Ultrasonic Dog Bark Control Devices Guide & Reviews – Do They Work To Stop Barking?

An ultrasonic sound is a sound wave that is measured above the normal hearing frequency of humans. Technically this is considered to be above 20,000Hz.

Dogs on the other hand, can pick up much higher frequency (higher pitched) sounds than us humans can, measuring up to 45,000Hz. That’s a whole 25,000Hz more hearing range than human ears (even more for those of us without perfect hearing).

This unique canine capability means that we can make use of devices that utilize this higher frequency range, without causing a disturbance to people.

When it comes to dog bark control, ultrasonic devices are one of the most popular methods of getting a dog’s immediate attention when excessive barking is causing a problem – causing an instant disruption to the barking behavior.

Note: Clicking on a product image anywhere in this guide takes you straight to Amazon to view more details and read customer reviews.

Types of Ultrasonic Devices for Dog Barking

Ultrasonic is a technology – and this technology has been put into different types of products which lets you pick and choose the right one for addressing the problem you’re having with a barking dog; and where it’s happening.

So whether it’s outdoors or indoor, mounted somewhere out of sight, or held in your hand – there’s an ultrasonic bark deterrent that will fit your needs: the key is to choose one that works!

Birdhouses & Outdoor Ultrasonic Devices

Used for: Problem neighbor dog barking
As you can tell by the design, bird house style ultrasonic products are made for stealth when you want to target a problem neighboring dog. The goal obviously being that anyone who sees it will just think you’re catering to your feathered friends, rather than trying to get their dog’s attention in the middle of the night (or during the day). There’s also other types of mountable outdoors ultrasonic products that aren’t shaped like a birdhouse. There are definitely pros and cons with all of these products, and the way you use them will largely determine just how well they do or don’t work for you.

Outdoor Devices	Quick Specs
	Dogtek Sonic Bird House Outdoor / Indoor Mountable
	Mountain Ultrasonic Bark Deterrent Birdhouse Outdoors 50ft bark detection range
	Bark Stop Classic Ultrasonic Bark Controller Outdoors Weather Resistant Battery or mains power
	PetSafe Ultrasonic Outdoor Bark Control

Handheld Ultrasonic Devices

Used for: Training your own dog, self protection, neighbor dog barking
These gadgets are small and lightweight, designed to be convenient to carry around with you. They can be used at home as well as when you’re out walking or cycling (with or wtihout a dog) – whether ultrasonic is a good method of deterring aggressive dogs on a walk depends who you ask, which device they’re using and what the situation is. Using a handheld product to help stop your own dog’s excessive barking means using it as part of a wider behavior modification training regime.

Handheld Devices	Quick Specs
	Dog Dazer II Handheld Ultrasonic Outdoor / Indoor 20ft Range Manually activated Handheld
	Sunbeam Sonic Egg Outdoors & Indoors Handheld (Little Egg) 50ft Bark Detection Range 15ft Ultrasonic Sound Range
	Hoont Handheld Electronic Dog Trainer Handheld 50ft Range
	PetSafe Ultrasonic Remote Trainer Trusted brand Range of 30 feet Can be used indoors and outdoor Designed for bark control as well as general training

Ultrasonic Collars

Used for: Training your own dog
If the problem barker is your own dog, you might be considering a training collar. Ultrasonic is an alternative option to citronella spray collars and of course, to cruel shock collars (which I NEVER recommend).

Most of the time a collar with an ultrasonic ability also comes with other “correction” types – namely shock or vibration. As mentioned constantly here at Dogbarkstop, I will never promote or recommend shock collars or any collars or products with shock mechanisms built into them (yes even those so called “gentle static” shocks – pain is pain as far as I’m concerned). So finding a pure ultrasonic collar for dog barking or training is not particularly easy as there really aren’t many of them out there.

Indoor Ultrasonic Units

The main difference between the indoor devices and the outdoor ultrasonic products relates to their volume, and the build. Clearly the outdoor devices need to have some weatherproofing, if not be totally waterproof (not always the case though, see my reviews).

