12 Best Bark Collars of 2023 [For Pups of All Sizes And Temperaments]

Dog owners often grapple with excessive barking — I know even I struggle with the occasional stubbornness with a new dog, despite my experience in training them. While occasional barking is natural, continuous and prolonged barking poses challenges. Thankfully, bark collars offer a solution by providing various correction modes tailored to disrupt persistent barking, allowing you to select the approach that suits your dog’s temperament and size. But selecting a bark collar to train your chatty companion can be a bit difficult, between how many options are out there and your dog’s specific needs. And to that end, I present to you a compilation featuring the best bark collar for different categories based on features owners look for in these devices.

The Best Bark Collars of 2023

Dog bark collars were designed with different sets of features and use-cases, so it’s key to determine your dog’s sensitivities as well as your dog’s needs. For example, if you have a dog that is easily startled by a simple vibration, then purchasing a vibration collar may be the most effective at distracting him when he barks. If your dog is averse to different smells like lemon or citronella, then a spray collar may be able to stop your dog’s barking quickly. There are also your own preferences to consider. Which type of correction are you most comfortable using? There are dog owners that don’t feel comfortable with the shock stimulation while others may not like the smell of the spray collars.

It may take a bit of trial and error to find the best bark collar for your dog. To save you some time, I’ve narrowed down the selection to feature only the best collar for a certain feature, so you can hone in on the model that best suits your needs.

I arrived at these verdicts for the best bark collar for each category after looking at scores of online user testimonies, and on some occasions, some live testing with the help of my dog, as well as a few of my friends’ and family’s dogs that volunteered with varying levels of eagerness (although it only took a few treats to get them onboard).

Our Favorite Bark Collar: BarkWise™ Complete

Safe and humane, the BarkWise Complete is a dog bark collar that uses ultrasonic sound and vibration, in place of the controversial static shock correction. For those who don’t know, ultrasonic means that the collar will emit an inaudible, high-pitched sound that can’t be heard by humans, but is mildly irritating to dogs. By default, it activates its correction automatically every time your pup barks. The device does so very accurately, since it attunes itself to your dog’s specific bark signature with its Advanced Bark Recognition™ Technology, ensuring that other dogs’ barks won’t set off the correction and confuse your furry friend. The included remote control lets you manually trigger the correction if you observe any other behavior you want to discourage your dog from. 

Along with the primary advantage of being 100 percent shock-free, the BarkWise Complete also has a quick-charge battery that fills up within about 2 hours, and usually lasts 12 hours on a single charge if it’s applying corrections constantly. But as your dog gets that bad behavior trained out of him, the collar will be able to last up to 24 hours on a single charge. It is also water-resistant and durable enough for daily use, so if your dog likes puddles and the rain, you won’t have to worry. 

The vibration feature on the other hand is about as strong as the vibration on your average smartphone. You can set both to trigger automatically when your dog barks, or manually do so with the remote. If your dog is hard of hearing, you can also set the collar to use an audible sound that is also very effective.

Runner Up: SportDOG NoBark SBC-R Waterproof Rechargeable Dog Bark Collar

Like the other strong contenders on this list, the SportDOG NoBark SBC-R Rechargeable Bark Control Dog Collar uses advanced proprietary technology that can detect your pup’s unique style of barking. This tech also blocks out other noise to only trigger when your dog is barking, but I’ve found that it’s exceptionally good at recognizing your dog’s own barks, even correctly distinguishing between an actual bark and one from a recording. My guess is it’s got something to do with it detecting the actual vibrations coming from the dog’s throat, which it likely does considering that SportDOG insists that the collar be worn tightly onto your dog’s neck. I personally prefer to follow the two-finger rule, but it still works as intended despite that. Then again, my dog has fairly thin fur, so your mileage may vary. 

Featuring different correction modes that you can program, the Sport DOG NoBark dog collar offers 10 levels of stimulation through a collar that uses effective and safe correction. You also get a safety shut-off feature that operates during excessive barking over a provided time period. This technologically advanced collar has a low-profile design that is sleek and waterproof allowing it to be safely immersed in water up to 10 feet. It also comes with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that can charge in just two hours. Once your dog is decently bark-trained by this device, the battery can last up to 200 hours if your dog activates its correction only rarely.

Also Great: Garmin BarkLimiter Deluxe Dog Training Collar

Lightweight and compact, I consider the Garmin BarkLimiter Deluxe Dog Training Collar to be the bark collar of choice for dogs that are a bit fussy about having a device strapped to their necks. 

