Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I work as a canine behavior evaluator at a Humane Society shelter facility. We ordered one Bark Genie to help a foster parent with a hound who had problem barking, and out of curiosity ordered a second one for use in our adoption kennels. The first day I used it, we were able to create a completely silent kennel composed of 40+ dogs who were normally ridiculously loud, and I swore that this device was a godsend. However, after further experimentation, it's become obvious that it does not work without consistent use and incorporating basic training concepts. You can't just point it at a dog while it's barking and expect it to become silent after repeated uses; many of them become acclimated to the sound and are no longer affected. Using the Bark Genie as simply a redirection tool in combination with other training techniques, you can acquire the results you want. Some dogs do not appear to respond to the sound at all, regardless of the environment. Some other dogs that will respond to the sound in a silent room may disregard the sound if they are overstimulated by a loud environment, the presence of other animals, or being outside. A few reactive dogs actually responded to the sound with aggression; turning on their handler, snapping/baring teeth, or turning on other nearby animals. This appeared in various breeds and various temperaments, and was quite surprising, but was not common. We currently use the device with our kennel workers to discourage problem barking and fence-fighting (when walking a dog down the kennel aisle, activating it when the walking dog attacks the glass transparent cage doors or other dogs, or when the caged dogs bark or jump at their own doors). We use the activation of the Bark Genie in combination with a "Quiet" command. Most of our dogs now respond quite well to only seeing the device in the kennel worker's hand, or to the "Quiet" command alone. The adoption facility is a much nicer place now, as long as it is used consistently with new arrivals! ...But, yes, it's a bit hit or miss regarding how well it will work for your personal pet. Some dogs just do not care!