Recently, I had a number of products sent to me for review. They included several ultrasonic devices.
These devices emit a high frequency sound that is used to deter barking and other nuisance behaviours. I had heard that these products worked for some, while other dogs failed to react. I had also heard that a small percentage of people can hear the noise.
And so, I tried it out on myself first. Yes, I can hear it. I would characterize the sound as unpleasant. Before you try this on yourself, warnings inside the packaging state that the device should be kept away from human ears. Distance varies based on make and model.
The product I tried was a remote activated hand-held device. You, as the owner, pressed a button when you wanted to correct the dog.
Here’s the dilemma. Kip heard it. He reacted badly, crouching low to the ground and then attempting to flee. There is no doubt in my mind that he hated the ultrasonic.
Not dislike – hated.
There was another sample, a bark activated ultrasonic box. The inserts claim that you can prevent your dog from barking in the yard. Or, you can install the box and have it correct your neighbour’s barking pets.
Each time a dog barks, a high pitched sound is emitted. All dogs within range would hear this sound.
Think about this for a minute. Imagine you live in an urban environment where yards are small. Imagine that a barking dog lives nearby. Your dog however, is calm, well-mannered and trained. Each time the OTHER dog barks, ALL dogs in hearing distance are corrected. You, as a human probably will not even know that this is happening.
Your dog can be punished for living in close proximity to a barking dog.
How is this a crisis of conscience?
I think people need to see how some dogs perceive ultrasonic sound. Imagine if your dog started acting strangely, but you could not figure out why. How does ultrasonic impact some dogs?
The question is, do I post video of Kipper and his reaction for the greater good? Should people see the type of reaction they might expect, especially since they may be completely oblivious that their dog is being corrected?
I struggle to understand how anyone can legally use these devices on other people’s dogs, without their knowledge or consent. Owners are generally liable for their dog’s behaviour, yet neighbours can secretly meddle with other people’s dogs. How is this at all right or just?
Those that have to endure nuisance barking might point out that they have a right to quiet. I’d agree. The problem is, you’re punishing ALL dogs, not just the barkers. There are other options. Police do respond to noise violations in most municipalities.
If I posted video, some people may claim that it can’t be that bad if I would risk filming and posting video. Others may say, “How could you do that to your dog?” They will say that I am being cruel and no amount of justification warrants causing my dog a moment of unnecessary discomfort. It’s the dilemma of greater good versus knowingly causing a moment of suffering.
No matter how long and hard I think this through, I cannot come up with a satisfactory answer. I am torn between two wrongs. So I’m tossing it out there for all of you to please tell me what you think. Would it serve the greater good to show this? Or is never worth momentary discomfort even if it’s for the greater good and I know that I can ensure Kip has no lasting side effects? Thoughts?
awesomedogs 
I don’t mean to seem cruel, but I would do anything to silence neighborhood dogs. We’re surrounded by them. Big, dangerous, threatening ones. Tiny, screetchy, yippy ones. Their owners let them bark All. Day. And. Night. The police say to call animal control. We call animal control & they say to call the police. No one in authority wants to take the issue seriously.
Yes, we’ve spoken, very politely with our neighbors. We’ve even baked goods for some, offered to walk others’ dogs, and bought doggie toys & treats for a few others. All to put them at ease as we ask to please find a mutually agreeable solution. Every dog owner says, “That’s just what dogs do.” They don’t care about the effects on others. One even told us they LIKE their dogs’ spunkiness (even at 3AM).
Why does our family have to live in this aural hell just because other people want dogs but don’t want to train them or give them what they’re craving (attention…)? So if an ultrasonic device could get us some peace so we could sleep, we’d JUMP at the chance to use it.
Again, not suggesting tolerating. Suggesting looking at communities with models where they have dealt with this matter successfully. Few problems in this world are do this or don’t. There’s “and someone find a better way because all this fighting is horrible.”
This response, respectfully, isn’t helpful because of the inherent assumption of what is successful. It would be more helpful, since this is your site, to point people towards examples of comprehensive public policy interventions that are on the books, have verifiable data corroborating a claim of success, and are reviewable by the public. Then you can share the link (on your own site or a hyperlink to other data sites) with others looking for ways to address the growing problem of spoiled dogs.
Until hard, reliable, consistent evidence is presented that a particular intervention successfully solved a problem, it’s not useful to hear that other communities have “dealt with this matter successfully.” No disrespect meant.
I found this blog/ post because I believe my neighbor has a silencer up, which is INSANE! No one has the right to intrude like this. My dogs are inside the majority of the day, always when I’m at work. Only one barks, and that is when someone is walking down the alley behind our yard/ property. She’s protecting our Yard and warning me that someone is back there. We have a lot of crime in this city, guess what? I’m GLAD she’s barking, she’s going her job. And when they pass, she stops, she’s not a dog that barks at the wind. There are also people who walk their dogs in the alley instead of on the sidewalks, simply because they don’t want to clean up after their dogs, I no longer apologize to anyone for my dog barking at these people. They harass and scream at my dog, or act like they are surprised, or appalled that my dog is barking from her own yard, behind a 6.5 foot fence, its unbelievable. There are a lot lot of dogs in this neighborhood, and many that bark incessantly, my dog does not! I noticed her behavior changing and a pattern when the windows were open, she was hiding in the Basement and acting very scared. I also saw the neighbor’s father blowing a dog whistle thinking he was hiding, and being covert when I adopted my 9 month old golden, trying to alert her, to evaluate if she would be a barker. Crazy right? I am always polite, I asked my neighbors if she was barking during the day, while I was at work, for if it was an issue, please let me know. They said no, it wasn’t an issue. However, I notice a pattern, when their windows are open and mine are, while I’m away, which is rare, when I arrive home, she is scared and she is afraid to bark, and shakes sometimes. I am furious! No one has a right to impose this crap on my animals. I want my dog to warn me when bad guys are around, they don’t get to train them because they bark every once in a while. How about asking the people walking their dogs down the alley out of pure laziness to use the sidewalks! This is nuts, and should be illegal. Everyone acting like they should have control over every little thing now, I guess kid silencer’s are next. Furthermore, I am someone who unfortunately suffers from migraines, I take preventative medication daily, if this device is emoting a sound that affects humans as well, that’s another argument against using it. I am a good neighbor, I am helpful, I have gone out of my way to be helpful and friendly, this is truly insane and just rude. If you can’t just talk to your neighbor, and instead do something sneaky and hurtful to both the neighbor and animals, I suppose the same respect will be handed out on my end from this point on. If you harm my animal or try to control their behavior which in turn changes the way I live, we have a problem.
Yes, silencers can impact humans. It’s on the warning labels.
Migraines…listed as worse than end stage cancer on the new diagnostic pages I’ve seen. They are evil. Totally get it.
You know, after the last bit of “evil dogs barking” posts, I made a point to listen to what I heard outside at night.
Kids screaming.
Parties.
Sirens
Fireworks
Car Alarms.
Construction, often before or after allowable hours
Motorbikes gunning at at all hours.
In a week, ONE dog barking for about 2 minutes when some kids ran around their house making way more noise.
The bulk of the noise, was not dog related. I don’t complain about all of the above because everyone does something to anger someone else. The question is whether it’s reasonably reasonable.
@awesomedogs Different neighborhoods are … different. Maybe you’re lucky to live somewhere where dogs aren’t a major problem. That doesn’t mean there aren’t other neighborhoods where dogs are a prevalent source of significant noise pollution. Also, research on noise pollution shows that people tend to become accustomed to and forgiving of noises they choose. Dog owners already are emotionally inclined towards dogs, so it wouldn’t be surprising that they’re more forgiving of dogs’ noises. In legal documents you can find online about law suits over incessant barking and other problem dog behaviors, the number one reason given for other neighbors (besides the ones bringing the law suits) NOT speaking up about problem dog behavior is that THEY THEMSELVES are dog owners and fear any overt hypocrisy in testifying against other dog owners in case their own animals have also violated ordinances.
But I agree with you that there is a tremendous amount of noise pollution today. Medical scientists from some of the world’s leading research centers have hard evidence that noise pollution is a grave threat to health, even increasing death risk. Lessening the public health burden of noise pollution ought to be a greater priority regardless the source of the pollution.
@ECH Sorry your dog, if never barking, is affected. But this is the game with technology. It gives people the ability to do things others may not like. People who can’t find any other relief from barking dogs, especially when law enforcement doesn’t want to (or can’t) get involved (too busy, don’t care…) are going to resort to other methods as they become available. If it were simply a matter of having a congenial conversation with dog owners, more and more people would do that. But that way too often fails and even can incite violence. Because people think the animals they like (not the millions of equally or even more intelligent, social animals we choose to slaughter or hunt for fun every year) are the moral equivalent of humans–or even above humans (read some of the comments…). So when neighbors even politely ask owners to control their animals that are breaking noise ordinances (incessant barking…), some owners can get very nasty. Because they have CHOSEN to abide by dogs’ behaviors, they believe others should, too. Someone developed electronic silencers because there’s an obvious demand for them. No law is going to make them go away. Without effectively addressing problem dog behavior.
It’d be nice if we could all just get along. 🙂 Hope you have a fun weekend.
I wonder about long term damage. How do you really know. This thing seemed to really hurt my dog. If I am going to physically punish a dog, I want to feel it myself first, like shocking yourself with a shock collar. This punishment is virtually invisible. You just don’t know how much it is hurting your dog. And the issue of hurting other innocent dogs, well that’s really cruel. They can’t get away from it. I say toss it in the trash and get some nice treats.
@Nancy, consider speaking with neighbors or other private citizen dog owners who don’t train their animals well–let them bark for extended periods or very late/very early… If more dog owners become wonderful, responsible, courteous citizens like you doubtlessly are, there would be almost no demand for these devices anymore.
You know…I’ve really be highly aware over the last month – since the last rash of pro anti-bark devices. And I walk all over the city. Not just the “good areas.” And the majority of the noise is not caused by dogs.
Parties, people doing yard work at obscene hours, motorcycles gunning it at midnight … back and forth and back and forth.
