Sportdog Bark collar reviews? (This is his last resort)

Fran101

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#1
Have any of you had experience with the sportdog bark collar? Trust me.. this is a last resort for a member of my family that has tried everything else.

Here is the one they are looking to get: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00173CWDW/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2AH8ECK51J2GB

he gets plenty of exercise, has plenty of toys/kongs/chews, has seen trainers/behaviorists, have tried drugs, and this family is simply on their last leg before they will be forced to rehome him or the neighbors throw a fit and have them thrown out.

The dog is an energetic lab mix and the family is very active with the dog (they go hiking, running every morning etc...)
but the dog seems to have separation anxiety and barks when in the crate when left alone. They have worked with him over 5 years and it has gotten better but at this point.. they are out of things to try.

His separation anxiety isn't that severe (in that he doesn't hurt himself or freak out or shake or really seem insanely stressed) but the urge to bark and get his family back with him is really really strong..

The dog has negative reactions to surgery/various kinds of anestesia so the vet does not recommend having him de-barked (which was also discussed) and he doesn't care about citronella.

please, no bark collar horror stories or words of caution.. we have tried everything and I really feel for them, they love this dog and have gone 100% and tried EVERYTHING I've asked them too but at this point.. it's their home, their child sleeping... or the dog.

They spoke to a behaviorist who is going to start with them working with the collar so the dog is ok wearing the collar crated when they are home..and then work towards him wearing it while the family is out in the day time.
 

stardogs

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#2
This may seem really obvious, but have they tried leaving him uncrated? I know at least one vet behaviorist who suggests uncrating for mild SA (where people aren't seeing massive destruction) and I've recommended the same with very good results in many cases. My Maggie would bark incessantly and shred bedding if crated but was silent and generally non-destructive when left loose.

I've not heard great things about Sportdog collars in general - you get what you pay for basically. I know our TD really likes the TriTronics BarkLimiter last I heard.
 

Fran101

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#3
This may seem really obvious, but have they tried leaving him uncrated? I know at least one vet behaviorist who suggests uncrating for mild SA (where people aren't seeing massive destruction) and I've recommended the same with very good results in many cases. My Maggie would bark incessantly and shred bedding if crated but was silent and generally non-destructive when left loose.

I've not heard great things about Sportdog collars in general - you get what you pay for basically. I know our TD really likes the TriTronics BarkLimiter last I heard.
He is actually worse when uncrated :/ if they are in the home and he can't be in the room they are in he throws an absolute fit and destroys doors and if they aren't home he is just as loud and destructive.

It's only going to be used a few hours a day (he has a dog walker that stops by mid-day for an hour)
Is this the collar you are referring to?
http://www.amazon.com/Tri-Tronics-5440100-Bark-Limiter-G3/dp/B002X4COJ6/ref=sr_1_2?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1378257902&sr=1-2&keywords=TriTronics+BarkLimiter
 

xpaeanx

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#4
I have nothing to add really.

I've not heard great things about Sportdog collars in general - you get what you pay for basically. I know our TD really likes the TriTronics BarkLimiter last I heard.
I am really mostly curious about this... Comparatively the sportDog is an expensive collar and only a whopping $8 cheaper than the one you listed... So how is that you get what you pay for?
 

stardogs

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#5
I think so, Fran.

I also noticed that there's another collar listed on that link that is made by the same folks that make the Einstein e-collars. I've heard very good things about the Einstein line from several folks I know from IPO - might be worth a look as well (and it's cheaper!).
 

stardogs

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#6
I am really mostly curious about this... Comparatively the sportDog is an expensive collar and only a whopping $8 cheaper than the one you listed... So how is that you get what you pay for?
I hadn't even looked up the SportDog bark collar tbh - I just remembered the regular line of collars they sell being considered "cheap" and cheaply made by folks I know with e-collars.
 

CaliTerp07

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#8
I have this collar: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0018BXW7S/ref=oh_details_o08_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It has been a god send. Lucy cannot be calm in a crate. She can't. We played crate games for months, have had the thing in our living room since we got her (throwing treats in every day, feeding meals in it, etc). Doesn't matter, as soon as you shut the door, she starts to work herself into a frenzy. She has broken claws, broken teeth, shredded crates...

And I wanted to compete with her in agility, where she had to be crated.

The collar zapped her ONCE. Now, I just loosely throw it over her neck, don't bother to turn it on, and she can keep herself to a calm level. She still whines, but the frantic barking that just worked herself into an even more agitated state is gone. She has yet to ever sleep in the crate (that I've seen), but I often find her lying down, and she's calm enough to sometimes even chew bully sticks in there.

My trainer and I tried everything. Nothing worked. After years of trying every positive reinforcement option ever, spraying with water, citronella, banging on the crate, etc...this worked.

ETA: Oh, and the one zap she got was only a "2" on a scale of 1-10 (1 being vibration only)
 

AdrianneIsabel

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#9
I absolutely HATE sportdog gear. They are unreliable and their shocks are often delayed.

Try a Petsafe citronella bark collar, first, it's only 35 bucks. If that stresses the dog more I like my dogtra bark collar with a TENS unit.
 

AdrianneIsabel

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#10
I have this collar: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0018BXW7S/ref=oh_details_o08_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It has been a god send. Lucy cannot be calm in a crate. She can't. We played crate games for months, have had the thing in our living room since we got her (throwing treats in every day, feeding meals in it, etc). Doesn't matter, as soon as you shut the door, she starts to work herself into a frenzy. She has broken claws, broken teeth, shredded crates...

And I wanted to compete with her in agility, where she had to be crated.

The collar zapped her ONCE. Now, I just loosely throw it over her neck, don't bother to turn it on, and she can keep herself to a calm level. She still whines, but the frantic barking that just worked herself into an even more agitated state is gone. She has yet to ever sleep in the crate (that I've seen), but I often find her lying down, and she's calm enough to sometimes even chew bully sticks in there.

My trainer and I tried everything. Nothing worked. After years of trying every positive reinforcement option ever, spraying with water, citronella, banging on the crate, etc...this worked.

ETA: Oh, and the one zap she got was only a "2" on a scale of 1-10 (1 being vibration only)
Yup, this is the one I like. It calmed Backup when he would go into a frenzy and the same for Shamoo.

It's a reliable collar, no delay in the reaction, effective, and safe.
 

Aleron

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#13
If they're willing to spend that much, I'd get a Dogtra or Einstein. But I have always used cheap bark collars, either Petsafe or Innotek. The last one I got was a Walmart Guardian, which looks and works a lot like the Petsafe and it's been well over a year and it has never needed a new battery. My cheap Innoteks last forever, the Petsafes only lasted about a year.

I think a bark collar is a good option in this case. I think it may actually have a positive effect on him, making him less stressy and reducing his anxiety. Sometimes the way dogs react to things are not the way humans think assume they will. IME dogs wearing bark collars often learn to inhibit their impulse and make better choices. If they can't get themselves all wound up barking, they tend to not escalate to the other stuff. I never understand why citronella is considered a less aversive option, since dog's noses are so extremely sensitive. IME the citronella collars are also most likely to malfunction or break. And some dogs (sounds like this guy is one of them) just don't seem to care or put it together with the behavior.

I would train him to the collar first though because if he doesn't understand what makes the stim go away and he's panicking in a crate, he could get more and more freaked out. So he needs to wear it and learn that the collar means to be quiet before using it while he's crated. Most dogs learn that very quickly though.
 

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