus, many of these owner-absent problems can be reduced by the use of bark-activated deterrents. Those products that are designed to sit on counters or attach to walls or cages may be effective for dogs that bark in specific areas (e.g. water-spray bark devices, bark-activated alarms). Bark activated collars are particularly useful for the pet that is not restricted to specific areas. In one study by DR.'s Juarbe Diaz and Houpt, barking was decreased in 88.9 per cent of cases with the citronella collar but only 50 per cent of cases with an electronic bark acitivated collar. In an unpublished study of 62 dogs in two veterinary hospitals (personal communication, Patrick Melese, Gary Landsberg) approximately 70 per cent of dogs stopped barking and another 20 per cent were decreased with the citronella spray collar.

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Since the owners would be unable to keep Mr ED if the barking persisted, surgical debarking was considered, but the owners first decided to test the effectiveness of the antibark devices. A collar-mounted product was chosen since the dog would bark throughout the house and Mr ED would exhibit anxiety-induced barking if confined. An audible bark collar and an ultrasonic bark collar were both unsuccessful as they were inconsistent and not sufficiently aversive, but Mr Ed responded immediately to the use of a citronella spray collar. Whenever Mr Ed wore the collar, barking was suppressed.

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Pinch collars and shock collars generally make the problem worse by associating pain with visitors and actually raising the dog's state of arousal.