Its slim profile and light weight makes it compatible with most breeds and sizes, but unfortunately, according to some user reports, this also makes it somewhat easy to tear off if a dog is really determined to get rid of it. During testing, however, none of the dogs I recruited to test it out could really do much to displace it, unlike some models that can be displaced sideways if a dog shakes his head enough. But then again, those dogs weren’t really trying to remove the collar. Upon closer inspection, I can easily see a dog who hates bark collars chewing this one off without much effort. But thankfully since it was designed with dog comfort at the forefront, it should take a truly stubborn dog to be irritated by this device.

The Garmin BarkLimiter and it uses innovative technology that can identify between other noise and barking, so you won’t have to be concerned about a false correction. The intuitive auto setting will increase the correction level until your dog stops barking. 

One of the unique features of the Garmin BarkLimiter Deluxe Dog Training Collar is a built-in counter, which measures every bark your dog makes. This lets you see how much progress Fido is making towards barking less, and determine which correction type your dog responds to the best. You can also view training progress on the collar’s companion app, which includes a lot of nifty controls that lets you forgo a dedicated remote and instead use your trusty smartphone. With the app, you can manually adjust the correction level from vibration to stimulation as well as change the intensity to increase automatically until your dog stops barking.

And even with all those features, the Garmin BarkLimiter Deluxe is incredibly power efficient, with some reports saying that a single charge lasted them up to 3 months.

Best Waterproof Dog Bark Collar: PetSafe Waterproof Rechargeable Dog Bark Collar

What stood out to me about the PetSafe Bark Collar was its robust waterproof design that can keep it functional even if your dog likes to jump in a pond several times a week. Made out of premium-coated nylon, this adjustable dog training collar fits pups up to eight pounds and neck sizes between 6 and 27 inches.

Aside from training out excessive barking, the PetSafe Rechargeable Bark Collar claims to be able to recognize and help stop whimpering and whining as well. Featuring 15 levels of static correction, this dog bark collar will initially emit a low-level correction when it senses barking and then intensifies the correction level automatically until it stops barking. 

It then paces its correction levels depending on the intensity of your dog’s barking. Using temperament learning technology, the collar will then adjust how it escalates to each correction level, depending on how often your pup barks.

This bark collar offers several bark solutions including Ultrasonic, Spray, and Static. Each of these options can help you to prevent excessive barking. It also has a helpful training feature including progressive correction that allows your dog to learn safely and an automatic hands-free alert system that sends you a signal when your dog barks.

To prevent corrections from becoming too excessive, the collar shuts off for 3 minutes if your dog barks more than 15 times in an 80 second time period. As is standard with dog bark collars nowadays, the PetSafe Bark Collar also includes a sensor that will help to ensure that your dog doesn’t feel a false activation or correction due to another dog barking nearby. And the bark sensing technology will learn your dog’s unique bark and will only correct your dog when it hears that sound.

Best Bark Collar for Smaller Breeds: DogRook Dog Bark Collar

With no shock option to speak of, the DogRook Dog Bark Collar was seemingly made for smaller dogs, and its easy-adjust strap reinforces that. The collar is easily adjustable for any dog that weighs between 11 and 110 pounds and has a neck size range between 9 and 22 inches.

The DogRook Rechargeable Dog Bark Collar uses a fixed automatic correction staging system, featuring five safe stages of beeps and vibration. The stages switch automatically based on how much your dog barks and will increase with each bark. However, it only works in automatic mode and doesn’t come with a remote.

This rechargeable collar will work 14 days with just one charge, and you can get a full charge in just three hours.

However, buyers also run the risk of the correction actually being too weak to have much effect, as was the case with some of my tests with larger dogs.

Most Versatile Bark Collar: Dogtra YS600 Anti Bark Collar

Designed for medium- to large-sized dogs, the Dogtra YS600 Anti Bark Collar is specifically geared towards dogs that weigh upwards of 35 pounds. It is also highly waterproof, making it great for dogs who love to swim, and it comes with a two-hour rapid charge battery that can last up to three days on one charge.

Much like a wireless fence collar, the Dogtra YS600 No Bark Collar gets your dog’s attention by issuing an intense vibration as a warning before it emits static stimulation. It then cycles through ten levels of stimulation to correct unwanted behavior, making it compatible even with the toughest of dogs. Bark detection is implemented with an accelerometer that ensures that the collar only reacts to your dog’s bark and can’t be triggered by any ambient noise. 

