DogHushThere is no single best app, because “stop dog barking” apps do four different jobs: play a tone when you tap, monitor and alert you, detect a bark and respond by themselves, or teach you to train. Pick by your problem. If the barking happens when you’re out and your dog knows a quiet cue, a detect-and-respond app fits. If he barks from anxiety, none of them is the answer.
The four kinds
| Kind | What it does | Good for | Weak at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dog whistle and clicker apps | Play a high-pitched tone or a click when you press a button | A cue for training sessions, if you’ve given the tone a meaning | Stopping barking by themselves; anything when you’re not there. Why |
| Monitors and pet-camera apps | Watch or listen while you’re out, send bark alerts, some let you talk | Finding out what happens when you leave | Doing anything about it unless you’re watching. Does talking help? |
| Detect-and-respond apps | Hear the bark on the phone you leave at home and answer it automatically | Alert barking while you’re out, with a dog who knows a cue | Anxiety; dogs that can’t hear well; untrained dogs |
| Training apps | Lessons and step-by-step programmes | Teaching the quiet cue and everything around it | They don’t act when you’re away |
Features change. Check each app’s current App Store or Google Play listing before you pay.
Which one fits my problem?
- “I don’t know if he barks when I’m out.” A monitor, or just an old phone recording video. How to find out.
- “He barks at the door and the window when I’m home.” A training app or a good guide. Start with the quiet cue.
- “He barks at noises while I’m at work, and the neighbours have noticed.” Detect-and-respond, after you’ve taught the cue.
- “He howls from the moment I leave.” None of these. That’s separation distress. Read this and talk to your vet.
- “It’s my neighbour’s dog.” No app. Talk, log, mediate.
Where DogHush fits
DogHush is a detect-and-respond app for iPhone. It recognises barking on the device and answers within about a second with your own recorded voice, an adjustable whistle tone, or a short sound, and it keeps a daily and hourly history. Nothing is uploaded and there’s no account. It also includes a short guide to teaching the cue, because the app repeats a word; it doesn’t give the word its meaning.
Don’t buy it if: your dog has separation anxiety; he’s deaf or hard of hearing; you want to quiet someone else’s dog; you’re on Android; or you can’t leave an iPhone at home, plugged in, with the app open, which iOS requires for microphone use.
What it costs: a 3-day free trial, then $4.99 a week or $29.99 a year in the US.
Is there evidence any of this works?
For whistle tones and ultrasonic sound, the trials are discouraging. For answering barks with the owner’s recorded voice there is one study of a similar method: 40 dogs, two weeks, a 95.7% drop in vocalising time, with no control group. For rewarding quiet remotely, a small study found it worked for 3 of 5 home-alone barkers. For training with rewards, the veterinary consensus is strong: the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior recommends it as the only approach.
Sources
- Tiira, K. (2021). Digital Dogsitter reduces vocalization in dogs suffering from separation-related problems. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 243. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2021.105460
- Protopopova, A., Kisten, D., Wynne, C. (2016). Evaluating a humane alternative to the bark collar. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaba.334
- Blackshaw, J. K. et al. (1990). Aversive responses of dogs to ultrasonic, sonic and flashing light units. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 25. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/016815919090064K
- American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior. Humane Dog Training Position Statement, 2021. https://avsab.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/AVSAB-Humane-Dog-Training-Position-Statement-2021.pdf
- ASPCA. Common Dog Behavior Issues: Separation Anxiety. https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/common-dog-behavior-issues/separation-anxiety
This guide is general information about dog behaviour, not veterinary advice. A sudden change in barking, or barking with signs of distress, is a reason to see a vet.