I think we have to really ask, “Is this truly dogs are all the noise makers?” And, “Am I being unbiased in the assessment?”
It is absolutely possible to work with lawmakers on this problem. Maybe the older I get, the more I tend to lean towards tolerance and empathy and discussion. I was a bit more nasty in my younger days and it just doesn’t work.
So yes…talk with people. There will be some scenarios where someone is not easy to deal with. But, we should be careful that we aren’t adding fuel to the fire with our response. Escalating to WW3 with tit for tat takes two.
@awesomedogs I recall other posters on this blog already writing something to this effect, but you are a dog owner and a dog-lover. You are likely biased in what you consider to be annoying noise. You’ll have to excuse the rest of us for not taking your word on your personal assessment of neighborhood noise. That said, I agree with you that there are many OTHER sources of noise that violate community ordinances–like motorcycle revving excessively, as you mentioned. Guess what. The motorcycle owners say the same thing on their blogs that you do–that there are worse sources of noise, like … uncontrollable, incessant dog barking. Members of the community making noise, even if the individual her-/himself tries not to be a problem, tend to be much more forgiving of their community’s noise and to point fingers elsewhere. This isn’t an opinion. There are publications corroborating this over and over.
If it were “absolutely possible to work with lawmakers on this problem,” in many communities the problem would have ceased already. I’ve already suggested you Google the many high-powered, expert attorneys in wealthy Los Angeles and New York neighborhoods who have failed to find resolutions to the barking problems there. “Possible” is not “probable.”
Escalation and tit for tat are irrelevant as that is just the way many humans behave. Give people a much better, easier, more reliable solution and they’ll likely take it. Otherwise, in your “awesome dogs” blog, you’re preaching to the choir, not to those whose behavior it seems you’d like to change. For my part, I can happily report that, thanks in large part to this blog, my family finally purchased three ultrasonic devices and had them professionally hidden/installed on our property. It took less than a single week to solve the barking problems coming from two nearby neighbors. We can finally sleep through the night again and are happy with our decision.
Thank you for allowing dissenting opinions here. Cheers.
I applaud AB and Fed UP. I am in the same situation with no help from animal control, the city, the sheriffs, or the dog owners. I think you are beating a dead horse trying to reason with Awesome Dogs. I get the feeling he is guilty of having barking dogs himself.
I live in a high-rise apartment with no issues with barking at all. Moved here from the country without issue.
It’s an apartment building full of dogs and people who work together to live in cooperation with others. You know what, you are probably beating a dead horse. I believe in positivity. I believe that when people learn to handle conflict, to create a positive change it’s entirely possible.
I don’t believe in tit for tat retaliation and escalation.
@awesomedogs What a very disappointing reply. First of all, you are a dog owner. You are likely acclimated to at least some behaviors non-dog-owners are not. There are reams of published studies on bullying and other socially maladaptive behaviors that show humans have a strong tendency NOT to perceive a problem when the source of the problem is something we’re generally favorable towards (like motorcycles and disruptive motorcycle noise). Other studies in social psychology for decades now have consistently found that, despite what we enjoy saying/writing, humans are also slow to complain. Which biases the perception of whether there are problems or the seriousness of problems. Sorry, but I’m not going to take the word of a pro-dog website owner that there are no problems with dogs in their community. I don’t say that to sound mean.
Second, others in this thread besides me have already mentioned how far we’ve gone to engage dog owners about their animals’ problematic behavior. You can Google the violence that some dog owners inflict on others who’ve just begged them to manage their dogs better. Some community members, even elders and children, have even subsequently lost their lives to owners’ poorly trained dogs. No, this isn’t all owners, but there is already tremendous evidence out there that people bothered by dogs’ behaviors are trying to politely speak with our neighbors to find solutions. My family, as I’ve already shared, has even offered to dog-sit and walk neighbors’ dogs when we’re home and they’re not. Two Christmases ago, my kids and I built FOUR dog houses for neighbors, out of my own pay, so the animals they insisted on keeping outside all day and night would have protection from the elements and a place to play with toys.
But instead of addressing these admissions and the persistent problem, you go on, “I believe in positivity. I believe that when people learn to handle conflict, to create a positive change it’s entirely possible.” We’re not children. We already know this and it’s obviously, for many of us, the first recourse we seek. We’ve read ad nauseum about the ladder of interventions–from polite conversations with neighbors all the way to court proceedings and even trying to change laws. We turn to more extreme measures because courtesy, law enforcement, and the courts fail us. Meanwhile, it is now a biomedical fact that chronic noise exposure is one cause of serious diseases like heart disease and even early death.
Carolyn, I completely agree. When I was a kid, I babysat for an aunt’s younger kids. They’d terrorize the neighborhood. One day I politely asked them to stop throwing rocks at a neighbor’s house (she was looking at us, scowling). My aunt descended on me like an angry mama-bear defending her cubs. I was only 10 at the time but she cursed me out, screaming at me to leave her kids alone. I learned a very valuable lesson. When people love something, even when it’s hurting others, they’ll defend what they love, often irrationally.
Many years later, I see the same behavior all over the US with too many dog owners. They love their animals and will find any excuse for their animals’ poor behavior. You’re right. It’s usually not worth it discussing with them. Which is why our family broke down and bought one of these sonic devices. So far so good.
The thing is there are just too many inconsiderate pet owners out there. I have a dog and he is very well trained and never barks unless I’m playing with him and he gets too excited or there is a stranger immediately on our property (not the footpath outside and he recognises people we’ve met before) so it’s not like I’m a dog hater or something.
My neighbour has eternally banished their dog to their back yard, never walks or trains it. As an animal lover, how is this not psychological animal abuse?
Yet there is no recourse against owners that do this.
As a result the dog barks for hours on end with its high pitched bark (small dog) and no one tries to silence or comfort it. How is this reasonable?
I’ve been in neighbourhoods where loud music would result in police being called but in my area councils do not wish to do anything about dogs because they claim there’s too much dog disputes for them to address them all which basically leaves us to resolve these disputes on our own.
My neighbour has already made it very clear they do not wish to communicate with us on the matter so what can I do? How is loud music not acceptable, even anti-hoon laws against loud cars or bikes, but constant barking is fine?
With the ideal solution being for pet owners to simply be an adult and take some responsibility over their animals so that they aren’t living in miserable situations and aren’t negatively affecting people around them, an ultrasonic advice seems like a good alternative solution for the poor neighbour who simply wants peace and quiet in their neighbourhood and really has no other options.
Make no mistake, my exasperation is directed solely at the owner and not the dog, we are both unfortunate sufferers of the owner’s lack of consideration for anyone but themselves.
The issue with this line of thought is this…
If the dogs are being abused/neglected, then the “solution” of an ultrasonic device is simply punishing the dogs for living in abuse for the benefit of the neighbours.
While the upset in our heads may be directed at the humans doing the neglect, the consequence is being directed at the victim.
If I lived in an area with weak ineffective laws, then the alternative strategy is to reach out to your elected officials. They work for YOU – the voter. Law enforcement only enforces existing laws. Your politicians can change them. There are other options. #bethechange.
Thank you for your suggestion but I have already written to the officials in my area to suggest there needs to be stronger ordinances against owners of nuisance dogs in line with ordinances against other sources of noise pollution such as loud cars and loud music as well as increased protection for animals from negligent owners. The response I got seemed to somewhat tip toe around the issue and just restate the current process for dealing with these kinds of disputes. There are laws in place against nuisance dogs but one must undertake a rigmarole to satisfy many conditions before councils will act – effectively rendering the laws useless. Compare this process to a loud music complaint which is a simple phone call away.
Though to be fair I understand. How would someone, even the government go about addressing these issues? Add more burden to the police? Dog complaints make up a significant volume of the problems councils are contacted for and it’s no wonder they want to outsource the problem to the public to deal with. And where would dogs go if we took them off negligent owners? Shelters and pounds are overflowing as is thanks to a booming pet industry with little oversight regarding who they sell to.
I have also called the RPSCA to get their take on the situation and the take away I got was that as long as the dog has food and shelter then it’s doing better than a lot of other animals.
There are many problems with the solution of “reach out to officials to attempt to strengthen laws” but there is also the fact that there are far bigger problems in society and the reality of the situation is that this issue is far too divisive and out of control for any political figures to engage in. Just look at the strong differences in views in this comment section which plays out on countless other sites that I have seen myself. There are extreme views on either end of the spectrum from those that want to bait dogs to those that have complete indifference to our complaints and think “barking is normal,” we should all just put up with it and wear ear plugs 24/7.
I respect that you have a very firm stance on the issue, I don’t expect to change your mind and your suggestions certainly won’t make my situation any more liveable in the interim. I guess all I’m trying to do is share my experience to show how a reasonable person has very little options aside from suffer in this situation and that doesn’t seem fair to me. I get your response would be that ultrasonic devices are not fair on the dog either and this is true, but really there are no better alternatives when authorities don’t take this issue seriously. The ultrasonic device is a temporary inconvenience for the dog to solve a constant inconvenience for me. I also get that you’re standing up for the health and wellbeing of dogs which is to be commended but who’s going to stand up for the health and wellbeing of people who are sleep deprived, developing anxiety disorders or simply can’t concentrate when at home due to the constant noise? No one cares and it’s up to the individual to resolve their own problems. I can’t force the owners to care, I can’t force officials to take interest in this issue but I can solve this problem without any lasting harm coming to the dog and without needing to escalate to a civil dispute.
If you had to live with loud neighbours who liked to play obnoxious music or had an obnoxious vehicle and they were not very approachable, how long would you put up with it before you took action such as calling for the police? You would be fortunate that for your problem there is some form of recourse available to you. All I’m asking is that people such as yourself who have this particular view have a bit of compassion and understanding for people in my situation too. We just want a peaceful place to come home to.
First…people who love and care for dogs also live next to people who do not. So I’m not in another camp. Been there.
Ultrasonic devices don’t just affect the offending dog. They’re actually commonly used as pest removal devices. Although pest is not a great word. Animals such as bats are important for controlling mosquito populations. Mosquitos carry diseases that impact people.
