First Alert Bark Genie Handheld Bark Control Device (FABCU2G)

I have an opinionated dog. She is very vocal - chattery enough, folks have accused her of participating in election debates and stump speeches. While this is both endearing and charming around my home, she is also my competitive Obedience and Rally teammate; her commentary under those circumstances, is inappropriate, loses points, and on many occasions has resulted in very expensive, Non Qualifying performances. For six years, I have tried dozens of approaches to teach her that commentary during competition, is Not Appropriate under any circumstances. Nothing seemed to make an impression, as she found it more rewarding to bark, whine, and grumble than be quiet and get to work. A friend with a similar chatty dog, told me about this gadget. Small enough to hide in your hand for training, or in a pocket, or treat bag, I can activate the sonic correction the same time I say "quiet," and it gets her IMMEDIATE attention! She certainly does not like that sound, at ALL, and I can make my correction for barking at a distance - which wasn't possible with the other methods I tried. While it will not be fair to use this gadget in a group obedience class - where other dogs would be subject to the sound at the same time - I CAN use it just about anywhere else. With more training, so she realizes Talking In The Ring Is Not Allowed, I am looking forward to far more competition runs with her Dr. Jekyll personality, than the supremely frustrating ones when Ms. Hyde is the teammate who appears in the ring when the leash comes off.

I have four dogs, all different, small Shihtzu, Labradoodle, Cattle dog mix, and a Dutch shepherd mix. My two main barking problems were barking in the car at dogs outside the car and barking at dogs on television, most annoying and ear shattering when you are napping on the couch! It is relatively easy to train one dog not too bark, but training a group, especially when they are not accessible in the car, is practically impossible. I read the cautions of previous reviewers. One reviewer at a dog rescue said it stopped some dogs from barking, scared others, caused some dogs to become aggressive, and some dogs just ignored it. Another reviewer said it worked for a couple of days, then stopped working. Another reviewer seemed to set it off many times during the day and for many situations before saying the devise didn't work at all. You need to use common sense in using this - or should I say, dog sense. First, I suggest trying it out quickly at a distance, say 20' as it is supposed to be good for 15' and observe how your dog or dogs react to it. I believe that with any sign of aggression, you should return it immediately. None of my dogs were aggressive, so I continued testing it cautiously. The small dog seemed a little frightened, but not extremely so, and didn't run away. The other, the most non-barking and non-reactive dog paid little attention to it, only turned her head toward it. The last two, my reactive and barking dogs, stopped what they were doing a went a few feet away from it, obviously didn't like it. My second step was to try it out with a dog show on television. I waited until they were wildly barking at a dog food commercial and pressed the device button quickly. It does have a safety shut-off if you press it too long. At the same time, I said, "No barking." They stopped barking immediately. I worked it again, with the same results. The third time I only had to show them the device and they stopped barking. The fourth time, I anticipated the dog commercial and said, "No Barking." To my surprise, they didn't bark! This command had never worked before - the device gets their attention, in a negative way of course, and puts the command I their memories. I set off the device again a week later to reinforce the sound to them. The next step was to tackle the barking in the car. I followed my same procedures and after two weeks, they no longer bark in the car. This is a training device - not a punishment like a shock collar that you use over and over. I imagine that using this device over and over without training could result in a fearful or aggressive dog. If you don't think you understand dog training, behavior modification, differing dog temperaments, and are not patient, DON'T BUY or USE this bark control device.

