Doggie Stun Gun
 

No, it really isn't that, but that is what I call it. It is the First Alert Bark Genie. I just wanted to share this with as many people as possible, especially first time Yorkie owners, as I am.

Some of you know that Beanie is my first dog and that I have almost lost my mind at various times of being her "mother". I have gotten through those times, especially when I first got her with the help of lots of people here.

Anyway, my normally quiet, sweet doggie morphed into a total NUT when she saw dogs on our walks and in the car - to the point that it got dangerous for both of us. I was at my wit's end. I tried EVERYTHING, positive reinforcement, squirt bottle, private training, NOTHING worked. This dog decided to bark at everything and everyone, especially in the car while in her little bucket.

I happened upon the Bark Genie, not thinking it would do a darn thing, but it DID. IT DID. All I had to do was use it 3 times and she is back to her sweet self. It totally stopped her anxiety about dogs, squirrels, you name it. This device emits some kind of "noise" that the dogs hear and it startles them so that they stop what they are doing, i.e, barking and going crazy.

Anyway, I wanted to share this with you guys, especially new Yorkie owners that might be like I was, kind of in he!!, and thinking OH MY GOD, what did I do getting this dog??? Believe me, get through all the beginning crap and you will have an amazing dog. I can't imagine my life without my Beanie, she is the love of my life!!!

Do you have a picture or a link? So nice that you found something that works.

I read about that i may have to invest in it. I have two that go balisic with dogs. Or people first coming in. My little boy is bitting ancles its got to stop

Yes, here is the link to it, I got it at Only Natural Pet Store on line. I am sure you can get it at other places, but it was on sale at this one and I trust this online store.

First Alert Bark Genie | Stop Barking Safely | Only Natural Pet

My dogs don't bark that much but I sure would love to try it on the dogs next door. They make everyone's life miserable attacking the fence line with vicious barking.

It supposedly works up to 15 feet. It has a guarantee so you can return it if it doesn't work. It also works on big dogs because my friend and I tried it on her bull mastiff/german shepherd 80 lb. puppy. It stopped the dog in it's tracks from jumping like a nut, so it has other uses besides for barking.

I wonder if it hurts their ears or what...I'm thinking it must...? Bc if you watch the video the dogs kind of cower when the sound goes off, so I wonder if it causes ear pain...? Bc if it didn't, why else would it stop them, I wonder?

It doesn't seem to hurt Beanie, it just startles her and stops her anxiety. She immediately calms down (and doesn't cower at all), so no I wouldn't say it hurts the dog's ears.

The way I look at it with my own dog is that the level of anxiety that she was getting herself to was WAY more destructive to her than whatever kind of noise this device emits. Plus, as I said, I only had to use it 3 times!

Did you get the 19.95 or the more expensive? So i know if the cheeper works

I have heard some great things about these but have also heard that some try to bark over the sound after awhile and they end up louder, I guess it has to do with how stubborn they are?

Mixed reviews on it from Amazon Amazon

It looks like you can get it at Bed Bath & Beyond: First Alert Bark Genie Handheld Bark Control - BedBathandBeyond.com

I know that sometimes in the mail BB&B sends us $10 off coupons, but I don't know if you can apply it to products like these....maybe....?

I just read the page you posted. When i first checked it out they offered the little one and a bigger set hince why i asked the question. But if cheeper one works its worth a try.

I don't think it matters what size it is, as long as it's still the same product.

I actually didn't even know that there were 2 versions of it. I got the one for $19.95. You probably could get it at a store, like Bed Bath & Beyond. I think, as long as you can return it if it doesn't work, it is definitely worth a try.

I don't know about that. Maybe the bigger dogs? All I know is that it has worked for Beanie like a freakin miracle and I can't say enough about it. She was always a really good dog that never barked at other dogs and, as I said in my original post, she just developed that habit and it got worse and worse. And it got so bad that I actually felt she was hurting herself with her anxiety level, I mean she turned into the Tasmanian Devil!! I couldn't stop her or contain her - it actually started to scare me because I felt like, if she was a human, she would have heart attack. I don't know if dogs can actually have heart attacks, but if they can, this dog was a candidate!!!

I don't know, this dog just does things for no rhyme or reason. She doesn't have a regular poop schedule, she sometimes love to walk in the afternoon at my lunch hour and sometimes she doesn't. She USED to be scared to walk in the dark, now she isn't. Who knows, she might get scared again. I have learned to just go with the flow with her and try and find ways to deal with her "quirks". And one of them being using the Bark Genie. It may not work for everyone, but I think it is TOTALLY worth a try for people dealing with excessive barking and other bad behaviors.

Just ordered this for my two Yorkies, who bark like crazy when someone is at the door, or when we're getting ready to leave.
Sure hope it works!

Good luck! Please post and tell me if it does work for you. I am just so happy with the way it worked for Beanie that I want to tell everyone about it.

Yes, it bothers them! I used a similar device but found it didn't work on the barkers and the other pups would flinch. Just not a workable thing with multiple pups.

