Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Pardon me? Air in a can? The new Pet Corrector?

Picture is from the ad itself which you
can find on the net. It is not my picture
I do not make money off of it, nor
do I hold any copyrights to it. 

So as I took my first few sips of morning coffee and began to open my emails, (all 24 of 'em, who knew I was so popular?) there was an advertisement awaiting my finger to click on, so I did.   Yes, yes, nothing opens my eyes quite so quickly as a new dog product!   But air in a can?  REALLY?”  Oh, but it gets even better! If you act now while supplies last it will only cost you $9.99!  Hey, maybe if you wait another week, you will get two cans for the same price!





I know I have not written anything on the blog in a while as I have been busy packing up the house, but today’s pet product advisor’s newsletter about a product  to help correct the  behavior of  an annoying dog barking set my fast fingers moving like a pianist to the black and whites!  What’s wrong with this picture? 

The product is called “Pet Corrector” which is basically air in a can, and it claims to stop the dog’s annoying bark by making a hissing sound like that of a snake which will stop the dog from barking, as quoted from  the site’s ad below. 

“The concept is simple. In nature, snakes hiss to scare off predators. Dogs instinctively know this sound and they stop whatever they are doing when they hear it. The Pet Corrector is a can of compressed air. When you push the button, it releases some of that air and it makes a hissing sound similar to that of the snake. When your dog hears it he will stop whatever he is doing, including barking.”


 The advertisement  shows a human’s hand spraying the can of  air near the dog’s barking mouth and it gently infers that by using this product, magically peace will be brought to your land, both inside the home and between neighbors who complain about your dog’s barking which sometimes causes harsh tempers and law suits.
 

  Really folks, when it gets to that point, you were never good neighbors to begin with, so cut your losses now! 

 This product, as stated in the ad was developed by a ‘renowned’ British Animal Behaviorist Dr. Roger Mudford and has become the number one rated tool in the United Kingdom (Why do they have animal behaviorist anyway? Isn’t it just a glorified name for someone who has been around a certain animal species over long periods of time observing their habits and mannerisms? Do we really need a title and certificate for this? Does it take good old common sense to determine if such a tool is indeed useful? )

Again I ask, REALLY? 

Sadly to me, this product is endorsed by one of my favorite dog sites: Dr Jon’s  ‘petplace.com’ the same place that recommended Zero Odor (which I tried and 30 dollars later it was not worth the money!) 

For this product I am basing my opinion on common sense and on over 20 years of experience with dog observing and training, granted no doctorate here, but I have studied much dog behavior over the course of those 20 years!  

  I have not tried or purchased this product, nor will I recommend it based on common sense alone.  (I know much of the time my common sense gets me into trouble, but this one I stand firmly on and you can read why below.)


Pros

Will it work?  

1) Probably, any noise you use that is foreign to a dog will interrupt the behavior at the time and maybe for a short time afterward.

2) The can is filled with air so it is probably very lightweight.

3) If it does not work, you can use it to clean your computer keyboard! 

That’s it folks, that’s all I got! 

Cons: 

      1) You probably need to be near the dog when using this product, this could mean chasing the dog all over the yard just to use it in order for it to be effective! But hey, on the bright side, it might be good for a workout if you need to lose a few pounds!

     2) If you are not home to use it, the dog will continue to bark. 

3) The can is clearly large and visible in the hand which the dog can see and the dog will eventually  pick up on it as being a negative experience.  When a negative comes from your hand, the dog learns just to fear your hand, nothing more. Remember those old timers that used to swat the dog with a rolled up newspaper? Same effect.  The dog will clearly stop whatever it is doing if you are holding the can and it has been used on him, but do you want the dog to learn to fear your hand? And do you want to carry around a can of air at all times?

     4) Inquisitive dogs or breeds that hunt vermin, may actually like the noise and see it not as a deterrent but something to seek out! 


Suggestions:

1) Dropping a book on the floor will accomplish the same thing and it’s free!

2) A small hand held fog horn from Wal~Mart will do the same and there’s no shipping charge at a Wal~Mart near you, plus you can hang this on you belt so the dog does not see it in your hand. 

3) If you say the word ‘Shit’ a lot, but you leave off the “it” it amounts to the same as Shhhh, just like a snake, again it’s free! Or perhaps you have a gap between your two front teeth that would work too! 

4) Your voice is a hands free device and you don’t need to chase the dog around to use it.

5) Training your dog the difference between speak and quiet will have the same effect. 

6) Getting a barker breaker instead will stop the dog’s behavior when you are not home as it is automatic. 

7) And lastly on a personal note, after watching the commercial on the Pet Corrector website which shows a dog barking when someone has pushed the doorbell, no offense friends, but if you don’t call me first, I want to be alerted to incoming company so I can slip out the back door!   

So, the next time you hear these words,  “Honey, the dog is barking, find that can of air quick!” hide the remote, cuz  there’s just too much time on your housemate’s  hands!

That’s it, save your money!



2 comments:

  1. I was browsing the internet for web sites related to Dog Toys and I came across yours. On the other hand, Owning a dog can be a positive, enjoyable experience for the entire family and owning a dog requires a commitment from you that will last the lifetime.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have been using this to stop my neighbors dogs from constantly barking at us when we are outside, since our neighbors won't take care of the problem. After a short burst, both dogs stop barking and go back inside.

    ReplyDelete