Very well made First Alert hand held bark control. My 4yr old Jack Russell has turned into a man now! He believes our back yard IS HIS! Last Summer, after puberty, I started noticing him lift the back leg and "mark" every bush near our back 6ft solid cedar fence. Cedar has knot holes where he can peep thru and look for the dog on other side. Then they both race back and fourth along the fence, never seeing each other. My Jack (the Man) is now the instigator. Our dining room slider (2nd floor) has a outside deck where he can see when the other dogs are in their yard. After making obnoxious winey sounds, I get put out and eventually let him out. He runs down the decks stairs and to the fence. I can hear either dog barking and sometimes, little (the Man Jack Russell stands in middle of back yard and barks at nothing. Macho Man Jack is apparently telling the World he is the King of his domain. That is fine and all except I taught him the "stop barking" command which pre-puberty worked 100%. Now he stops until he hears the slider to the deck close, then starts barking again. I have to yell the stop barking command and sometimes I throw in "what the hell are you barking at Boy? Stop It." Then he will sit in the yard and just look at me like I am a fool who will do nothing. So I purchased this compact First Alert handheld unit and took it for a test run. First thing was to install the batteries, then I hit the button and green light and audible beep. Not thinking ahead, the Boy, I mean the Man was knapping next to me on the couch, sound asleep. That is until I hit the button to test green light. He definitely heard it and about jumped straight up into the air!! I felt bad for him but good that he heard it. This item has a straight line, unobstructed 15ft range. Next time he was running & barking along the fence, I went out onto my deck, pointed device in his direction and hit the button. Green light came on and I heard the beep. It is a good 40ft from the deck rail to the back fence. Same as why tv or radio towers are on mountain tops or tall buildings, longer range. My 15ft First Alert hit his ear, dead bang, at 40ft. He immediately stopped barking and came out from behind the bushes and looked up at me. I then pointed it at him, hit button and verbal stop barking command. Then rewarded him with his fav snack and doggie show "Bad Dogs". So far, 2 weeks later, works every time! I hit button, he stops, comes out into plain view and looks at me with one paw up. I then give the "come" command and hit it 2nd time. He advances 1/2 way towards the house. Then I say "Bad Dog" and "treat" and he runs 90mph to house, up stairs onto deck. Then I show him device, let him see and sniff it so he remembers who the "real" man is! This morning, it was cold and snowing. I was on the couch and heard him barking. I never thought a 15ft range would work like this but it did! I didn't even open the glass slider or go out onto deck. I pointed device towards back fence, which from inside is another 10ft or total of 50ft (downhill) to back fence. Hit the button, saw green and heard beep. Watched and Little Man Jack definitely heard it and came out from bushes and looked up at me standing inside my dining room. Same reaction = same rewards. I was amazed, since our deck has an aluminum cover with thick posts. Rails, a Trager Smoker, a big square post all block the direct line of sight. Plus the refraction or signal bounce from the covered patio being aluminum. Perhaps the aluminum intensifies the signal. Whatever the case, this product works on Little Man Jack every time and I no longer have to go outside. To our right is an obnoxious Black Lab 2yr old who barks at me if he is outside and I go out onto MY OWN DECK! No matter how many times I tell the dog to stop barking, the lazy owner NEVER calls dog in or tells it to stop! So I tried the device and bad luck for me, does not effect this Black Lab. I hit the button several times and said stop barking and unfortunately, any of these devices do not work on all breeds. Unlucky that it does not work on this Black Lab! Not even a flinch, but works 100% on my Jack at 50ft. Dog next door is only 20ft downhill with zero obstructions when he is standing in plain view and looking and barking at me. I am looking for a 2nd device that works on stupid dog owners that matches their hearing frequency. They say that these dog bark devices are similar to our hearing ability of a close range air horn! Wait a minute, maybe that's what I will do. I will purchase a small hand held boat distress horn. When the dog next door barks for no reason, I will yell stop barking and hit the distress horn. Hoping the lazy dog owner comes outside and puts 2 and 2 together. He knows the barking drives us crazy when trying to enjoy peace and quiet on our own deck and does nothing. Yeah, boat distress horn?? Or maybe I can find a portable authentic train horn?? Great product, made well and works with Jack the Man Dog...

We recently integrated 2 additional dogs into the family ( I moved home bringing my dog, and my grandfather moved in after the death of my grandmother). We now have 3 dogs in the house, and 2 of them like to keep a watchful eye on the street. Whenever a threat walks by (read: biker, dog, cat, squirrel, school bus) we end up with 3 dogs going insane. It's been very difficult to get all of them calmed down each time because if one continues to bark, the ruckus starts all over again. I purchased the Bark Genie on the recommendation of a friend who used it to train his dog not to bark at dogs on the TV within 3 days. He thought it worked miracles, so I gave it a try. We have been using the device for 24 hours, and although the barking hasn't ceased completely, they are calming down after 1-2 "no's" and a quick click of the device. It is seriously like we have different dogs. I fully expect to be able to back off on the device within the next week, but even if we can't, having a tool that will get their attention and cause them to stop barking whenever we click it is fantastic. This is well worth the money. The packaging said that it won;t work for all dogs, but it is making a difference on our three. For the price, it's definitely worth a try.