I’ve said it before…I lived next to someone who went and bought a helicopter. Put the landing pad right next to the property line. All legal. I know it sounds absurd. Swear. Helicopter. That he took to work. Let me tell you, that’s obnoxious….and loud.
We ALL do things that upset our neighbours. You do, I do, they do.
Dogs just make a very easy target for someone’s upset. To live as part of a community, part of it is either saying, “Yeah…we all have to tolerate some of what the other person does, because I’m probably no picnic either to them.”
Each jurisdiction is different. I can tell you that I’d move heaven and earth to find out how other communities worked things out. Then get petitions happening and make your official listen.
Well not really. The device only affects a small area. My dog is fine even a few feet away and other neighbours dogs are unaffacted. Also higher frequencies don’t penetrate walls like lower frequencies do so it’s really quite harmless. I see you don’t really want to listen though.
There are versions that go a significant distance. I hear you…I just disagree with you. I’m of the belief that everyone does something to irritate their neighbour. We should try to be considerate. As someone with dogs, you better believe that my dogs almost never bark, even in an apartment. They get multiple walks a day.
For every dog complaint, there is another complaint. I’ve sat through private helicopters, fireworks shows, band at another neighbour etc etc etc.
And you know what….at the end of the day you have to ask if you’re living in a glass house, if you made enough of an effort to build bridges, if you made enough of an effort to change future care laws for animals etc.
Not if you secretly imposed your will on someone.
Ok the helicopter is a bit strange, we must have a different class of neighbour as I can’t imagine that would go over well here in suburbia.
But as for things like fireworks or power tools and construction, yes they are annoying but they are temporary and generally cease by the end of the day or once the work is done. If the band is a continuous issue then police will respond to that in my area – we used to have a band next door too but really I don’t care if kids are having a jam session every now and then – it’s never been continuous.
The problem is that dogs are a constant issue that never ceases and there is no remedy available to us. If our only solution is to move or wear ear plugs then is this not the problem neighbour imposing their will on us?
If you read what I wrote above you’d understand the issues with trying to implement laws on this issue. But can’t you understand it’s a little ridiculous to expect me (a random pleb) to change laws? I already have a career that occupies most of my time as is.
And I strongly disagree that we all irritate each other by default. Maybe I’m the one with a higher tolerance in this case as I’ve never had a problem with anyone before now. My other current neighbours are fine and likes to keep to themselves which I respect. I haven’t met the folks behind us though they sound like a young family from the kids and they don’t cause any irritations either, nor do the people across the road – We all have dogs and they are all well behaved, some howl every now and then but this is expected and not an issue. We are generally simple folk who don’t want to get involved in drawn out battles, political campaigns or civil disputes. We just want to live our lives and enjoy our homes – without impacting negatively on the people around us. It seems like people like you however will blame all of us and everyone except the individual that put the dog in this situation in the first place.
The music was a regular thing – golf course across the road. They decided to build a band shelter. Outdoor events. Which I certainly wasn’t too keen on. Who wants to explain to a young kid (my son was young at the time) what “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” means?
So we did fight it, and reached a compromise. Volume levels, times it would end be. Have a contract written up. Yes, I do long-term get along with the golf course manager. He’s even personally brought by my mail.
See – that’s my point. We ALL do things that annoy others.
Grass cutting too early.
Car parked in wrong spot.
Kids next door plays drums and has the band over to jam.
Fence too high, fence too low, new fence in wrong spot.
Trees in wrong spot, overhanging, too tall, blocking view.
On and on and on.
I don’t see this as a dog issue as a neighbourly dispute issue. Think really hard on “so what do you do to piss your neighbour off?” And the answer shouldn’t be nothing. No one is perfect.
So if the neighbour’s tree or bush bothers me so much, I could work out a compromise, or I could subversively start dumping salt on the roots on my side of the fence to kill it.
I know which type of neighbour I’d like to be and to have.
And I see the same thing with dogs. If that doesn’t work, then we are going to resolve it in some other way. But I’m not a salt dumper and I’m not someone who is going to use a device to impact the dog either. But that’s just me.
Well I don’t think any of those things such as fence disputes or overhanging trees have ever bothered me. We’ve had storms knock down old fences and we just helped each other clean up then our insurance took care of a new fence – no issues. Why would someone’s trees or bushes bother you? If it’s on their land they should be able to do what they want so long as it’s not encroaching onto your land. As for grass cutting, in my area you’re legally allowed to mow your lawn or operate power tools after 7am though you probably wouldn’t be very popular if you did it before 8 or 9am on weekends. Most people around here tend to respect this.
Maybe I’m lucky but I haven’t been involved in issues like that before. Perhaps similar to your golf course, I have lived across the road from a public football field which even hosted biannual carnivals which were not only loud but brought a LOT of cars to my area. The local football teams would also have loud barbecues after their weekly games too. I think if you’re going to live near any kind of recreational amenity you need to accept there is going to be above average noise levels, increased traffic and things out of your control.
I now own my home in a (formerly) quieter area and my other neighbours are usually on top of their tree pruning. If a branch falls into my yard I just put it out with the rest of my garden waste – no big deal, no need to get the salt out! I subscribe to the belief that high fences make good neighbours. We all have our own lives and families, no one needs some stranger imposing onto your home life. I get along fine with most people in my neighbourhood and most people I see are busy living their own lives which is great. I don’t want to get too involved with them and I especially don’t want them imposing onto me. I do help my elderly neighbour gardening every now and then or recently setting up her new TV but she has no one else to help her and mostly keeps to herself anyway – She also has a problem with the constant dog noise and like me is not confrontational or interested in starting some civil dispute or political campaign – Also has a very well-trained guard dog.
I guess I’m trying to say we don’t all have to be living in each others pockets to live amicably and respectfully with each other.
I get what you’re saying about nobody being perfect but those don’t seem like anything out of the ordinary to me. They seem like the normal experience of living in society among other people and should be expected. My problem is with unreasonable noise levels that are constantly imposing on me, not just once off or occasional things. I’d have just as much of a problem with a neighbour who partied loudly every night/day or a band that played loudly 24/7. This would be more on par with the situation I’m in, the difference is that these are two easy targets for police response and so the issue rarely arises as most people in my area have the common sense and courtesy for those around them to do these things in moderation. At least this is from my experience, again maybe I’ve been lucky or just have a higher tolerance to these occasional events.
Anyway this is dragging on a bit. All I wanted to do from my initial post was to try explain that we’re not all out to hurt dogs. Many of us take the devices down once the offending dog has been trained. And perhaps the inconsiderate owners should take some share of the ire from these blogs instead of it being placed squarely on those like me that have been forced into this situation – none of us want this.
There is just a gap in the current laws which haven’t kept pace with pet ownership proliferation which has increased significantly in recent years leaving us to find alternative solutions to irresponsible owners. I’m sure some day laws will catch up one way or another. If owners are held more accountable for their pets then great! Those of us who are already responsible have nothing to worry about. If these devices get banned then you may see people who are suffering driven to more extreme solutions which I don’t think anyone wants.
Anyway take care and kind regards.
@awesomedogs I disagree with your reasoning, with respect. First of all, at least where I’ve lived, our elected officials do not feel or act as if they “work for YOU.” The ideal is often far from the real circumstances.
But also, there are publications from large urban areas like San Diego and LA as well as small suburbs addressing this very issue. They find that often there is a pro-dog bias among city council members and judges so that the individual bringing a case or seeking to change the law is perceived as the trouble maker, hard evidence of laws being broken notwithstanding.
Even when communities explicitly state that police, not animal control, are responsible for enforcing clear noise violations (incessant barking…), police often don’t want to be bothered AND the courts recognize the police’s prerogative to prioritize. Noise complaints are often dismissed as mere nuisances, or worse, something the sufferer just has to bear, the letter of the law be damned.
And the more dog owners there are in a region, the less likely they may be to vote for revised noise laws. My hometown of Bellevue, WA three times voted down ordinances requiring pet owners to pick up their animals’ droppings from private property because enough dog owners decided droppings are just what dogs do.
I’ve also witnessed dog owners so incensed that others would dare complain about their beloved 4-legged family members that the owners retaliated violently.
Why is it the suffering neighbor’s responsibility to go through all of that? If dog owners choose to bring dogs into human communities but lack the responsibility to attend to their animals’ needs, it shouldn’t become neighbors’ responsibilities to do so. Sorry if Fido pays the bill, but the rest of us want the quiet enjoyment of our homes we’ve paid for, especially when we’re sleeping.
No offense meant to anyone.
But that’s a mindset of “can’t.” Instead, try looking for who’s doing it right. There are communities that are very dog loving but put higher standards on dog owners. See Calgary. They have an education first, enforcement second. A system that generates a profit for the community – no tax dollars used to put the system in play.
Can…the more important question is “how”? And perhaps who is willing to sell the concepts of responsible dog ownership to council? Usually that sell comes from the perspective of “makes money, no tax dollars used. Will save you $”
There are already laws on the books, democratically voted for, to deal with noise complaints and animal behaviors. If some dog owners feel entitled to break the law repeatedly AND to attack people who politely ask them to follow the law, and law enforcement and the local councils don’t want to get involved, then I’m going to use the easiest technology available to me to get some rest. Many very competent lawyers (Google it) from wealthy LA county neighborhoods have already invested their valuable time presenting proposals to city hall about how better to deal with what LA admits is a major source of conflict among residents. Considering these successful legal experts have been so consistently frustrated, I’m not going to spend the little time I have after work working on it.
Like many other community members, I work 60+ hours a week and am exhausted at night and just want to get to sleep. I’m all for others seeking the kinds of changes you’re suggesting, though a quick search of dog nuisance and problem barking in Calgary pulls up evidence that despite the policies you’re alluding to, problematic dog behavior persists there, too. In the meantime, if a machine offers a chance of silencing constantly barking dogs, I’ll buy it and use it.
This thread–to be more precise, the RESPONSES of some dog owners in this thread–has convinced me to do what I was on the fence about doing, to invest in various anti-barking devices. Thanks, at least, for helping me (and I’m pretty sure many others) make up our minds on the matter.
