Review of PetSafe Bark Control Collar: Stops Excessive Barking

Before Parvo swept through our home and took the lives of 3 of our beloved dogs, we had 12. Nearly all 12 dogs were silent and didn't blow fits when someone walked by the house, or a visitor came. All of them were happy to have the company...all except for one. My dads dog Tootsie had a mouth like no other. Once Tootsie began her howling and barks, her other 11 furry friends thought it would be good to chime in with their 2 cents, and bark along with him.
We had to do something. We tried those idiotic 'only dogs can hear it' whistle, that did absolutely nothing. We tried rewarding the dog with treats if he was quiet, and other times we just tried ignoring him thinking it would solve the problem. Turned out ignoring a barking dog just angers him and makes him bark even longer.
This dog would bark if he heard a loud radio, bark if he heard a bird chirping outside, the damn dog even barked at us. He was one of the most vocal little brats we ever had.
I had seen other people using these ridiculous looking shock devices, and the dog would get shocked if he barked. I found this treatment to be mean and cruel, but after Tootsie, I realized that maybe it was a device that would work.
I took my search to www.ebay.com for a barking device to stop the barking, because most of the expensive collars I found in my local pet store only sold those idiotic ones that would let out that idiotic loud whistle noise only dogs can hear. Seeing how the whistle itself did nothing, we were sure that the collar would be the same.
I bought a Petsafe Bark Control Collar, Stops Excessive Barking Collar for almost $70.00 for a small sized dog. It would fit necks up to 20 inches. This was perfect for our yorkie mouth.
The collar came in red, and had the small electrical shock box attached to it. The collar itself was a bit larger and bulkier than we would have liked, but with a few adjustments and the addition of our own hand made hole, it fit around his neck like a charm.
The batteries however were a pain in the butt, and the brief instructions we got made things difficult on how to place them, and how to tell when the collar is on.
Once you figure out the batteries you next have to figure out how it works. There are settings ranging in numbers from 1-8. 1 for a low shock and 8 for a good one. In order to turn the collar on you had to place the side of the plastic strap up against this magnetic blinking red light. Once this red light went on and beeped twice it meant the collar was on and ready for use.
The collar works differently than most shock collars. Instead of shocking the dog for one bark, it gives the dog a chance...the dog can even get away with 3 barks, but once it surpasses that the dog gets the shock. Thus the reason they called it an excessive barking collar. You see it won't punish the dog for barking a few times, but once it send more than 3 bark vibrations to the device the dog gets zapped.
I liked this mean of training. Because a dog should bark, if their is an intruder a few barks would wake me right up. Silencing a dog 100% is just stupid and cruel.
Anyway we activated the collar and put it on the lowest setting. Once Tootsie heard my dad coming home from work in the truck, he began his barking spree. He did not even seem phased by the low level setting, so we upped it 3 notches, and finally got a reaction.
Tootsie did not yelp, he just sort of stopped mid-bark and looked dumbfounded. He felt the shock, and it stopped him without hurting him. He seemed confused, so he began barking again,,,and stopped. Suh-weet! It was working.
We used the collar to stop him from barking for about 2 months. After the shock collar we placed a real collar on him. He however went on as if it were still his shock collar, and would bark 2 or 3 times and then stop. The collar actually worked. I was shocked! No pun.
I like the fact that with time the dog went from barking for hours on end, to barking a few barks here and there. I liked the fact that the small shocks he received didn't seem to cause him any pain, and I love the fact that it worked.
I would highly recommend this Petsafe Bark Control Collar.
They sell them in sized from small to X-Large, so there is a collar that will suit your dogs size.
You can still purchase them on www.ebay.com or at www.comfortfirst.com for $49.95 on sale now.