Indianapolis (WTHR)-Diana Culkins likes her two dogs, but she was the first to admit that they sometimes drive her crazy.

JuJu (short for Junie B. Jones, the young, lively girl who is the protagonist of the children's book series) is an energetic Shichon who barks at the sight of visitors.

Vicki is described by her owner as "mostly a Chihuahua rescue bastard", barking at the first sign of almost anything. Named after the Indiana Pacers All-Star guard Victor Oladipo, Vicki is full of energy and constantly moving. "She is smaller than other dogs, but she is fearless and can jump up to 4 feet vertically," Calkins explained.

These dogs are small, but when they are all awake, Calkins' home south of Indianapolis becomes very noisy.

"As long as someone comes in, they will bark. Whenever neighbors do anything unusual, they will go crazy," Calkins shook his head and explained. "The neighbors barked constantly during the whole process of mowing the lawn. They barked at the neighbor's dog. For these puppies, it was a very, very high pitch. Ears hurt."

This is why Calkins turned its attention to Outdoor Bark Control, which claims to use ultrasound to stop dogs from barking. The device looks like a small plastic house with a microphone inside. According to its user manual, when the outdoor barking control unit detects a bark, it will emit its own high-pitched noise, "dogs can hear it, but it is silent for humans." That unpleasant and startling noise should annoy your dog and prompt it to stop barking. When the barking stops, the ultrasound will also stop.

"This seems like a good idea, and I have always been curious whether it works," Calkins told WTHR, eagerly offering JuJu and Vicki as product testers. Therefore, 13 investigators purchased the device to see if it fulfilled its promise to stop harassing barking.

It's easy to set up. This small plastic device requires a 9-volt battery (not included), and Calkins installed it in less than a minute. Then she tested the audio sensor of the device according to the product's instructions, and the result showed that the outdoor barking control unit correctly detected the barking sound.

Calkins then put the product on her terrace table to see what happens.

The first few days of the test did not provide any useful results. Due to the very high temperature, Vicki and JuJu spend most of their time indoors, which is beyond the scope of the outdoor bark control unit. Their frequent indoor barking prompts Calkins to move the equipment inside-the manufacturer does not recommend this. (Neither the user manual nor the online materials provide detailed explanations of the reasons for not using internal products.) She noticed the direct impact.

"The moment I opened it, they stopped barking," Calkins said.

13 Investigators observed the behavior of the dog because the visitor knocked on the front door and rang the doorbell. These two triggers usually result in prolonged barking. The bark control device was operating at the lowest setting a few feet away, and both JuJu and Vicki ran to the front door, and each made a bark in response to the noise at the door.

"There is absolutely a difference. They will bark frantically. It does work," Calkins said enthusiastically. "Nothing usually distracts them, and this seems to be done."

But the excitement did not last long.

After an impressive indoor test, JuJu and Vicki went out to play. Calkins put the outdoor bark control device back on the terrace table in her backyard and increased the sensitivity of the device to a higher setting.

Within a few minutes, the neighbor's dog also decided to go outdoors. Things quickly became very noisy, and the dogs on both sides of the backyard fence barked continuously and strongly for several minutes. Outdoor Bark Control says it can effectively stop barking from 50 feet away. Obviously no one bothered to inform JuJu and Vicki.

When facing the neighbors next door, these dogs did not seem to notice the presence of the anti-barking device. The device appeared to be making ultrasonic noise-we couldn't hear it, but we did see a red flashing light, indicating that the device was making a sound in response to barking-JuJu and Vicki were yelling all the time.

"I don't think it works very well," Calkins said, obviously disappointed and paused for nearly 20 seconds, while her dog continued to bark at the dog next door. "Those dogs barked like crazy when they came out. Obviously it didn't work on neighbors' dogs, and we were within 10 or 15 feet of the box, which seemed to have no effect at all."

If you browse online or at a local pet store for products that claim to stop barking, you will quickly find many devices that utilize ultrasound.

Ultrasound refers to the sound frequency above 20,000 Hz, which is the upper limit of the sound that the human ear can generally hear. Dogs’ hearing is much more sensitive-up to 45,000 Hz-so anti-barking products use frequencies in this higher frequency range.

In addition to the effectiveness of these devices, 13 investigators also asked about their safety. The local veterinarian consulted by WTHR expressed little concern about the impact of the technology on dogs.

"It will not harm dogs, nor will it harm their eardrums," said Dennis Katz, a veterinarian and professional development director at Noah's Animal Hospital.

"Are they safe? I believe yes, they are within reasonable limits," agreed Meredith Engelsky, practice manager at Alisonville Animal Hospital and Hut Animal Clinic in Hamilton County. She suggested that these types of devices should only be used to train dogs for a short period of time, because there are few published studies showing the long-term effects of ultrasound on animal hearing.

"There is not much evidence in the literature that it can cause hearing loss or neurological problems in dogs... but what I want to say is the lack of research," Lebanese veterinarian Amanda Rigterink (Amanda Rigterink) who specializes in animal behavior Say. "I am indeed more worried that it will cause trouble and increase the anxiety of dogs, because they are much more sensitive to sounds than us, so this may be troublesome."

All the veterinarians who spoke to WTHR stated that their customers did not find that ultrasound equipment was particularly effective in preventing unnecessary barking.

Riggettlink said: "Some dogs may be disturbed by it and stop barking, while some dogs may be very excited by the sound and bark more."

Katz said that she does not recommend using ultrasound equipment in households with multiple dogs, because it may severely affect one dog, while it will not affect another dog at all.

"You may also be in a situation where you may be correcting a dog that has closed its mouth and no longer barks. If you have another dog that doesn’t care and barks, this may cause hostility between the dogs. Relationship," Katz said.

"Every dog ​​is different. I have seen people try to use it, then come in and say it is useless, because their dog is just struggling, and they just start to bark from any source (causing)," Engerski added road.

For customers who purchased the same Elenest Outdoor Bark Control unit tested by Calkins, online reviews showed mixed results. This product currently has 2.4 stars (out of 5 stars) on Amazon.com. Some commenters wrote that "it worked well," while others said it was "a waste of money." It can be purchased from various online retailers for between $30 and $45.

Overall, Calkins gave the product a C- rating. She said that at certain times, outdoor bark control seemed very effective. Other times, JuJu and Vicki kept barking as if they were not there.

"Still looking for a solution," she said. "I like it a little bit at home, but outside I don't think it works."

Veterinarians warn pet owners not to think that ultrasonic barking control products can "cure" their dog's barking problem.

"They might change their behavior, but they didn't address the underlying motives and causes of barking," explains Rigterink, who is in charge of veterinary behavior in Indiana.

"I suggest trying to find out why this happened—why it happened—and then modify it," Engelski agreed.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to stop barking. "It really depends on the reason they barked in the first place," said Mica Riedner, a professional dog trainer at Fisher's Paws & Play Training Center.

Here are some tips from Riedner for pet owners seeking to get rid of constant barking:

If there is a product you would like to test with 13 Investigate, please let us know. Send information about the product to 13investigates@wthr.com. We will inform you whether your suggestions will appear in the upcoming 13 Investigate product test report.

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