Here’s the problem…..immediate family, family, family dog, friends and then everyone else. The dog is a pet, not a human!
Of course a dog isn’t a human. I’m not sure what point that is trying to make? Pecking order? Or that people put the dog ahead of friends and everyone else?
I certainly do not. I look at every situation and make a thoughtful judgement about whether I am being reasonable and thoughtful. But also whether those people are being reasonable and thoughtful. Hopefully we find compromises where possible.
If someone is a narcissistic jerk, even in the family, I’m not jumping through hoops to please them. I’ll make a fair and thoughtful call. I am not going to be pandering and butt kissing to a jerk.
I just saw your article on anti bark devices. Our neighbour put a Dog Silencer on his water tank near our side fence.
When we first saw it we thought it was a camera & microphone, as he had told us that he was recording us in one of his complaint letters about our dogs. So we called the police who thought this was what it was too. They went & saw him & found out it was a Dog Silencer which we got them to make him take down.
We don’t know how long this device was up for as my husband didn’t notice it until he was cutting the lawn one day.
We think as it can be used by remote control that he could still be using it this way as they have started leaving their laundry door which is right opposite our entertainment area open whenever they’re home which they’ve never done before.
This thing has absolutely traumatised our dogs, they now bark at every movement & every sound. It also affected my cat, neighbours dogs, visiting friends dogs & even caused interference with one of our friends hearing aids.
We leave our dogs inside the house when we go out, and this device says that it doesn’t work through walls & windows, so it wouldn’t have been working to stop them barking when we were out anyway, only when we were home outside with them.
We have been reduced to taking our dogs with us whenever we can or leaving them with friends, but we both had a Drs appointment a couple of weeks back and couldn’t get them minded so had no choice but to leave them home alone.
Now he has put a complaint in to our local council.
Our dogs are two toy poodles & short of moving we can’t see any other way out of this mess. We live in a coastal suburb in Queensland & I have searched federal & state law & can’t find any reference to these things even being legal here.
I actual wish there was some way of showing what these devices can do to dogs, then people might think twice before using them.
And right there is the crux of the problem. Deciding to impose one’s will with an electronic device on others – resulting in MORE barking and potentially problems with a human’s hearing device. (I admit that I have not looked up if this can have an effect. I do know that warnings on the box say to keep it away from human ears) But the point being, you sound like a reasonable person who would likely work on an issue. Instead, you and all the neighbours now have dogs that are being startled by some electronic device. That it crosses property lines, makes problems worse and creates new ones. I’m not sure anyone should have the right to impose things onto others.
That to me is no fix. It’s a tit for tat. While some people may take exception with dogs, it’s no more punitive than if I took exception with the neighbours and started blasting music over the fence to them to “punish” them. It says more about me than them.
I get what you’re saying. Really, I do. But I think I’m going to have to get one of these as a last resort. The neighbors put their dog outside when they have company, which is almost every night. He sits outside their back door, 20 feet from my bedroom window and barks for hours. We’re talking 2 am here. This has been going on for more than a year. Talking to the neighbors hasn’t worked. They say they’ll try to do better, but it’s the same thing the next time they have guests.
Calling the police doesn’t help. They “get to it when they get to it.” They show up about a third of the time and if they do show up it’s at least an hour and a half later. There are laws in my town about nuisance barking, but the cop had to hear it and it has to be 10 straight minutes. And of course a cop car sitting outside the house triggers the neighbors tobringthe dog in until the cop leaves. The city council has the opinion that there is a law so their job is done. It’s easy to say “talk to the authorities,” but when you’ve done talked to everyone and nothing changes what are you supposed to do?
Record it. Here’s where it’s an issue for me to take the law into your own hands. First, it can start setting of other people’s dogs. Now you have a worse problem. But if the neighbours find out, then they are in the position of finding things you do to irritate them. And then they take the law in their own hands. (Or if what they are irritated about is actually illegal, you could end up with the cops by your house.”
Everybody assumes that they are not irritating others. You never know until you push that button.
The other issue I have is this.
There are intolerant people out there. I am not saying that YOU are one of them. I’ve seen situations where someone is the intolerant one. The person who gets upset because kids are doing normal activities outside during the day. Pesky kids making noise playing in the pool! Or the people who claim that barking goes on for hours and it’s actually 3 barks during daytime hours.
The extremes go both ways. I say this to people who are upset. I say this to people who have a dog.
RECORD IT. If you’re the person who is upset, if you are right, if there is a legitimate problem, take the evidence to the authorities.
If you are wrong, you won’t be able to get the evidence.
For dog owners, they may need to figure out when and how long their dog is barking to figure out how to work on it. *Some* live to intolerant people who think other people should not ever make a sound and show signs of their existence. No one should feel like they have to live their lives being so silent they never piss off a neighbour.
Record it. Assess it. Get a handle on the problem. Let things fall where they may. There are extremes that go both ways on these types of gripes. I’m not about to assume that every person who complains about a barking dog is being accurate about how long or when that dog barks. I’m also not going to believe every owner who claims it’s just a bark or two.
The authorities are in the same boat. They cannot do anything if there is no evidence one way or another. The system is working EXACTLY as it should. Can you imagine living in a world where the police just randomly picked who to believe. Holy moly scary.
I feel your pain, Dani. I have one of those devices and the pit bull across the street barks NO MORE. I hate dogs and I’m proud of it. Not only did that thing bark at all hours but these inconsiderate deranged mutt owners try to use our property for a mutt toilet MANY times. I call my device “The Clacker” and it works great. There’s one stupid man that comes by with his ugly mutt that must be deaf/old whatever, hope it crokes soon. You mutt owners need to get a life and stop feeding and housing these ugly, worthless mutts that maul five million kids per year!
I just have no words. I’m truly sorry you have so much anger.
Dogs have lived with humans for thousands of years. what a lot of intolerant self obsessed people here. Buy a pair of earplugs for Christ sake if its all really that bad.
But would you wear a pair of ear plugs ALL the time? My neighbor’s dog barks nearly all day long, and sometimes during the night. Ear plugs help at night to get some sleep, but no one should have to wear ear plugs during waking hours. I’m not going to wear ear plugs during dinner, nor when I’m trying to watch a show.
Suggesting to us people who are intolerant and self-obsessed to wear ear plugs is good advice for *certain* times, but if we have an issue with a bad owner (because really it’s the owner, not the dog) then wearing them during normal, waking hours is just impractical.
I have not suggested ear plugs. What I have suggested is tolerance towards noise levels that match other human noise levels that we would tolerate. That we all make our share of noise and that is normal. Whether it’s the kids screaming next door or having a party, if it’s the neighbour who likes to run power tools all the time because that’s what they like to do. That we are generally more tolerant of human generated noise than dog generated.
If there is a matter of welfare or a situation where it exceeds normal levels, there are other options. Sometimes talking to neighbours. Other times reporting it. If a dog is barking all night, it’s likely breaking municipal laws.
Taking matters in your own hands, getting a device that is designed to stop ALL barking, despite the presence of other dogs that are not barking, exerting your will on EVERYONE around you, including non-offenders who are bystanders makes one just as inconsiderate as the person who should be getting a more targeted visit from an officer. It is both disrespectful to those who are not part of your problem and it’s stepped across the line where the goal is complete silence. Not “normal noise levels.”
As for sleeping, I think most adult couples have a bigger noise issue from the person next to them snoring. But be very careful in assuming that you do not do things that your neighbour finds intolerant, but tolerates because they are understanding that we ALL do things to upset others. Often the person on the block that most people hate is the person who is intolerant of all others to the point where they feel they need to disappear into the woodwork so as not to “piss them off.”
Why should we have to “buy a pair of earplugs for Chist sake” when there are clear laws in place that dictate what noise from dogs is permissible? Should others just not drive on the roads because I want to break the speed limit? Chronic uncontrollable noise is linked to a host of disease, chief among them heart disease, and even to early death. The rest of us shouldn’t have to suffer just because some of you enjoy something that makes noise. Any more than others should have to suffer because I enjoy riding a very loud motorcycle up and down my neighborhood streets.
You put up barricades for drivers? Or take it to those who should enforce the law?
No one is suggesting that noise be tolerated. Rather that “we don’t take the law in our own hand.” And yes…people do ride their motorcycles all day and it’s LEGAL. They can drive them at night too.
Please reply to the correct context of comments and don’t misquote me. I clearly and repeatedly mention, “clear laws in place that dictate what noise from dogs is permissible.” Like owning a dog, riding a motorcycle is permissible. Like swapping out the EPA-compliant stock exhaust system on a motorcycle for a purposely and illegally loud one is against the law, so is allowing a dog to bark all night or day long. People shouldn’t have to spend money or suffer harm to accommodate others who feel entitled to break the law.
Negative reinforcement is an antiquated way of training dogs. Dogs often do not understand why they are being punished and instead of correcting an undesired behavior, it makes the dog timid, afraid, and/or more likely to act out.
The modern way of dog training is positive reinforcement. Dogs respond much better to positive reinforcement because you are clearly telling them what you WANT them to do. Your dog wants to make you happy! Surely this involves more effort on your part, rather than sitting around while your dog is shocked with a bark collar or submitted to painful noises. It is the same with choke collars. Invest the time in your dog and they will be happier, well trained, and not in pain which they do not understand.
Different dogs will respond to different types of positively reinforced behaviors, but for my dog, anytime she starts to bark I tell her to come and immediately reward her. The result of this is that everytime she wants to bark, she instead comes to me. Kikopup on YouTube has many amazing videos on positive reinforcement dog training.