Indoor Devices	Quick Specs
	Motorola BARK500U Indoor Ultrasonic Indoor only Auto & Manual modes Mountable 3 sound settings
	PetSafe Ultrasonic Indoor Bark Control Indoors Auto & Manual modes Up to 6 months battery life 25ft range Suited for dogs 6+ months old

Ultrasonic Whistles

I’ve written an entire guide focused on whistles for dog training, so whistles are not covered here on this page. This is because whistles are used for a whole range of purposes within dog training and I prefer to focus solely on bark deterrence in this particular article. Whistles are certainly another viable option for dog training, so I encourage you to check out my dog whistle article.

Best Ultrasonic Dog Bark Control Devices Reviews

If you already know whether you want a handheld or a mountable ultrasonic stop barking unit (or you might need one that covers both), but still aren’t sure which is the right one, continue on below for more details about individual devices.

This guide is based on dozens of hours of research I’ve done to find out which ones are actually working for people, and what ones might not live up to expectations.

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Dogtek Sonic Bird House

This bird house design of ultrasonic bark control looks the goods – but does it perform?

It’s clearly made mostly for outdoor use, however the company does make it clear that you can use it indoors as well if you want to. Compared to most other units, it has a good range of adjustment settings, letting you tailor the function to your specific situation and environment.

In total, there are 4 sensitivity settings to choose from. This lets you dictate when the ultrasonic sound will be set off – in other words, how sensitive you want the microphone to be to hearing a dog bark and determining that the bird house should be activated.

Whether you’re using it indoors to help train your own dog to start barking, or if you’re setting up the bird house in your yard to target a neighbor’s dog; you can adjust the settings accordingly because these two situations can have very different requirements when it comes to detecting a dog bark sound, due to both distance and environmental factors (outdoors there may be wind noise, then there’s the distance).

The Dogtek Bird House is built to withstand rain outdoors – so it’s one of the few that you can confidently place somewhere outside that puts it within a suitable distance to where the barking dog is. The amount of rain and moisture the bird house can tolerate however, is debatable. Ideally it should be placed where there’s some protection from constant direct rain, such as under an eave or a sheltered roof.

The Sonic Bird House is powered by 6 AA batteries, and the life you’ll get out of them will mostly depend on how often the system is activated. It sits in stand-by mode when not in use, and in this mode the battery life is considered to be several weeks long. Alternatively, you can switch the device off completely when you don’t need to use it (some people, for example, will only want to activate the ultrasonic sound at night).

To get the best performance out of this device (and any other ultrasonic detection system), you’ll need to place it where there are no or at least minimal obstacles in the “line of hearing” of the microphone. It won’t work through a brick wall or other solid structures and fences, and things like trees and foliage may somewhat hamper its ability to be accurate in detecting a bark all of the time – but these environmental factors will vary in each situation.

Of course, the appearance of this ultrasonic bark controller is really appealing, especially if you want it to both blend into your property and not gain attention from the neighbor who’s dog you might be targeting. It might confuse the local birds for a short time though!

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Dog Dazer II Handheld Ultrasonic Dog Deterrent Review

This is a handheld ultrasonic unit that is small and light enough to take on your walks, as well as using it around the home.

The Dog Dazer II is made in the USA. That’s refreshing. I always make a point to stay right away from the white label generic made in China devices (and all dog products for that matter).

It’s not specifically made for bark control, but rather as the name suggests – as a deterrent to dogs. So people use it for warding off potentially aggressive dogs when out and about when walking or cycling.

Is the Dog Dazer going to give you 100% protection against aggressive dogs? No. Really aggressive dogs will stop at almost nothing. The idea of ultrasonic units like the Dazer II is not to cause harm to any dog when you use it.

It can be attached to your belt, bag, bike, or elsewhere with the inbuilt clip, so you can have your hands free until you need to use it.

With a range of 20 feet, it’s not a device that’s going to be suited for targeting a neighboring dog that barks excessively (unless you live really close and don’t mind standing there all day or night), but it is useful in situations where there might be nuisance barking from next door when you go into your yard, as you can just carry the unit with you.