One of its standout features is the persistent bark indicator, which tells you whether or not the current correction setting has been working. This is particularly useful if you’re away from home a lot and so can’t really hear whether the collar is being effective. You can increase the correction level as needed if it turns out that your dog is simply fighting through the static.

Best Rechargeable Bark Collar: NBJU Bark Collar for Dogs

Equipped with seven sensitivity levels, the NBJU Bark Collar for Dogs is ideal for just about any size dog. It comes with three modes of correction: shock, beep, and vibration, with seven different intensity levels for each. This waterproof bark collar has an IP7 rating, so it can withstand harsh weather, but may not be enough for an actual dip in water. 

This collar has a remarkable quick-charge of only 30 minutes. From my testing, even with this low of a charge time, a single charge can last up to 15 days, but some users report an even longer battery life. That said, though, I was running out of test subjects and so had to resort to pups that were already very bark-disciplined. So, your mileage may vary depending on how often your own dog triggers the corrections.

The NBJU Bark Collar for Dogs also comes with a protection function and includes two silicone sleeves that can protect your dog’s skin from electric shock.

Safest Bark Collar: UPGRADED Q6 Rechargeable Bark Collar

The edge over other shock-based collars that the Q6 Rechargeable Bark Collar markets itself with is its Intelligent Anti-Injury Chip. The chip automatically regulates its five levels of sensitivity between vibration, beep, and a gentle and safe shock in order to effectively correct excessive barking with the least likelihood of injury possible. 

Ideal for any type of dog, the QG Rechargeable Bark Collar comes with a digital display that features a high-tech design including the level of sensitivity, vibration, and shock. You can also choose the right training mode to get your dog to keep from barking. 

The rechargeable battery can last 14 days on just one charge. This is largely thanks to its built-in no-bark receiver that will deactivate if the collar hasn’t detected a bark in a while. Like a few other models on this list, it also automatically shuts off if it is activated seven times in a single minute. It will then resume again after one minute.

The Q6 Rechargeable Bark Collar also contains a standard intelligent barking detection system that prevents false triggering. 

As is standard with smart collar devices, it also features a waterproof design with an IPX7 rating, making it suitable for use in any weather. Material-wise, it’s built lightweight and solid, protecting it from the harshest scrapes and bumps.

Most Adjustable Bark Collar: DOG CARE Bark Collar

Offering highly adjustable sensitivity levels, the DOG CARE Bark Collar gives a more humane approach to static therapy by giving dogs plenty of allowance before actually delivering the shock. By default, it first gives off an audible beep, and then an intense vibration, before delivering the first very mild shock. It will then progressively increase the shock for seven more increments if the unwanted behavior persists. You can also choose whether to stick to vibrations or go straight to static shock.

The DOG CARE Bark Collar uses very low voltage to deliver its corrections to preserve battery life, and this is part of the reason why it doesn’t come with a remote. It includes a safety protection system that stops working if your dog isn’t responding to the collar for a short time. You also don’t have to worry about accidental shocks. It only works when there is barking near the collar, and it is loud enough. 

True to its commitment to adjustability, the adjustable strap on the DOG CARE Bark Collar is easy to configure for dogs of every size, more so than many other collars on this list. It even comes with silicon rubber covers that help to protect your pup’s skin.

Easiest to Use Bark Collar: Eyenimal Deluxe Spray Bark Collar

The Eyenimal Deluxe Spray Bark Collar is designed to be completely humane and all-natural, and so it relies solely on lavender-scented spray for corrections. Although completely harmless, the smell is not pleasant to a dog. The spray triggers as soon as the device detects any vibration at all from your dog’s throat, enforcing total silence (you may want to take the collar off from time to time if that’s not what you want). 

The Eyenimal Deluxe Spray Bark Collar is also waterproof, lightweight, and comes with a highly adjustable strap, so you can easily fit it comfortably onto your dog. It also comes with an extra spray container for refills.

Best Automatic Bark Collar: Frisco Rechargeable Dog Bark Collar

Like other multi-correction collars, the Frisco Rechargeable Dog Bark Collar lets you choose between vibration and tone mode, exclusively static stimulation, or both. There are five adjustable sensitivity levels and six correction levels that increase in strength automatically after your dog has been barking for 30 seconds. You can choose any of these intensity levels as the starting point for corrections.