Funny story: If I make a loud noise when they are all going crazy barking, they stop. One day, I picked up a cookie sheet because they were all in this barking zone in my kitchen. I happened to look over at Cookie (with cookie sheet in hand) and she was sitting by the door squinting. LOL Stopped me dead in my tracks...and THEN...she opened one eye to peak out to see what I was doing! How I wish I had a video of it...it was hilarious.. BUT I felt terrible thinking it was going to traumatize her. I have not done that move since. Poor baby girl. :p;):D:)

As for these devices, I think the key is to say a word such as STOP or QUIET whenever you use the thing. That way they associate a command from you.... Just my thoughts on it.

The couple of times I used it, I said the word no. Beanie is pretty smart and knows when I say NO, it means to stop what she is doing (except it didn't work with the barking - just made her worse ). At first, I would say no and have to start to reach into my purse to get the Bark Genie for her to stop. I also used to carry it around with me and just point it at her (without using it) and she would stop. Now all I have to do is say no and she stops. I don't even bother to take it with me anymore because just saying no is enough. Then I praise her (like she won the freakin Noble Peace Prize) and I might give her a little piece of a treat if I have them with me.

I am just so happy that I found something that worked because it just got so bad!

One day we were driving in the car and stopped at a red light and a car pulled up with a little kid in it who looked over and saw Beanie sitting in her little bucket. He was like mommy, mommy, look at the cute doggie. Well my dog took a look at him and went NUTS barking her head off and almost trying to jump out the window (she is clipped in and can't do that - but if she wasn't she would have!). She loves kids and just wanted to go and see him, but didn't know HOW to behave because her anxiety level was getting so high. Anyway, the kid starts screaming, the mother asks me what is wrong with my dog and ME for "letting" her act like that. Needless to say, I was mortified, really mad at Beanie and just at my wit's end.

A couple of days after this, I saw the Bark Genie and figured I might as well try it as nothing else I tried worked. Thankfully, it did work for me and I don't even have to use it anymore. And, I can now enjoy our walks and her being my little "co-pilot" every day in the car.

For me the phrase "Be NICE" is what I was/am always saying when my pups start barking like mad...I train them with that, I'd rather be running around saying be nice then saying shut up all the time...as soon as I say it they stop...slow it down....Shine always had to get one last bark in when I said it!!! (Note: I never allowed/allow anyone in my house to say shut up to animals or people....I never liked that phrase ever)....

I talked to a trainer yesterday at the shelter where I volunteer and asked her about these ultrasonic devices. She likened the effect of the sound to fingernails on a chalkboard -- to some people, this sound is horrible and it bugs them - to others, no real effect. She said it'd be the same with this ultrasonic sound for dogs.

She said we should always be very careful when using it, most especially on a group of dogs bc you could be "punishing" all the dogs, when really only one dog is doing something wrong -- so it can be very confusing for the dog who wasn't doing anything. She said you can also end up decreasing "good" behavior if it's not used properly.

I am going to order it right now - basically for my maltese. He is terrible at the door. Zoey is too but she is happy to see people and Jackson is protecting the door. I tried the other bark off product and returned it. Did not work at all.

I only have one dog, so I don't have to worry about the multiple dog affect, and we were always far enough away from any other dogs so that it wouldn't bother them. And as I said, my dog would get so hyper that I felt it was not good for her health (or our safety). I would rather zap her with the ultrasonic sound that she obviously doesn't like (thank God she is one of the dog's that it bothers!) the 3 times I had to use it than allow her to get so absolutely crazy that it was becoming dangerous.

It is not a good thing when you are walking a 6 lb. dog on the other side of the street from a person walking 80 lb. pit bulls and that little dog goes nuts, ESPECIALLY when the person with the pit bulls is having a hard time even handling them. All I could think of is one of these times, one of these huge dogs is going to get off it's leash and kill both of us because Beanie is acting like a crazed animal.

I spent 2 months trying to stop the behavior with positive reinforcement, making her sit when she started her crap when we were walking, then giving her a treat. This went on, and on and did NOT work, her behavior deteriorated. I took her to a private training lesson and tried everything the trainer told me to do (including using a squirt bottle - she thought it was a game), didn't work.

She is starting to get a little "mouthy" again and if it starts to get out of hand, I will use it again. So far, saying NO has worked, but one never knows with this dog.

Anyway, for the people here who are trying it, good luck and please post your results.

Another product for loose dogs attacking you is called Muzzle. You can buy it online. It is a mace like product. It is legal and made for dogs. After a few times with big aggressive dogs coming after Zoey I bought it. I have never had to use it but I would if push comes to shove. Just having it in my pocket helps with the confidence I need while walking.

Thanks, I will look into it. Beanie was attacked by a Husky last year (I think the dog thought she was a little rabbit), we were charged by a German Shephard not to long ago. Both dogs were off leash in their yards with NO ONE AROUND to watch them. WTF is WRONG with people that do that?

And yes, I would use it on a dog that was trying to hurt my dog or me.

Just goggle dog mace or muzzle mace. The company is located in so cal.

Thanks!!

You didn't take my last post as saying something negative about it, did you? I hope not, bc it actually wasn't meant to be negative at all. Hearing what the trainer said actually made *me* less bothered about using this kind of device - bc if it's akin to nails-on-chalkboard (but the dog version), I think that's much more acceptable than if it caused some sort of bad ear pain. I'm glad you found something that works for you, I really am :)!