It’s also ideal as a training tool for your own dog’s unwanted behavior – including barking.

There’s no automatic operation on the Dog Dazer – it’s a fully manual unit that you’ll need to activate yourself. It does not automatically detect barking.

But that’s to be expected with a handheld unit like this as it’s not designed a passive tool like the Sonic Bird House, Sonic Egg and other similar products that are made to be placed outdoors for long periods of time to work as a hands-off type set up.

So the main points to consider for the Dazer are:

• It’s for using as a deterrent – especially to try and physically stop wandering, overly excited, mildly aggressive or just unwanted curious dogs coming near you or your dog without harming them
• It’s small and light enough to hold or keep in a bag pouch or coat pocket
• Can be used for neighbor’s barking dogs if you can get within less than 20ft – ideal for occasional or casual use
• Can be used for your own dog’s training as part of a positive reinforcement training program

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Motorola BARK500U Indoor Ultrasonic No-Bark Deterrent Device

This is a flexible ultrasonic device, as it can be mounted and set to automatically detect barking and activate, or used in your hand as a manual training device and activated by you.

There’s a 5 second delay to the unit activating when it detects a bark – this is to prevent it from going off every single time a dog barks just once or twice.

The idea behind an ultrasonic bark controller is to halt excessive barking, so this is a really good feature to have for several reasons.

Preventing a dog from becoming accustomed to the sound is important, and by only activating (in automatic mode) after 5 seconds of barking, the Motorola BARK500U is being used at only the times it’s actually required.

Needless to say, if you have an ultrasonic sound going off every single time the dog makes a short (and normal) bark of less than 5 seconds, he’ll soon ignore it completely.

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Hoont Ultrasonic Dog Repellent and Trainer

There are multiple uses for this handheld unit:

• Used to help stop excessive barking from a neighbor’s dog
• To repel dogs when you’re out walking
• To train your own dog to stop inappropriate barking behavior
• Can also be used as a training tool to stop other unwanted dog behavior like excessive digging

The Hoont has a significantly larger working range than the Dog Dazer II – rated at being able to be heard by a dog at up to 50 feet away.

Keep in mind however, that this is maximum range when environmental conditions are perfect with no obstacles; you may not necessarily get a range of 50ft when using the Hoont.

The unit is relatively large for a handheld device, especially when compared to some of the others in this guide. If being carried in the pocket, it’s probably going to be noticeable in the same way as a large wallet might be.

The company behind this produce does seem to have participated in some fairly aggressive marketing and supplying discounted or free units to people in exchange for reviews – this is something I always like to watch out for.

It doesn’t necessarily mean that the device doesn’t work well, but looking at both sides of the coin I have (through my extensive research across a wide range of platforms) come across a relatively high number of people who’ve had some operational issues with this device; namely that it can tend to malfunction with no sound being emitted when activated.

This is likely due to low quality electronics and connectors.

Overall build quality is something I look closely at and consider a high priority for any product, not only because it determines how well it will work, but how long it will last.

So if there’s a failure or legitimate questions in that area, I lean towards not recommending. With that said, the Hoont does work well for some people, there is no doubt about that.

My conclusion? The Hoont won’t break the bank if you choose to give it a go, but there are other better handheld ultrasonic units out there currently.

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Mountain Ultrasonic Bark Deterrent Birdhouse

Another interesting bird house style ultrasonic unit (although I do find the Dogtek a bit better looking personally), this Mountain brand device comes in 2 different colors – light and dark – so you can match it to your desired position and have it blend in well to the environment, whether that be hanging on a tree, fence, or under an eave of the house.

It’s rated to be able to pick up a dog’s bark up to 50 feet away, but as always this will largely depend on environmental factors like any obstacles in the path between dog and birdhouse, and the volume of the dog’s bark.

This ultrasonic unit is ideal for neighbor dog barking problems, but can also be used for your own dog in the backyard as part of a broader training plan.