I appreciate you writing this article! It is good to think about. Even if you don’t want to do positive reinforcement training to correct this behavior, you are very right in pointing out that it scares, upsets and potentially traumatizes neighboring dogs who aren’t even barking when only one dog around is. It’s just not worth it.
well hopefully if the dog is going to act out after i use this it will be mauling their owners face off…because NO ONE should have to deal with someone else’s laziness. I pay a mortgage every month, i bought my home because it was peaceful and quiet and nice and safe then THEY moved in….earplugs don’t work, i hooked this device up after months of suffering with no sleep and in a day it shut them up…i don’t care if they act strange to their owner or scared or timid…i can’t help that…the owners of these animals are completely at fault for having someone have to make a choice to even purchase a device like this in the first place. Every sin is because of the owner…just shameful, ignorant, SELFISH people that should never be able to own animals to begin with!!! I mean, who keeps an animal outside to just bark and bark and bark and then claim oh, i didn’t hear it or oh, we’re not home sorry, who does that??? I don’t because I LOVE MY ANIMALS. I watch my animals, i pay MY vet bills no matter how much it cost..just like kids they come first…there are so many people in this world that SHOULD NOT HAVE ANIMALS…they got them when they were cute and cuddly and then when they get tired of them…oh, i still love them but time for them to live outside on the cement because they don’t fit with my life now but i still love them—i will just look through the window and wave at them as they are chained up to their dog house—sick sick people.
It is patently not okay to wish that someone get their face mauled off. While I do not want to see dogs outside, I certainly hope this family doesn’t have children who may be the ones bitten. Or the other people in the area who are not party to this feud.
@ kaileybarri Wonderful! Agreed!
I bought one of these hand held devices and on the first go, it terrified my westie to the point he trembled and shook violently for over 3 hours solid, trying desperately for me or my daughter to pick him up, whining and crying… he has never acted like that before.
I decided not to use it ever again, strange thing is tonight he started acting exactly the same, he was absolutely terrified, clambering up around my neck yet the device was in another room… I regret buying this as I have no idea how to help him and it’s frightening to see him like it, can’t calm him
If your dog is facing anything that scares them, you can countercondition them to it. Ex: If a feral/wild cat came into your house, and was scared of everything….over time you might notice they start to like the can opener. Because can openers predict food. Woo hoo can openers. You can do the same thing on purpose with other things. Ultrasonic sounds were used with animals as silent directional cues in military training. It’s entirely possible to teach them to like the sound.
If you get a trainer to help you out…just make sure they know how to do classical counterconditioning.
What’s the name of the device you used?
Hi Eva. Just in case you weren’t aware. Many blogs (like mine) have a human approving comments. It’s done to prevent spam, bots and other things. If you don’t see your post go up right away, it’s likely in review. If you post late at night, no one is up. 🙂
My. Neibor put one two feet from my dog and left it on 24/7 is my dog hurting.
Two feet???? Why?
I have a neighbor with two full time dogs (and two part time dogs – her new boyfriend). Her property is 1/4 acre and the dogs bark at anyone and everyone that passes by, especially other dogs. We cannot even sit on our porch and have a conversation in the evening, especially not when other dog owners are walking their dogs or neighbors are walking for exercise. And lo and behold the other dogs rarely ever bark. You know why, because their owners have invested time and money in training their dogs.
I have considered the ultrasonic devices and almost purchased one the other day when they barked and carried on for an hour.
My other thought was to start up my portable gas generator (which makes a ton of noise) and sit it next to their fence when the dogs do this again and wait for them to ask (all innocently and confused) why I am running it?
I believe the simple answer is that most dog owners are considerate and treat their neighbors as they would wish to be treated. Others simply are not and are not good neighbors.
I understand “awesomedogs” is a dog lover and does not want this device used. But this article does far too much excuse making for inconsiderate dog owners. A basic understanding that the rest of the neighborhood does not give a flying rip about your “precious oopsy woopsy” would go a long ways to keeping peace in the neighborhood.
If you read through my comments Mark, please notice that I don’t excuse *dog owners*. My neighbour bought a helicopter. Not a drone. A real personal helicopter. Built the landing pad right behind my back fence line.
It’s legal. My feelings about having a helicopter there are irrelevant. I can tell you that helicopters going up and down are way louder than a dog barking.
If the issue breaks the law, go get law enforcement to deal with it.
If it doesn’t, and you think it should. Deal with it.
If it’s part of “normal legal human noise,” suck it up or move. Same choices I have with the helicopter. Honestly, I’m letting it go. When you live next to a landing pad for someone’s personal transportation by flight, come complain to me about dogs barking.
Seriously???Awesomedogs, how many people live next to neighbors with helicopter pads and how many next to neighbors with nuisance dogs. Get real!!
It doesn’t matter. Everyone does something to annoy their neighbour in some way. The question is whether you, I, the person next door is human enough to say, “I am human and probably not perfect.” What’s easy is to complain about dogs and assume that because you aren’t creating a dog problem that you’re a peach to live next to. What the world needs is more people trying to be kind and tolerant and understand that we ALL do SOMETHING.
Nobody lives in the same situations so it should not be judged on how they choose to resolve a problem with an inconsiderate neighbor. Like Mark stated some neighbors are just not good neighbors – they don’t care and to me choosing to allow your dog to bark shows 100% disrespect and most adults realize you cannot rationalize with people like that. So, trying to discuss it with them is a waste of breath.
I live out in an area that has no laws about it, unfortunately. We are all on about 1 acre lots. the folks across our culdesac have 3 labs, one of which has now been trained to bark for a long time because he wants them to put the hose on and hang it from this hook in the middle of the yard so he can pay in the water…and yes he is one of those that barks the ENTIRE time he plays…so yes, the dog trained the people. I have gotten frustrated to where I have sat in our boat blowing the horn until they came out and stopped the dog by bringing him inside….one time I did have enough of it and in my front yard screamed “shut that F***ng dog up ” it had been barking for 45 minutes on my saturday afternoon …..the guy was out in his yard and his response was “‘he’s playing in the water”. Seriously!???? So, yes I am thinking of getting the sonic device. My hubby is home right now from an injury and has said that it barks for hours every day. I do have to say I am much less tolerant as that is the biggest pet peave (no pun intended) that I have in life is barking dogs – an yes I understand it is really the owners, but there are many times when I just want to ring the dogs neck.
We have two large dogs and they rarely bark …only if someone comes into our yard. They bark for a minute or so if a deer goes running through …but we trained them when they were young…that’s all it takes….it’s a lot of work but it is the owner’s responsibility. One of our dogs is 16 years old now, and has barked so rarely at nothing, that I don’t even recognize it is her when she barks….that’s how you train a dog.
I don’t understand how sitting in a boat, blowing a horn wouldn’t be offensive to everyone around … not just the person who is upsetting you. Would suggest that alone would cause anyone to get defensive and likely not respond well to what you are asking. Which is my point about the ultrasonic. EVERYONE has to hear the war or deal with a war that they have no ability to control or do anything about. Just because one person is doing wrong it does not mean that we escalate and put fuel on the fire. All the other people now have to deal with both factions arguing past each other.
I have dealt with the neighbors too long. I wear two hearing aids and the sound of three dogs parking is painful. If I take my hearing aids out I can hear nothing. Can not talk to my husband or anyone else. The lady that owns the dog knows this. She doesn’t care. She lives at least 250 feet away from my house. I wants a dog silencer that will actually stop the dogs from barking. Have done research but not certain any of them will work. Please help if you know of a silencer that actually works 250 or 300 feet away.
There are warnings about the damage that these can cause to hearing on the inserts. Never mind that the tone might cause other dogs to bark in response to the strange noise causing you MORE discomfort.
Keep track of the instances – which, how long, how often. See if it violates noice laws or not. Some people are jerks. This is true. When that happens, follow the laws to deal with it.
Great post. My boyfriend recently acquired a stray and he purchased a sonic collar for it although hasn’t used it of yet. I told him I thought he should do some research into the item first seeing as it’s beyond our hearing range so we can’t be sure how it’s affecting the dog. Was just doing some online searching when I came across your post and I’m so glad I did because the indirect effects never even occurred to me! Obvious now that it’s been pointed out, feeling a little slow now haha Anyhow! Not sure if you found a solution to your problem but perhaps you could ask friends or post a local ad asking if anyone uses the device and if so may you take a short video of the dog and device in action. They’d be using it regardless of your filming and maybe this way you’ll even change theirind on the topic. Best of luck and thanks again!
Thanks. If there is anything that I realized from the comments is that some people actually seem to be happy to think that dogs might be in discomfort, and that they don’t care if others are punished regardless of their behaviour. I am deeply saddened.
Again and again you say the quiet dog is harmed. Yes, you did correct/harm your own dog needlessly. I researched these products and found the maximum unobstructed ( no fences, bbuildings trees heavy foliage etc) to be 50′.
One neighbor with two dogs they leave outside can set the whole neighborhood barking including my two inside the house. I tried to talk to them and they are either in denial or do not care. The dogss are also aggressive and charge the fence. Owners response: don’t walk by my house.
So the device is pointed at an area nearest my back door and bedroom windows. One continues to bark loudly at all hours. Just a bit less, and further away. Also seems to not be setting off other dogs as much (none of which are within range of the cone sound field).
So my own dogs are actually happier, and if they hear the device activated, do not seem to be as bothered as by the other dog barking. Also, since the device is activated by barking, it is not doing anything unless nuisance barking is occuring.
Sad to have to resort to this. They have zero concern for other humans, dogs, or their own by leaving them outside because they want to or maybe can’t deal with the barking in their own house!
I spent 15 seconds googling and found one that says it works to 300 feet. Which fits in line with one sample that was sent to me that stated 250 feet.
If it only goes to 50 feet (15 meters), that’s like 15 large footsteps. In which case, what a waste of cash. It wouldn’t reach the end of my driveway.
Thanks! I did find a model with an extender remote!
And since the 50′ outside one is having a positive result on crazy neighbors incessant barker, (she calls him her “child” but leaves him outside day and night, and is a preschool teacher~God help the world), I may try that one in the future if Mr. Construction’s dog across the street, (also left out unattended continually) does not adjust to the increase in quiet in the next few weeks :).
Or your short range model is giving you a placebo effect and you’re escalating based on that.
Or your neighbour has been working on the problem and is actually a nice person who is trying, completely unaware that their neighbour is interfering, and perhaps even slowing progress.
You should go knock on the door and tell her what you’re doing. It’s the neighbourly thing to do.