I’ve found that the Frisco Rechargeable Dog Bark Collar is particularly suited for training your dog to be off-leash. The well-tailored sensitivity levels not only pick up dog barks, but every other vocalization as well, including the telltale signs that your dog is about to get up to some mischief while off the leash. However, it doesn’t let you manually engage corrections yourself, since it has no remote. But for most dogs I’ve tested it on, its sensitivity options were enough to discourage unwanted behaviors during off-leash play or obedience training sessions (you may want to decrease the sensitivity during play, however).

The collar itself is made of thermoplastic polyurethane and nylon, and includes reflective material strips that help you to spot your dog in the dark. It’s also waterproof with an IP67 level rating, and it is safe for use on a dog that is six months and older and weighs over eight pounds.

Best Tracking Bark Collar: EatekPower Rechargeable Dog Barking Control Training Collar

Equipped with a smart color display that contains all the detail you will need to see, the EatekPower Rechargeable Dog Barking Control Training Collar actually tracks your dog’s progress by recording his daily barking times. 

There are two working modes with the EatekPower Rechargeable Dog Barking Control Training Collar: the default loop mode which cycles through the correction levels from the lowest intensity to the highest and starts back up at the lowest again; and the fixed mode which keeps the collar’s intensity at the same level whenever it delivers a correction.  As is standard, you can choose whether or not to use shock, exclusively beep, or exclusively vibrate.

All of these options are easily accessible on its clear touchscreen display, which also includes a battery indicator, which will tell you exactly how much time the battery has left and will alert you as soon as it needs charging. The battery quick-charges in an impressive 70 minutes and has been known to last up to 18 days on a single charge. The device itself has a waterproof rating of IP68.

As far as false triggers, I haven’t encountered a single one during my testing of this powerful device. It doesn’t really engage corrections for something as low as growling, but I find that that’s enough for most dog owners who only want to eliminate excessive barking. As with many other models on this list, the collar deactivates corrections for a minute if activated six times in a row, in order to moderate the frequency of corrections.

Why Use a Bark Collar in the First Place?

When faced with non-stop barking that disrupts not just your peace and harmony, but your reputation with your neighbors as well, dog bark collars emerge as an invaluable tool. Here’s what exactly makes it so effective in that respect:

Diverse and Customizable Correction Modes

Bark collars allow for tailored correction through stimulation or vibration settings. These modes furnish painless correction upon each barking instance. For more stubborn dogs, a static shock collar is considered the most effective, but dog owners don’t necessarily have to opt for that.

Dog bark collars gradually increase the correction level as barking persists, but with many models, you can tailor how fast they escalate corrections, set the maximum allowed intensity, or even start out at the highest setting immediately. 

Automated Bark Training

With modern sound recognition tech, dog bark collars offer a near-seamless automatic solution to keeping dogs from barking excessively. Unlike manually triggered correction collars, bark collars can discipline your dog with little to no input from the owner. 

They’re incredibly safe

Bark collars prioritize safety. You’re able to adjust the correction intensity, aligning it with your dog’s temperament. Bar the static shock corrections, you can rest assured that your pet remains unharmed.

Types of Bark Collars

Rechargeable Bark Collars

Dispensing with the need for frequent battery changes, rechargeable variants offer convenience and cost-effectiveness. Swift charging times, often an hour or two, yield days of operation.

Remote Control Bark Collars

While many bark collars adjust automatically, some provide a remote control feature for personalized training. This is particularly beneficial for anxious or smaller dogs, ensuring optimal correction levels that match their size and temperament.

Shock Collars

A shock collar — or more formally, a static correction collar — delivers controlled static interruptions in response to barking. An automatic version detects barking through sensors, while a remote-control model empowers you to adjust intensity levels for your dog’s safety. A shock collar usually comes with both automatic and remote control options — rarely just one of the two.

Spray Collars

Equipped with sensors, spray bark collars emit harmless bursts of lemon or citronella scent near your dog’s nose, deterring barking. These eco-friendly scents ensure the safety of your dog and the environment, making them ideal for practical training.

Ultrasonic Bark Collars 

Emitting high-frequency sounds imperceptible to humans, ultrasonic bark collars serve as a humane method to deter barking. Some models combine sound and vibration stimulation, making them suitable for small or young dogs.

Vibration Bark Collars

Responsive to barking, vibration bark collars administer pulses that interrupt the behavior. Adjustable vibration levels accommodate various sensitivities, though efficacy might vary for stubborn or large dogs.