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PetSafe Ultrasonic Indoor Bark Control

PetSafe has both indoor and outdoor ultrasonic bark control models – this is the indoor version.

Unlike some others which are described as being suitable for both indoor and outdoor use, a benefit of the PetSafe products is that each one is specifically designed for use either outside or inside, so you’ll have capabilities fine tuned for either environment rather than a “one size fits all” approach which might fall short in some areas.

Battery life can be an issue with a few of the devices I’ve detailed in this guide, with some only getting a few weeks of battery life. Although it’s not quite as important as an outdoor unit, having an indoor ultrasonic device like this one that has a long battery life is still a benefit; and the PetSafe is rated at lasting up to 6 month with a 9 volt battery. This will of course depend on how much you use it, but expect it to last at least 5 months as a minimum (which is still excellent).

The PetSafe Ultrasonic Indoor can be used either automatically. where it detects barking and activates itself, or as a manual training tool that you activate yourself.

With a 25 foot range, it’s suitable for most indoor areas, but keep in mind that obstacles like walls and closed doors will hamper its performance without a direct “line of sight” between it and the dog. Unfortunately, this is one of the main reasons that people believe that the unit isn’t working properly (or at all).

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PetSafe Ultrasonic Outdoor Bark Control

Outdoor Deluxe

Outdoor Standard

Another cute Birdhouse design, the PetSafe Outdoor Ultrasonic unit has a 50ft range, putting it equal with most other outdoor devices.

There are 2 models: Standard and Deluxe (also called Elite).

Besides the diffrence in appearance, what sets these two apart from each other?

The main and most significant feature is that the Deluxe unit has an inbuilt timer that you can program simmilar to an alarm clock, being able to set the unit on or off at certain times. So if you don’t want it going off during the day at all, you can set it up to only activate at night.

The Standard PetSafe Outdoor birdhouse unit does not have this capability, so you would need to manually switch that one on and off as needed.

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Bark Stop Classic Ultrasonic Outdoor Bark Controller

Made exclusively for outdoor use and designed to withstand most weather conditions, the Bark Stop Classic from Aspectek claims to be a “dog silencer” with a big range, that can also repel other animals like rodents, squirrels and even deer.

How does it do this?

Unlike all of the other ultrasonic bark controllers, this one includes not only a microphone sensor, but a motion sensor as well.

This takes it into the realm beyond just being an anti-bark unit, into more of a “pest control” device as well. But even if you have no need or intention to use it for that purpose, does the Bark Stop Classic stand on its own when it comes to stopping nuisance barking? That was the main focus of my research.

There is a mode that you set for barking only, so if barking is the only thing you want to target with the device, you’re able to easily ignore the other features. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed with a device that has multiple capabilities like this, but Aspectek has done a good job of letting you isolate the settings and use the Bark Stop unit for your own specific purpose. This lets you disable the motion sensor and only rely on the bark detection capability of the unit.

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Sunbeam Sonic Egg Bark Control Review

The Sonic Egg Bark Control Device is designed to be left in a location, while the Little Egg is a comfortable little handheld device that you can take anywhere.

The larger Sonic Egg can be used indoors or outdoors as its weatherproof. so it can be hidden stealthily in a tree or under a roof eave(?) – it’s designed to be able to pick up a dog bark within a 50 foot range.

But like all these devices, the environment will play a part in the range you will get – any trees, fences or other obstacles can have an impact on how well the sensor picks up the barking sound.

You can adjust the sensitivity of the sensor from Low to Medium to High, and this usually comes with trial and error. If the device is going off too often, or at sounds that aren’t the target dog’s bark, its a sign to reduce the sensitivity level.

Like all the ultrasonic products in this guide, the Sunbeam detects barking automatically, then puts out a high pitched sound that should only be heard by dogs.

Sunbeam notes that the device can detect other sounds in the environment – so putting it in the quietest possible place is going to give the best results and reduce the risk of false alarms. During the day, outside noise is obviously higher and many people who use the device outdoors disable it during the day, only wanting to target night time nuisance. This will of course depend on your situation and when and where you are being harassed by incessant dog barking.

