From: John De Armond
Newsgroups: rec.outdoors.rv-travel
Subject: Re: Travel With Cats
Date: Tue, 09 Nov 2004 18:53:35 -0500
Message-ID: <90l2p0d0ms8pkssluepe7t8uq3640t6rn0@4ax.com>

On Tue, 09 Nov 2004 16:34:40 -0600, Don Bradner <me@privacy.net> wrote:

>hhamp5246@aol.comnojunk (HHamp5246) wrote:
>
>>> (those anti-bark shock collars work REAL WELL)
>>
>>Okay. We don't that to our dogs here.  I'm going to get a citronella collar for
>>Teddy and see if that'll work.
>
>While it is nearly impossible to test a good (shock) bark collar on a
>human, we routinely demonstrate radio-controlled collars with the same
>device on ourselves and the prospective renters or buyers. That is
>done to show them that no "shock" as one might think of it, is
>involved. The current flow doesn't feel even like a static shock, it
>feels like a small buzz. Tri-tronics calls it "tickle" and that is far
>more descriptive of the sensation than "shock."

The big brand name unit I bought from Pet Smart DOES work on humans and
DOES shock.  When I brought the thing into the restaurant to check it out
before trying it on the mutt, I first did the test procedure they
recommend.  Attach the supplied neon light bulb to the prongs and then
drag the sensor along the edge of a table.  The bulb would fire each time
the unit triggered.

One of my employee's friends (whom we now refer to as 'crash test dummy')
saw that and declared that it couldn't shock very much.  I held it out to
him and said "try it".  Amazingly, he did.  He strapped it around his neck
and let out a little "Woof".  Nothing.  A louder "woof". A little beep
came from the collar.  A big bellow of an "arf".  Knocked him backwards a
couple of steps.  He yelled and it nailed him again!  This went on for 4
or 5 cycles until he figured out that he'd have to shut his mouth to turn
off the current.  We, of course, were rolling in the floor wetting
ourselves as he staggered around holding his neck with a death grip!

>
>Some of the radio-controlled models can be turned up to an unpleasant
>level - done normally in heavy brush work where the dog wouldn't
>notice anything less. The bark collars cannot be turned up to those
>levels.

The one I have operates on a multi-step progression.  The first bark
sounds a beep (Pavlov training at work).  The next bark in a short time
results in a small shock.  Subsequent barks jack up the power.  It took
about 2 shocks for mom's Corgie to learn that the beep meant "shut up!".
We kept it on for about 2 weeks.  He relapsed once.  Another week took
care of that.  Now he only barks when someone comes around the house -
just what we want.

>
>I am not willing to spray citronella in my face to find out the degree
>of its unpleasantness.

I just can't understand this lunatic fringe that seems to think any
"alternative" to the mainstream is better.  Kinda like all those silly
experiments with household chemicals as mosquito repellants.  Even though
I don't particularly like mom's dog, I can't imagine spraying an irritant
oil in his face either.  Just plain dumb!  A small shock is no worse than
a swat with a paper.

John