The bottom line here is this: YOU are the one who decides if your dog is exposed to this “correction”. If you don’t want him exposed to it, YOU go talk to the neighbors with the noisy dog or you keep your dog inside.
My neighbors have at least three dogs and, at first, all of them would raise a ruckus every time I went outside. They trained one. I’m not sure what happened to him, but he went away for a while and came back different. The rest they boot outside several times a day and when they get bored, the dogs raise a ruckus. Not anymore.
I’d go talk to them but the last time I did they threatened physical violence. I called Animal Control and those folks suggested to the neighbors that they file false charges on me–felony charges. Two of their dogs attacked me one day IN MY OWN YARD and fortunately I was able to make it inside my house before being bitten. If I had been bitten, the attacking dogs would have been euthanized.
It’s my right to place ultrasonic devices in my own yard, period. It’s MY yard and I expect relative quiet there; the occasional woof woof and even dog conversation are ok and even welcome. Barking for hours on end is not, and I have yet to see another dog owner try and talk to these people. Since they won’t take action, I will, and it’s either ultrasonic or euthanasia. I chose ultrasonic because I have lived with dogs before and don’t want my neighbors to lose theirs.
I just wish they would take better care of them!
You’re suggesting that I, with the quiet dog that is being punished should go to the neighbour with the noisy dog and say, “Stop the barking because someone who has never come to me might be upset, and they might take matters into their own hand? And they are scared that you’ll attack them so they want me, the owner of the quiet dog to come to you and risk the attack instead. Of course, I don’t know if there is an untrasonic device there because I can’t hear it.”
You want people to mind read and deal with your problems for you without being told to do it. Or they can stay inside and hide in their homes and be punished for a war between two other families?
?????
I have sold these over many years….and I always inform the purchaser that there is a range to them….usually 15 meters……so will only be effective for a neighboring yard……AND just a quick educational note here…..Dogs are PACK animals….there is a place for all….and if YOU are a Submissive person? One of the Dogs will step into the Alpha role…..hence the increased barking without consequences……most Owners of excessive Barkers are Submissive….they do not know how to “stop” bad behavior because they are not consistent……talking with these type of owners does no good, because they just say “I know, I have tried to get him/her/them to stop” but truly don’t know how. And going to the local Parliament or Authorities does absolutely no good….you either get the owner pissed at you….or nothing gets done because it is a low priority. If you are concerned about this effecting your pet while in use?…Keep them inside (out of range) until the other dog(s) stop barking.
Actually, dominance is between conspecifics. Members of the same species. So unless you’re a dog…..
And dogs are not predatory pack hunters. They are obligate scavengers. That’s why you find feral dogs hanging out at dumps.
Perhaps it might be a good idea to verify the information that you find online that keeps repeating “dogs are pack animals – be the alpha” to make sure it’s correct first?
My roommate recently got one and I’m pissed about it. It works but now my dog is acting odd. She’s also pregnant and now I’m concerned about the puppies. I also have a Quaker Parrot and worried it might hurt her. She is acting out lately and I’m convinced that my roommate tried that sonic blaster on her. Anyone know the effects of this product on unborn puppies and birds?
I don’t – sorry. Punishment, especially if uncontrollable and unpredictable is stressful. I do think there is research on the effects of stress on pregnant dogs.
Regretfully though my city has laws on “the books” to make owner’s responsible for their nuisance dog Animal control will NOT enforce the law unless YOU get an affidavit signed by 3 separate neighbors. So the dog can keep your whole family awake and there is NOT a thing that the city will do since their are only two neighbors next to the offending dog owner and one is next to deaf. So I am left with me and my family suffering, taking the neighbor to court, or trying to train their dog for them with ultrasound. In this case ultrasound wins hands down though I would rather have the owner crouching then their poor neglected animal. And this is NOT a case of them NOT being home. Granted that is the problem about half the time but for the last few nights they have been sitting comfortable in their home while their dog has been yapping up to an hour straight both nights.
And to add insult to injury they just went out and got ANOTHER dog!
I don’t at all agree with this. If it were me, I’d dump it in a politician’s lap. Squeaky wheel….
As one person pointed out in the discussion, if you have animals, you’re punishing your own animals for another dog’s barking. Other dogs in the neighbourhood might start barking because they hear the correction.
It’s not a neat solution that cannot lead to more problems.
I’m a “make the politicians do their jobs” kind of gal.
Bob I think we have the same neighbors. They sit there while the dogs bark and they do nothing, despite the local council sending them a letter at my request and then doing an in person visit. They just don’t care that they’re impacting others negatively. And the dogs are bored, lonely and filthy, two of them at first and yes now a third – so they can breed them! I want the real problem dealt with, the neglect of the dogs. If I take away their barking with punishment, they have nothing at all to liven up their miserable days. But they can’t be allowed to bark all hours of the night either. So I’m pushing the council to start fining the owners. Hopefully then they’ll decide to get rid of the dogs to a new home where ideally they’ll be loved and treated right. I also worry about the effect of the ultrasonic device on the local wildlife around my house.
Many jurisdictions require a kennel license in order to run a breeding facility. Or the SPCA might view the conditions as a welfare issue. I certainly don’t want to see either dogs or people having to deal with horrible situations.
Post it. You brought up some good points. I am debating using one for my neighbor’/ nuisance-barker, but I am a dog-lover and have my own seeet dog. It was informative to read your experience. You will no doubt get comments in all ends of the spectrum, but for me it was helpful to read a critique by a dog owner, since most of the information out there is by sellers of these products. Thank you for the food for thought.
I’m glad you found it helpful Blossomvalleypto. Good to work out things like, “If the neighbour’s dog barks, the thing goes off and makes a noise the dog dislikes. But then MY dog will also be subjected to it when the neighbour’s dog misbehaves. It’s called yoking in research. When your behaviour is tied to another’s actions. Imagine if that happened to us. “If your co-worker does something bad, you get punished.” Crazy making.
It’s tricky, I also live in a street that could be likened to a dog pound. The problem is most people are away at work and all it takes is one dog to set another off. They wake me early in the morning and I have to put up with the jarring noise into the night. What would you suggest – move? The other problem is one is never sure about approaching neighbours with a problem – things could get nasty. It is dog owners responsibility to ensure they are not disturbing their neighbours but not everyone is on this page. Do I move or try a sonic deterrent?
Why does it have to be a 2 choice problem? Makes it sound like an extreme and unfair option compared to desperate self preservation. Of course, uncontrollable aversive consequences do make dogs unpredictable, hyper, reactive, stressed. So you’re choosing between may or may not make the problem dog silent, at which point the quiet dog being arbitrary punished realized that another barking dog makes bad things happen. So they start to bark. Then other dogs and other dogs. Then they start becoming twitchy and associating the sound with all sorts of random things. And then when they react and bite someone people will say, “it happened without warning and without provocation.” So you’re asking, “do I move or risk community safety?” How about NEITHER. Try: Contact a member of parliament, sit down, have a meeting and dump the need for a solution in their lap. Say the your community needs a program to encourage a cordial community where everyone takes effective steps to reduce the barking.
How we react to a problem is something that we control. I don’t think we need to stoop to devious and potentially problematic and unneighbourly actions in order to do something. We can all do better, including in how we solve problems.
First, I apologize for this long reply, but this is a subject that is occupying much of my thought of late…
The author wrote, “I struggle to understand how anyone can legally use these devices on other people’s dogs, without their knowledge or consent.” Well, I struggle to understand how anyone can legally subject others to sleepless nights and peaceless days from barking dogs or fear from being either attacked or jumped on by unleashed dogs without others’ consent, despite clearly posted “leash your dog” rules and clearly expressed barking-noise-nuisance laws. But dog owners—and not a minuscule fraction–still do these things, driving people to exploit any option to gain back some sense of peace and much-needed rest.
The author also writes, “Owners are generally liable for their dog’s behavior, yet neighbors can secretly meddle with other people’s dogs. How is this at all right or just?” You’re asking the wrong question. The salient question is WHY neighbors are meddling with other people’s dogs. The answer is very clear: because the owners who are liable for their dogs’ behavior are NOT liable for their dogs’ behavior. There are very many stories of unleashed dogs killing other people’s pets or otherwise damaging others property or health (the medical literature presents substantial evidence corroborating the harmful effects of chronic barking, for example, on people), yet recalcitrant owners don’t care about the effects of their animals on others. They care only about their own pleasure in having their animals. One should ask how THAT is at all right or just—especially considering there are already very clear laws governing these matters which many owners disregard, presenting a public health threat to neighbors who, for their own peace and health, may feel obliged to take drastic measures.
Nor do severely under-resourced animal control or police departments provide the muscle required to enforce the laws when there are literally tens or even hundreds of millions of dogs. Then as a responsible owner who controls her/his animal 100% of the time, you ought to go after irresponsible owners who’re hurting their animals AND encouraging more and more extreme responses from those who’re fed up having our rights—and the law—trampled by those who can’t or won’t control their animals 100% of the time.
“Police do respond to noise violations in most municipalities.” Wrong. Dead wrong. Police don’t even have the staff to respond to the explosive number of barking-nuisance calls. They often reply that while it’s true irresponsible dog owners are clearly breaking the law, there are far more pressing problems demanding their time (like human-human crime). Worse, many officers, just typical citizens, are inured to barking because they’re also dog owners. The popularity of dogs creates a cultural norm such that the acceptance of problem behavior by the dog-owning majority of the US casts those for whom the behaviors are problematic as … problematic ourselves. Therefore, often law enforcement won’t even take our complaints seriously. If you were a parent and your child were being daily bullied in school, and the school system didn’t take bullying seriously, you might find yourself trying increasingly aggressive measures to prevent the damage medical science and psychology teach chronic bullying can inflict on children–especially if your polite, respectful pleas to other parents and the school administration fell on deaf ears. Just so with those of us who have no other recourse where dogs’ rights seem to eclipse the rights of the rest of us who can’t sleep anymore, and are told we MUST accept being jumped on, drooled over, and having our property destroyed or fouled.
