Best Training Collar for Puppies
As cute, adorable, and cuddly as puppies are, the reality is puppies are a lot of work. Puppies require direction when learning skills and behaviors. And they require patience. So, it’s tempting to look for quick ways to stop annoying puppy behaviors like barking and chewing … and barking. Hold up: Before you run out and buy the best training collar for puppies, there are important things to know about training puppies.
When to Use a Barking Collar for Puppies
Like babies, puppies need direction when learning appropriate behavior and how to navigate their environments. Your training approach will have a lasting effect on how the puppy acts later in life. If your puppy barks a lot, and you want to curtail the behavior, you may look to the internet for advice on when you can start using a bark collar or shock collar.
Some sites suggest using a shock collar at a very early age, as young as 10 weeks; unfortunately, a lot goes on during the first several weeks of a puppy’s life, and becoming fearful is a major component of the 8- to 12-week period.
Introducing your puppy to a bark collar or shock collar too early can increase their fear and be painful. You should also know because shock collar manufacturers design these collars for use on older, larger dogs, they can injure a small puppy. Negative reinforcement could have the opposite effect by increasing barking and problem behaviors, which can continue well into adulthood.
BarxBuddy does not recommend using an anti-shock collar because we know there are better ways to address negative puppy behaviors. However, if you choose to use a barking collar, we recommend waiting until the puppy is at least 6 months old. Plus, waiting those extra few months allows your puppy to learn basic commands and associate them with positive reinforcement (treats and praise), which are necessary for any training tool to be effective.
Alternative Puppy Training Techniques
Like other creatures in nature, including humans, dogs vocalize their needs, albeit through barking. Barking helps puppies figure out the world around them. It also allows you to learn about your pup because they’re most likely vocalizing for a reason, like hungry, tired, in pain, or having to go potty. Read more about the 7 reasons dogs bark.
Listening to your puppy’s barks can help you understand what your dog is trying to tell you. If you can’t find a reason for your pup’s barking, other than it wants attention, you may want to try an alternative training method like the BarxBuddy’s train, treat, repeat technique based on positive reinforcement.
Get the guide: Train, Treat Repeat: Our Method for Positive Reinforcement Dog Training
Practicing alternative training methods bring many advantages. They can improve your pet’s behavior, encourage your dog to learn additional skills, and strengthen the bond between you and your pet. To read more, we’ve put together four humane ways to control a dog’s barking that can quiet the noise without using a shock collar or bark collar.
Best Bark Collars for Puppies
What if we told you the best bark collar for puppies isn’t a collar? Unlike a shock or bark collar, the BarxBuddy Ultrasonic Training tool doesn’t require contact with the skin, is easy to use, and can be used in conjunction with our positive reinforcement train, treat, repeat method. Although many pet parents succeed with the BarxBuddy Ultrasonic Training tool, you should remember a few things:
- As with bark collars, we don’t recommend using the BarxBuddy training device until your puppy is 6 months old. Younger than this, puppies have a very short attention span and can be scared by the ultrasonic sound emitted from the device, rendering it ineffective.
- Regardless of what training technique you decide to use, it requires involvement, time, and patience on your part.
- Last but certainly not least, have realistic expectations; you should aim to reduce your dog’s barking, not silence it. Dogs bark to communicate.
With your commitment to training your pup, you can lessen your puppy’s barking without harming their physical or emotional well-being.