Spray Collar for Cross Breed Terrier.

Question.
I have a six-year-old cross-breed Terrier and have just taken on a one-year-old cross-breed puppy. Their barking, mainly in the garden, is driving the neighbours mad. I have tried everything, even a sonic collar (but with no luck). I am thinking of buying the more expensive spray collar, but before I part with my money, could you tell me if they work?

Answer.
There is no guarantee that any of the equipment you mention will work all the time with all dogs but the spray collars can be very effective in stopping barking in some cases. The problems with using them with two dogs is that the wrong dog may get sprayed and you could end up with two very confused dogs!

Before buying expensive items like this I would suggest that you give the matter some further consideration. You do not mention why the cross breed dogs are barking. Do they want to be inside instead of in the garden? Are they barking at people and dogs passing the house? Is it always one dog that starts the noise? Are they always together or do they still bark if they are separated? Is it just noisy play? What is the trigger that starts them barking? Both the sonic collar and the spray collar work by interrupting the undesirable behaviour. This then gives you an opportunity to reward quiet, settled behaviour as a preferred alternative.

There is a danger that if the deterrent is insufficient it will be ignored; hence your problem with the sonic collar. If barking is sufficiently self rewarding your cross breed dogs may choose to ignore the interruption and continue to bark, so it is important to know why and under what circumstances they bark and what rewards this gives them.

Some vets stock this equipment and will hire it out before you buy. However, you might well be advised to consult a behaviourist first. It is possible that something less expensive might be just as effective.

_{source Your Dog Mag.}