Frankly, as much of an animal rights advocate as I have been my whole life, no picture you could post would dissuade me from investing in such a device (thank you for letting me know they exist, as I live and work in the center of about two dozen dog-inhabitting houses, and the animals not only bark and howl incessantly throughout the day, but every night ALL night long; the police and animal control have mailed copies of the law and fines warnings, but even a year after the mailings and repeated calls by me and other neighbors, nothing has changed). It has now become a matter of survival. I literally cannot sleep more than two hours a night fitfully. I’ve used ear plugs and industrial strength noise-guards. Nothing works. My health may not matter to you and other dog owners, but it’s of paramount importance to me. So since irresponsible dog owners won’t budge in controlling their animals, people like me are forced to do what we must to seek relief. And no, I am not following the considerate suggestion of my dog-owning neighbors to sell my house and moving just because some people (all the dog owners around me) won’t follow the law.
Ah, but there are municipalities that do enforce. They do so using systems that do not use taxpayer dollars (self-sustaining). See the Calgary model. It’s primarily education based, then enforcement. The province backs up the municipality.
Option C – if there is such a demand for barking aides and your community is not pro-active, contact your member of parliament. Demand they use a model that works and to do it the same way, not half arse.
People are being harmed on both sides. The people paid to deal with problems are not being made aware. Put the onus on politicians. Heck, start a petition. Do something about it. Just don’t harm some because you feel harmed. My neighbour has a helicopter. Yes, real one. Such is life. I have dogs. They have a helicopter. We all compromise so long as its within the boundaries of normal and respectful.
You’re not listening….
“Owners are generally liable for their dog’s behaviour, yet neighbours can secretly meddle with other people’s dogs. How is this at all right or just?”
I am very tempted some days to kidnap the neighbour’s dog from their yard and take it to a pound to be euthanized. Inconsiderate idiots should not have dogs. So let me summarize by saying this sonic noise is far better for the “stupid dog owner” – and I use that term interchangeably… than the alternative solutions I come up with while I lie awake listening to that POS barking all the time.
Because when you meddle with that dog that is keeping you up, that sound is also meddling with other dogs that are not barking. They cannot control the ultrasonic and it can create problems in their behaviour. Problems that will then create more problems for you potentially.
Why not deal with it head on. Talk to people. Face to face? If that fails, complain to the people who take our tax dollars and are supposed to fix those problems for you. If you live next to an “idiot owner”, then think for a moment that so does that barking dog. And your response is to punish the dog rather than deal with the owner.
There is such a thing such as dealing with issues head on. Politely. But dealing with them. Your other neighbours, with nice owners and quiet dogs don’t need to be the victims of a silent neighbourly war.
In most wars there are casualties. If the “nice owners [with] quiet dogs” who previously weren’t being affected by the “silent neighborly war” got involved earlier to maintain the neighborhood peace, perhaps there’d be fewer casualties.
Tom, it is impossible for people to know if you have a serious barking dog issue. It certainly is possible. It’s also possible that the barking dogs are in the realm of “normal noise levels.” I don’t know. I’m not going to speculate. I do know that all we can do as humans is be responsible for our own actions. Sometimes other people don’t live up to our expectations. We can choose to stop the cycle and find a way to deal with a problem that is productive. More importantly, one that doesn’t have negative consequences on bystanders. When using punishment, and that’s what this tool is doing, there are side effects. The most profound side effects, the most traumatic are when an animal experiences uncontrollable bad things. They are affected by things that they cannot change. The silent and friendly dogs cannot change their behaviour to avoid the noise. Side effects from punishment, especially unpredictable and uncontrollable punishment includes stress, anxiety and AGGRESSION. So while I can sympathize with your problem, and I do hope that places start to use a Calgary model, it does not give someone the right to use a technique, without consent, that has been shown to be tied to aggression. Because if a dog creates an negative association to say “children” when they hear it, and if the dog starts to turn, then whomever put that noise maker out in the community plays a part in the harm done to a child. That’s simply not okay. I like to think that the adults involved can set aside their need to be right on both sides and figure things out. If not, that the people who are acting mature can figure out a mature way to handle things, one that won’t add more harm on top of layers of more harm.
For over a year, a huge dog with a deep voice has barked outside our window. Neighbors are trash & they don’t care. After weeks of sleepless nights, we added a large, loud, fan that runs year round, so we can sleep. Yes, in the winter & yes, that sucks.
Some dogs are breed to be nocturnal predators at night as this breed is. So, some dogs are not breed to be in a neighborhood loose at night!! So, if a homeowner needs a “birdhouse” to survive, so be it. The word, humane, should involve HUMANS FIRST! It’s inhumane to disrespect your neighbors, peace, well being, sleep so they can perform their 40-60 hour jobs!! While cujo sleeps all day, so he can stalk & BARK ALL NIGHT!!
If the noise for the “birdhouse” is uncomfortable, then SHUT UP!!! Back away from the birdhouse or the source that causes a lack of comfort. Yes, I have a dog & I love dogs. I have always had a dog. It’s unresponsible neighbors that forces sleepless people to spend their money to TRAIN YOUR DOG!!
Except that the choice of strategy has also then punished all other animals in the vicinity, yours included. Unaware people, especially those with shy or noise sensitive dogs (some breeds are noise sensitive because no selective pressure has been placed on those breeds for tolerance to noice.) Those owners, unaware as to why their dog is reacting or why their dog is become more and more spooky (and also a greater bite risk to the community), then spend gobs of time, money and resources on trying to fix the problem. They will undoubtedly fail because they cannot identify the trigger. That impacts the welfare of the PEOPLE around you, their finances and their stress.
There are noise bylaws. If a dog is barking to the point of being a nuisance during hours they should be quiet, call the authorities. Of course, then one would have to run the risk of being recognized as the complainer. It takes courage to complain and be recognized.
It boggles my mind how these noisy dogs barking all night don’t seem to bother their owners. How do they sleep?
I just found the “Birdhouse” hanging from my fence that a neighbor had put there secretly I’m assuming because she thinks my dog barks too much. My dog is an indoor dog and only goes outside to use the bathroom. I appreciate the fact that my dog barks at strangers or when she senses danger. I’m a single mom with 2 daughters at home and I am furious that this neighbor would take it upon herself to try and condition my dog to never bark. I’m a responsible pet owner and would never allow my dog to be a nuisance to my neighbors.
How awful. I’m not sure I know how I’d react to that.
My neighbour is using one of these devices and I can hear it 24/7. It has gone on for the last two years to keep her dog quiet. It is driving me mad, I lose sleep and my nerves are shot with the noise from it especially when she changes the battery. I have questioned her about it but she denies she is using one of them. All of the local cats keep away from around our properties now too. Can anyone suggest what I can do about it as I seem to be the only one who can hear it.
I’m so sorry, but I don’t know. Write to your local member of parliament? Push them to deal with it?
I think your article is good enough. People are rarely dissuaded from what they believe & your dog shouldn’t suffer if he is well-behaved. I have an ultrasonic collar for one of my dogs because he barks at everything. While he is not fearful of it, he will tiptoe around the house & just isn’t himself if I put it on him even if it is not on; I hate what it does to him. What people don’t realize is any loud noise sets these devices off. Anytime I used the collar & it was noisy in the house, my dog would go down to the basement & lay in his crate so it wouldn’t get set off. My other dog is completely unaffected by it, luckily my unaffected dog isn’t a barker & we live in a quiet neighborhood where we each have 2.5 acres so most other dogs are far away. I don’t put the collar on him anymore; however, the neighbors behind me have a new puppy & when they take him out to potty, he frequently runs to our fence & my dog runs out the doggie door barking like mad. Occasionally I walk outside with the collar set to on to get my dog to stop. My hope is to eventually be able to stop using it altogether because he was a stray who seems to suffer from anxiety & is OCD. I really hate to add to his problems. I’ve been working to help him with these issues & I’ve had good success, but I hardly know what I’m doing, so the barking issue will be a challenge. I myself am torn between the good of my dog & peace for my neighbors.
Citronella spray collars are much more humane. I use a $4 computer compressed air cleaner from office depot as a disrupter followed by yummy reinforcement. I use it behind my back so dogs dont associate it with me. Has worked for 10 yrs. A good positive reinforcent trainer is less costly then all the expencice quick fixes.
Not even sure if we should be use an ultrasound medically are we going to wait until 1 and every 15 children are born with the diagnosis of autism.What has changed ????? the GMOs that have modified our food or the ultrasound being done on our unborn fetuses or perhaps its vaccination that used to have all the mercury in it still no answers the statistics are rising on autism ????
My neighbor recently installed a DogTek Sonic Birdhouse attached to his house and has it turned on 24 hours a day 7 days a week to prevent my dogs from barking, ever. For the record, my dogs only bark when they hear sirens or someone approaches our home. They do not constantly bark. I am looking for research on harmful effects of these devices and harmful effects from preventing a dog from barking at all. I wanted to see if anyone has an such research. Thank you.
Anything that suppresses behaviour and acts as punishment or negative reinforcement should have a good amount of research under those topics. It might not be “ultrasonic” research. There are MANY types of aversives. You won’t find them researched individually. You could start with Murray Sidman’s book Coercion and its fallout. Beyond that, the side effects of coercion have a very large body of research. Sidman, Domjan, Rescorla would be names to search through in terms of research.
I ordered this on Amazon read the reviews all positive. I bought it for my 3 dogs that bark at everything. Well as soon as I put it on my 4yr pit/husky mix freaked out shaking,went and hid,my rat terrier just kept barking at it & my 13yr rottrier mix barked at something & then stopped. So it does work but every dogs reaction is different. I will be sending it back & will continue with positive reinforcement. If my dog hadn’t had such a bad reaction I would have kept it. Now I never thought of neighbors having it where I would have no control. Lucky my dogs don’t bark much outdide.
The ultrasonic bark control device terrified my dogs! They hid under the bed, shaking in fear, until the back door opened and then they fled, refusing to go back into the house. This product is definitely inhumane.
My dog did too!