To get the longest running time with the batteries, lithium batteries are recommended.

The rounded shape makes it unique amongst the other handheld units here, and it certainly takes top spot for aesthetics and ease and comfort of holding.

Sunbeam is confident that the unit works on 85% of dogs which is not determined by breed, but by individual animals.

This is better than stating a 100% or close to perfect success rate, although 15% is still a relatively large margin of error.

The big question is.. is the Sonic Egg working for people?

I’ve seen quite a number of people disappointed with the results of using the Sonic Egg. This has skewed the general opinion of these devices towards the negative end, but whether this is a vocal minority voicing displeasure (as is so often the case), while the happy campers quietly carrying on happily using their Eggs remains to be seen.

Essentially, there are many variables that contribute whether ANY bark control device will work – including the individual dog, your training methods, how and where you use the devices and so on. Stating that “it didn’t work” without making the effort makes it easy to give up – but time and again, when people do make the effort with ultrasonic products, they often notice a more positive outcome.

This can mean adjusting where you put the Sonic Egg if you’re targeting a neighboring dog. If it’s for your own personal dog training, it certainly means using it alongside a training program where the ultrasonic sound is one tool of your training arsenal, designed to disrupt and get the attention of the dog, after which you follow up with positive reinforcement training methods – consistently.

Despite the not so favorable comments you might come across with the Sunbeam Sonic Egg bark controllers, there are also a significant number of people happy enough with it to feel compelled to share their experiences – this is always a good sign.

It’s simply not possible to know how any dog will react to an ultrasonic device until you try it – but the odds are, at least, in our favor with more chance of the dog reacting to it than ignoring it.

See the Handheld Sonic Egg at Amazon or See the Sonic Egg at Amazon

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PetSafe Ultrasonic Remote Trainer Review

So will this remote trainer work for your dog, or on your neighbor’s dog? Like all of the products in this category the answer remains simply: it depends. It just comes down to the individual dogs. Some react immediately, while some dogs seem to be completely oblivious to the sound. Until you try it, you won’t know which group your dog fits into.

When using it as a training tool with your own dog, whether to stop barking or other purposes, it’s important to remember that the device is intended to get the dog’s immediate attention so you can then administer commands or other actions. This is where a lot of people mistakenly think it doesn’t work, and are then disappointed or frustrated, bceause they haven’t followed up by issuing a command or positive reinforcement after the dog hears the sound – hence the dog becomes used to the sound and stops reacting to it after a while.

At the other end of the spectrum: some dogs will react so strongly to this device (and other good handheld units), that some people only have to pick it up and let the dog see it and their behavior will stop – even without activating it.

The PetSafe Remote has two tones: they are meant to be negative and positive command sounds, so the idea is to help the dog associate the positive sound with good behavior and reward. Will this work? Again, for some people it does but for others the dog doesn’t quite get the positive sound. This can largely depend on your training techniques though and how you train the dog to associate that sound as positive, as opposed to the negative ultrasonic tone.

See more about the Petsafe Ultrasonic Handheld Trainer at Amazon

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PetGentle Ultrasonic Device

PetGentle is a relatively new ultrasonic device for dogs and my initial research doesn’t leave me feeling particularly confident about this product.

Firstly, the official website and facebook page is not surprisingly packed with positive reviews and testimonials. This is not necessarily a bad thing; but it does raise some alarm bells when the testimonials don’t appear particularly authentic. It definitely reads more as a sales page than anything else.

We really need to hear about real world experiences with the PetGentle device to gain a true idea of what it does, and whether it works at all.

A well known consumer review site has a host of negative reviews and comments about the PetGentle device. Everything from disappointment in its function or lack of, to complaints about non-existant customer service and poor return policy.

The official PetGentle website does not provide any information about the company behind it, or any physical address other than to list “United States” as their location.

I could not confidently recommend the PetGentle ultrasonic device to my readers based on the little knowledge we have of this product and the company behind it.

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