dogs’ barking, or even by airplanes flying overhead.
There is also a box that automatically sends out an
ultrasonic “stop” tone to any dog barking within range.
(See “Bark Free” in this next section for a description
of the best-known product of this type. There is also a
manual (handheld and person-triggered) version used for
training individual dogs not to bark.
The humane aspects of the ultrasonic collar are
debatable. The problem is, we cannot hear in the
ultrasonic range, so it’s difficult for a person to
determine or even to imagine the loudness of a sound we
can’t hear at all. However, these collars are based on
the idea of using a loud noise to startle a dog into not
barking.
The sonic collars operate on the same principle as the
ultrasonics, but in a range that is audible to humans as
well. If your dog “gets it” and is able to associate
barking with a terrible noise, then the barking may stop
in a few days (but it may resume once the collar is
off). If your dog doesn’t figure out that the loud noise
comes whenever he barks, you’ll have barking dog and a
noisy collar both to contend with. |
