Dog bark collars

More and more there is a tendency amongst dog owners to use an anti bark collar on their dogs. Don't get me wrong I understand the lure of an anti bark collar for a dog who has a problem with barking. I also understand that training a dog is never easy and that certain behaviors are almost impossible to get rid of, as they are self reinforcing. Barking for instance is one of the most difficult of dog problems to resolve even for the most experienced of trainers. So it is not surprising the number of people who have opted for the bark collar.

But my question is have we traded dignity for convenience? Have we robbed our dogs of the ability to live like dogs? Are we so determined to make our dogs fit into our lives in the way that we want that we are willing to subject them to, what amounts to in many cases, torture? Why is it that when a product comes onto the market which is promoted as, "something to make your life better" we go running down to the nearest store and pick one up. Often times ignoring the subsequent consequences. How would we feel if our dogs made us wear a collar that every time we forgot to walk our dogs or feed them or change their water gave us a nice little shock! Now we not only have a shock treatment version of the anti bark collar, we also have a version, which emits an ultra high frequency sonic shock. And another more "humane" which blasts your dog in the face with a chemical spray so that your dog not only smells it but he also hears it, feels it, sees it and tastes it.