Waterproof Bark Collars

Offering adjustable static correction levels, waterproof variants are particularly geared towards letting your dog frolic in rain or puddles, as well as swim in pools or ponds, without damaging the collar. Diverse sizing options ensure compatibility.

Combination Bark Collars

While many collars offer singular correction methods, some models feature multiple anti-barking options, encompassing shock, sound, and vibration, similar to some of the better wireless fence models . Variants with automatic and remote-control functionalities provide further versatility.

In conclusion, incorporating a bark collar into your dog’s training regimen offers a multifaceted approach to address excessive barking while safeguarding your pet’s well-being and fostering a harmonious living environment.

Things to Consider When Buying Bark Collars

It is a good idea that you choose your dog’s bark collar carefully since choosing the wrong type of collar can cause your dog to delay his progress or send him back. Here are a few things to think about when choosing a bark collar for your pet:

Dog Size – Some bark collars are more effective for specific dog sizes. A large dog, for example, won’t be as receptive to a vibration collar since their neck is just too sturdy and large for the vibration to affect them much. A toy breed that weighs under ten pounds can be injured easily by shock and vibration collars in comparison to other breeds, which means that a bark collar isn’t a good choice for them.

Temperament – When dealing with canine aggression, positive punishment training isn’t always the best way. If you subject an aggressive dog to unpleasant corrections, it can often make his behavior worse, so a distraction collar may be the most effective option. So, it’s important to keep your dog’s temperament in mind as you buy your pup’s bark collar.

Is It Safe to Use a Dog Bark Collar?

Many dog owners are concerned about how safe a bark collar is to use on their dogs. An anti-bark collar doesn’t need to use a shock correction [1], there are many bark collars on the market that use ultrasonic noise that a human can’t hear or a spray of lemon or citronella instead of a shock. If you are interested in using a shock collar, it’s important to know that it will send a quick shock that will startle your dog as he barks. These interruption corrections are quick and brief and do not have long-lasting effects. 

Anti-bark collars are safe to use as long as you take precautions. Bark collars shouldn’t be used for over 12 hours at a time since it may irritate your pup’s skin, and you shouldn’t use the collar when your dog is sleeping, crated, or playing. An anti-bark collar is also not recommended for a young puppy under six months of age or a dog that weighs less than eight pounds.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most effective anti-bark collar?

The SportDog NoBark SBC-R Rechargeable Bark Control Dog Collar is effective as well as safe to use. Using advanced proprietary technology, this anti-bark collar is able to detect your dog’s unique barking style and is also able to filter out other types of noise when delivering correction that only your dog is able to sense. The SportDog NoBark SBC-R Rechargeable Bark Control Dog Collar offers effective and consistent training, which won’t include any accidental correction when he isn’t barking.  

Is there a bark collar that really works?

The SportDog NoBark SBC-R Rechargeable Bark Control Dog Collar features different modes of correction that you are able to program. Offering 10 stimulation levels, this collar allows you to choose the right and most effective level of stimulation for your dog. It is also effective at filtering out other noises, so it can focus on only correcting your dog’s barking.

What is the strongest bark collar on the market?

Safe and effective, the lightweight and compact Garmin BarkLimiter Deluxe Dog Training Collar easily discourage your dog from barking excessively at home or on a walk. It uses integrated stainless steel contact points that easily and quickly train and gives you dog correction. Using innovative technology, this bark collar can identify between noise and barking, so he won’t receive false corrections. 

With an intuitive auto setting, the Garmin BackLimiter Deluxe Dog Training Collar will increase the correction level until your dog stops barking. It also comes with a built-in counter that measures each bark, so you can determine which correction level is the most effective for your dog. It works on any breed size or type, so it has the strength level needing for large or more aggressive dogs.

Are anti-bark dog collars cruel?

While some people may think anti-bark collars that use shock correction are cruel, there are also anti-bark collars that use vibration, sound, and spray as correction instead. A spray collar emits a small burst of spray near your pup’s nose to stop your dog from barking. Typically, non-toxic lemon or citronella spray is and safe for the environment making the collar a practical training too for anxious or smaller breeds.

An ultrasonic bark collar is equipped with a microphone that senses your dog actively barking and transmits a sound that only a dog can hear. Vibration can be used along with sound in a bark collar, or you can purchase a bark collar that solely uses vibration as a correction.  

Using sensors that can detect when your dog is barking, a vibration collar sends out a pulse correction that disrupts your dog when he is barking. You can adjust the vibration to different levels of correction depending on how stubborn your dog is.