I have a 70 lb German shepherd. We have used treats to train him not to bark, but as soon as he knew we had no treats he would go berserk. We also used a spray bottle of water (he hates water…) but again as soon as he noticed we didn’t have the spray bottle on us or if he could run away and bolt… he would bark like crazy at neighbors in backyard.

In one day, and maybe after 2 or 3 shocks on the 4th level setting, he stopped barking at our neighbors who pass by our backyard. He is a smart dog. He figured out almost instantly that barking loud activated it. He still can bark a light “boof” and it will not set off. Which is ideal for our family. I want him to alert but not go insane because a neighbor is enjoying their backyard when we are in our fenced in yard.

He was very sad the first shock. The collar adjusted and it seemed to not be as harsh on him the second time. I was worried to try this way but I really wish I had done this a year ago when we were struggling in training (even spent $250 on a reactive dog trainer). At lot of that training helped for outside the home, but my dog is very possessive of “his” home which includes the neighboring yards and front yards.