Dana, I keep mine so that you can fit 2 fingers under the collar. Otherwise, it should be tight enough so that it doesnt easily spin. The collar needs to be repositioned every now and then to keep from irritating the skin or causing injury. Another test for tightness would be to set the collar and do something that makes the dog bark. If there is no correction, tighten up a notch. Keep doing this until there is a correction for the bark.

Howard

have you figured out what your dog is barking at???? People, cars, cats, bunnies or just barking cause he can...
Does he have to be outside at night or is there an option of being inside????
Maybe try a fence that blocks the view of what he is barking at????

Does the no bark collar stop the dogs from barking all the time or only when they are wearing it?????

Dana, you are really saying, that your dog can be 1' away from you, you tell him to stop barking, and he continues, right?

Because if your dog is in the house, and you can give a command, and he CHOOSES not to listen, he's basically blowing you off and this is a training issue NOT an equipment issue (as in buy ANOTHER e-collar).

How are your regular obedience classes going? What does your instructor recommend? When your dog has his training leash/collar on does he listen better? Can you leave the collar and a training tab on him in the house? Is he crate trained when you aren't home?

Additionally, sounds like he's awfully perky and alert all night long. So I'm thinking a HUGE increase in his exercise level may help take the edge off an give you a chance at some sleep. I know I have to take my dogs for MILES long off leash romps or I be going nuts. And if my life is too busy for more than about a week to allow me to do this exercise, my dogs are all much less well behaved.

I finally realized, if I try something over and over and it doesn't work to train my dogs, that I can greatly decrease my anger and my dogs confusion by relying on the experts. And by GOING to them so they can see my dog, see my level of training/experience, tell them what we have tried, and get INSTANT real feedback and suggestions, is the most valuable advice. Most training for my dogs is truly only about 1/4 about my dog, and about 3/4 about training ME properly to train my dog. It's easier for me to blame the dog as the problem, when it turns out it's me almost all the time.

When I know better I do better, and there are alot of dog trainers out there who have shown that to me.

QUOTE: Because if your dog is in the house, and you can give a command, and he CHOOSES not to listen, he's basically blowing you off and this is a training issue NOT an equipment issue END

What she said! YES! Equipment aside, it really sounds as though this dog needs very basic obedience training. Do you have a video? Or a trainer? And YES to all those exercise suggestions, too. A well-exercised dog is a quiet (and much happier) dog with a much happier household.

Not to mention that in the course of a lot of that exercise, that's when the very basic training about who's-the-pack-leader starts to happen.

I have bought a bark collar for my 9 month GS, but I haven't used it. I feel that the collar will help with excessive barking, but in the other hand I live on a busy street. I don't want to discourge him to protect his own territory. And his is a stinker I have put a shock collar on him, because he bites the horses. He knows when that collars on or off. When it on he has his halo over his horns. Once the collar comes off those horns out.

So I have different feelings about this collar. If you could let me know what you think, maybe you can sway me to one side.

QUOTE: He knows when that collars on or off. When it on he has his halo over his horns. END

The post above yours (same thread) from Jenn really sounds like something that would help you. Maybe you want to back up and get the bigger picture: Is this an equipment problem or is it a training-and-exercise issue?