I get a ton of emails from Bark Off, all hinting at the same thing. Does Bark Off work? Until now, this debate has been difficult to understand because most of the reviews we were able to see were testimonials about the Bark Off commercial. The product is so new that it would take time before consumers could use it long enough to know how effective it is or not.
We recently saw for the first time what a real person, with a real dog barking problem, had to say about the product, and it should be a relief to all of our ears. I always suspected that this ultrasonic dog bark control device had some merit, but like many other people, I wondered if it was human or would it hurt my dog. The answers follow.
The tester for the product was Connie from Buffalo, New York, who had written to a television station asking the local news product review department about the Bark Off ultrasonic bark control device. They decided to check it out and asked Connie to be the guinea pig.
Her problem was three small dogs who loved to bark and practically drove her crazy. It was difficult for him to talk on the phone when the dogs were barking and if someone knocked on the door, he would forget. I’m sure there were other times when the barking was not well received, but this is what Connie mentioned.
Connie received a sample from the Bark Off and once she turned on the battery-operated device, an ultrasonic wave was emitted as the dogs barked and then fell silent. Hmmmm, sounds good to me already.
The Bark Off device stayed with Connie for further testing and finally gave her a “two thumbs up” review. He was diligent and even tested it on his neighbor’s dog with success. Connie had some reservations, and I’m glad this was mentioned. Sometimes we want our dogs to park. A dog is instinctively protective, and there is nothing better than a dog’s barking to alert us to danger. Whether it’s a danger alert in the middle of the night, or a sign to us that our toddler is getting into mischief, we all appreciate our dog’s barking right now.
We’ve probably all heard stories about a dog who saved the day with some kind of heroic action, so turning off our dog’s ability to alert us to danger doesn’t sound like beneficial. So Connie, and I’m sure many others found a simple solution. She just turns it off during those times when it’s okay to hear some noise.
However, I would like to point this out. The barking device works only after the dog barks at least once. It is the sound of the barking that activates the ultrasonic pulse, which cannot be heard by humans, to be released and finally calm the dog. So even when the device is activated, your dog will have the opportunity to “speak his mind” at least once. In my case, this would be enough to alert me to some danger. But, if you’re in the kitchen and the dogs are in the yard with the kids, I’d keep it out just in case.
So I’m delighted with Connie’s Bark Off review because here’s a real person who made the news about her results. We have a product that works well and if you saw the three little barkers driving her crazy, you would be as impressed as I am.