Actually, with ultrasound handled well enough by direction, location, etc…I think it is unlikely to annoy quiet dogs much. Many would not hear (it simply doesn’t travel far enough) and for those who do, they simply can move a little further away to avoid it. For those dogs I’ve seen up at a fence with bothersome barking, in time it has both decreased the barking and pushed them further from the fence, which often helps too. I have not seen it hurt the quiet dogs I know of. And using it where it is not started by other sounds (avoiding a detector) (where the USER controls the on and off, something fairly easy to devise), you don’t need to worry about it coming on when you haven’t chosen it to come on.
A dog bothered by it can back away from it. I don’t want to “torture” any animal, but I just want dog owners to be responsible enough to intervene as needed (and yes, humanely) 🙂
“A dog bothered by it can back away.” Isn’t that like saying if I don’t like living next to you I can move?
Some of these devices work 300 feet away. That is a greater distance than multiple city properties. Any dog caught in that range cannot “get away.” There are posts online of people complaining of ultrasound products because THEY can hear them. Anyone using sound to correct dogs around them is just doing tit for tat.
I did a lesson for a lady yesterday who had struggled for 8 years with these types of devices – she was at her wits, had spent hundreds of dollars and was frustrated beyond belief. One lesson and the results? She was so emotional at seeing her dog relaxed and responsive to the training. After all that – one lesson – different dog. Of course, she has to be consistent but we couldn’t make her dog bark or misbehave no matter what the stimulus was. Happy dog – happy client – No harshness – Kind methods that actually work – THAT is how you train a dog and their person.
Whether something “works” momentarily is not the whole sum of how something should be evaluated. It’s “works” x “risk” x “permanence” x “ethics.”
In order for punishment to be effective long term, it has to be extremely severe. One of the “rules” of how punishment works.
I have a lot of clients who have cried from joy at some point in the past with other trainers. They’ve done a lot of things including corrections – and then the problem lingered, came back and triggered side effects.
Our success should not be measured by stories or personal anecdotes. Or it leads to a pissing match of “my anecdotes are better or more valid than your anecdotes.”
Please, can you just describe what happens to the dog when he hears the sound?
I can tell you what I observed when I pressed the button on the device sent to me. My dog was across the room, heard it, tucked his tail and hunched down. I tried to approach him and he bolted away from me for the next 20 minutes or so, clearly having realized that the sound came from my direction. The dog that heard this has almost no fear to any sounds or visual stimuli. I’ve only seen him appear fearful on 2 occasions. This one and once during a puppy fear period. He is currently four years old. Extremely confident dog with little fear.
My experience and observations are that it scared the crap out of him.
In my opinion, your post is helpful, thanks.
If you own the dog, YOU as the dog owner are RESPONSIBLE. I’ll sue you and use the most powerful ultrasound devices I can find, until your annoying dog shuts up or YOU shut him up like you should. People have been sued and lost. It’s no different than me buying or getting something, then annoying you endlessly with it. I assure you, I’ll annoy you until the problem stops! Control your dogs, dog owners!
I have quiet dogs. You would be annoying quiet dogs. The owners of quiet dogs won’t know why their dog begins to react as they cannot hear the thing.
They’ll spend money on things like hearing tests for the dog and prescribe medication for CCD. You’ll cost those nice people with QUIET dogs money – because you can’t be bothered to walk over to the family with the barking dog and talk to them. And when that doesn’t work, you fail to seek help from the authorities.
Punishing the good guys does not make sense. It’s a malicious tit for tat/retaliatory war.
Contact the authorities. Deal with the barking dog instead of punishing everyone around you. There are more civilized ways of dealing with conflict than starting WW3
Contacting authorities helps in some cases. But as I mentioned, ultrasound can be used in a manner where it is not likely to go very far. In addition, properly used ultrasound is greatly diminished or not heard at all, if a dog is simply behind a solid barrier. In my experience, it doesn’t take a dog long to realize that and also to reduce unnecessary barking. One dog I knew of, still barked at something “obvious” but no longer barked for no apparent reason. Instead, he would go next to his owners home and try and get the owner’s attention which helped. I’m not saying I have a perfect solution, but I think I’ve seen humane ways that have helped. And I don’t blame some people for getting upset about it. Hours of barking by a dog you don’t even own, can be very bothersome. I could even heard it with ear plugs in, at times. Can you blame me for getting upset??
“…because you can’t be bothered to walk over to the family with the barking dog and talk to them.” Wrong. The obvious easiest course–and FREE–is to speak politely with our neighbors. But just as many parents become irrationally violent at the merest suggestion that our children have done something inappropriate, many dog owners don’t CARE that neighbors are suffering. Because the dogs are an extension of the owners’ freedoms–and no one is going to trample on their freedoms.
And, yes, after we’ve been cursed out or threatened or physically assaulted or had our vehicles or other property damaged, we’ll go to the police. They’re helpful AT FIRST. But as the problem persists, it becomes a waiting war. The dog owner won’t control her dog, so the behavior remains, and the cops just can’t afford to return repeatedly, so they give up. Or as the cop in the example just below said, “dogs bark…” Since more and more people like dogs and have them, what is problematic is increasingly a matter of interpretation, including among the police. So 10-minutes of OK barking often stretches to hours of nonstop-but-still-OK barking.
Not sure I get the whole complaint of retaliation. Someone took a baseball bat to my car. Police say “animal extremist activist.” Two wrongs do not make a right. Another free option is contact your member of parliament. Do something proactive and civil about it.
My neighbor gave me a Super Bark Free (for free) ultrasonic box. I tried to use it once and my large Norwegian elkhound would go to the front door scared. She wouldn’t want to go out side again … and she loves being outside. I tried it again after nearly a year as my neighbor was complaining about her protective barking when a dog or humans walk pass the front of the house. Once again she would crouch on wasn’t herself. I will break it up as not wanting another dog or dogs to go through this condition. Like the police dept. told me “Its a dog and dogs bark … now if it barks non-stop that’s another situation.
Gosh darn u guys are silly if the dog doesn’ t bark the the device will not activate. That’s why there are so many bad kids parents are afraid to dish out a little correction.
Yes it does. If the device is in the room with a barking dog, ALL the dogs present hear it. If a neighbour puts one in the yard to stop a barking dog, ALL the dogs in the area are corrected when that one dog barks. It’s like every child getting spanked for the actions of one. Silly? No. Owners of quiet dogs don’t need their dogs corrected for another dog’s barking. They don’t wear ear plugs.
Then why not help the dog owners who’re less responsible than you train their animals?
You want me to travel from town to town, knocking on doors of people who I think need to be told what to do and force them to learn? What would give me the right to push myself on others in their home? Where would that stop? I don’t like how responsible you are with how you treat your spouse, your kids, your lawn? Maybe someone can start knocking on doors and taking BMI measurements of kids so they can force themselves on families for healthy eating and exercise? At what point are we so self absorbed that we expect *perfection* from everyone around us and not recognize that pushing in on someone in their home is like a religious person coming to “save you.” And that the person doing the saving is completely unaware of how obnoxious their desire to help has become, or that there are things in their life that are pretty irresponsible too?
“protective barking when a dog or humans walk pass the front of the house”
Protective barking. Haha. What an overstatement. Exactly what mortal danger is she protecting you from?
I think you would feel terrible if you posted a video. Maybe you could still do something but when people click to watch it, you say you can’t show them because your dog was too distressed when you first tried it and you would not subject him to it again. Then you could give some advice on barking or put people on to a GOOD dog behaviorist. These devices, along with those awful shock collars should be banned. There is only one answer to barking dogs…..good, kind, effective training with the dog’s welfare in mind!
Dear God someone i my neighborhood like a block away from my house has an ultrasonic device in their front yard and whenever you walk in front of their house a a small bit in front of the neighbor’s house the device goes off . As someone on the spectrum with sensory processing disorder I ave very sensitive ears so if I ever walk down that street I cross the street before I reach the house and subsequently bother the dogs that are kept outside in the yard in the house across the street or I quickly rush past the house.There are dogs all around that house and they go ballistic if you cross the street near their houses. The dog next door to the house wil go crazy behind the solid wood fence and the dogs across the street will go nuts behind the wire see though fence. I avoid walking there whenever I can because it s miserable to walk y. My dogs will still stop to sniff at the house while the device wails in my ears, After I pass by i still rings in my ears.
I dont think the video would stop the people that would use that kind of devise, and I dont think putting kip threw it would benefit anyone. So I would say a strong NOOOO.
Use of aversive stimulus to punish an unwanted behavior is never a good thing. Management and training with positive reinforcement is the best way to change unwanted behavior. People should stop thinking about what they DO NOT want the dog to do and concentrate on teaching and rewarding the behavior they DO want. The quick fix (which doesn’t always work anyway) sometimes leads to more serious problems such as anxiety and fear. Fear is the reason for most aggression. I never recommend the use of any electronic devices in training. I sure wouldn’t want my neighbor “punishing” my dog for being in his own yard!
i wanted to add, i don’t like the fact that this can affect other, unknowing, dogs and owners…………..i am not ok with a dog being adversely affected by something it has absolutely no control over.
I know for a fact the birdhouse device has been around for at least 10 yrs, so this product is not new.
For me, the issue is that it’s my job to work with my dogs on the issues I want to work with them on. I don’t want the neighbours doing it for me–whether that is their intention or not.
So, I guess I would consider doing it….but that’s also easy for me to say since it’s not my dog. It’s a tough one, Yvette. And now it makes me wonder if some of the odd sudden spooks I see in my yard are from some sonic device in someone’s yard……
Ultimately, do you think it will dissuade people from using it? I don’t know. My faith in people isn’t all that high……
I’m not sure it would discourage people from using it. Perhaps some people on their own dogs. I do think perhaps some people might think to look or listen if a dog’s unusual behaviour might be caused by a device in use nearby. Listen for a bark – spook. Look for a birdhouse turned facing out of a neighbour’s yard….etc.
wow, this is a difficult one………………you know kip best, you know how best to make sure he is not, in the long term, affected. i trust your judgement on that and i feel a video for the greater good could certainly benefit in this case as i’m sure most people don’t know much about these devices. i don’t enyy your position on this one though, very tough call as there will be negative feedback for sure i think.