I live with four dogs. That’s not a typo. Four. A small herd of lovable, barking, squirrel-obsessed chaos machines. I love them dearly, but let’s just say our house soundtrack was 80 percent barking, 10 percent toenail clicks on hardwood, and 10 percent me begging for quiet. Enter the Bark Genie. I bought this on a whim, fully expecting it to join the pile of “nice idea, didn’t work” dog gadgets. But to my complete shock, this little thing actually works. I pressed the button the first time one of the dogs started barking and the entire pack looked at me like I had just spoken fluent dog. They all stopped. In unison. I nearly cried. Why I love it: • It’s compact and super easy to use. It feels like I am holding the remote to peace and sanity. • Works even through windows. I’ve used it from the kitchen while the dogs are barking in the yard and it still gets their attention. • It doesn’t hurt or scare them. It’s just a "Hey, maybe don’t scream at the trash truck" kind of reminder. It’s not mind control. It won’t turn your dog into a silent monk overnight. But with consistent use, mine are learning. Even the most dramatic barker is starting to think twice before launching into a full-blown howl session. If you only have one dog, this thing will probably feel like a miracle. If you have four like me, it feels like winning the doggie lottery. Vine Team, if you are reading this, I’ve got pets, opinions, and a willingness to test anything that helps bring a little more calm to the circus. Send the gadgets. I’ll bring the dogs.

Update: It didn't really seem to affect my Boston in stopping his barking, however he also goes crazy for anything that makes a noise. So he took the first opportunity he had to get his revenge. XD Needless to say, I probably won't be replacing it as it wasn't all that effective. Original review: This works great for one of my dogs, a Miniature Pincher, but doesn't seem to affect the other one, a Boston Terrier, at all, or maybe only at a very close distance, which the instructions say not to use closer than 24", I think (I don't have the instructions on hand). In any case, I was hoping it would work at like more than 5' or 6', which it doesn't. The Boston was my main reason for getting this, so it was kind of a waste of money for me.

Individually, my 3 dogs are not problem barkers at all. However, in certain situations---front-door deliveries, backyard squirrels, visiting strangers---the threesome starts off in frenzied barking that excites them more and more. I got this device to use as an immediate correction for those times when all the dogs are going berserk. I was surprised to discover that it is pretty effective in distracting them out of their crazy "team barking." The dogs are size M, L, and XL; the sound seems to affect the XL guy the most visibly (stops barking, ears perk up, looks at me instantly). The M and L dogs also stop barking, but without the same expression of surprise or alert. To train them, I had it at the ready for 3 days when the time came for UPS delivery: with the driver's approach to the door, I immediately pressed the button once they all rushed and starting barking. On the first day, I had to do two button presses; by the third day I just "showed" them the device and they knew to stop barking. Now I can just show them the device when they start getting wound up, and they don't even start barking. Dogs love to bark, and I don't mind them getting a few barks in around the house and in the yard, so I never use this device to correct them under those circumstances. For the completely crazy times, though, when all 3 are just going nuts and driving each other into a higher frenzy, this thing has been a great tool.

This little device is so easy to use and has been a true game changer with our two dogs! The houses in our neighborhood are very close together, so we hear all kinds of noises throughout the day (voices, slamming car doors, other dogs barking, etc.), and they used to bark at every little thing and just feed off each other's excitement. With this, we can easily get them under control, and they are learning VERY QUICKLY not to bark. We've been using it for about two weeks, along with the command "quiet" and lots of positive reinforcement, and they've already come to respond to the command on its own very well, so we rarely have to use the device anymore. We also used to have an issue with our dogs getting into it with the neighbor dogs on the other side of our fence, but with this we can get them to do their business without incident. One of our dogs was terrified of the noise at first - she would run away and even avoided us after using it - but she's warming up very quickly and no longer runs away or avoids us. Our dogs are much more well-behaved and our home life much more peaceful thanks to this device. It's great if you have multiple dogs and limited time for training. 100% recommend!

I purchased this product to deter my neighbors two dogs who bark relentlessly at any movement and are annoying because they have not been trained. My first experience was very positive in that both dogs immediately stopped barking when I used the device for about 40 feet. They both started barking again and the younger of the two ran away when I used it again, the older dog was a little more stubborn but a few more applications dissuaded him. Can't account for the different reactions other than assuming the older dogs hearing was impaired and it needed more than one try. As an aside I used it on another neighbors dog at about 60 feet and it also stopped barking. Appears to be well built also.

I’m afraid I’ve bought several of these barking aids but they don’t seem to work on my dog

Fixed our dog’s anxiety-driven behaviour problems within about a week. After only a handful of times, I only had to show it to her to get the desired effect. Breed= border collie.

Das Gerät funktioniert (technisch) nicht immer... Oft geht leider nur die LED an aber das Geräusch was der Hund hören soll kommt nicht. Wir haben schon mehrfach die Batterie gewechselt. Wenn das Gerät dann mal funktioniert reagiert unser Hund sehr stark darauf und hört sofort mit allem auf was er gerade macht (dafür 5 Sterne) Leider ist das Gerät aber so unzuverlässig das wir es nicht mehr nutzen (daher nur 2 Sterne).

No use