The bad barking dogs of Ipswich are about to have their collars felt.
It's all down to a new collar, trialled west of Brisbane, that records the time and frequency of its wearer's barks.
Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale said the collar had been so successful, the Ipswich City Council had moved for it to be included in council by-laws.
Mr Pisasale said the council had decided to trial the collars after receiving up to 1,000 complaints a year about barking dogs.
"Barking dogs top our list of neighbourhood disputes and arguments," Mr Pisasale told AAP.
"In the overwhelming number of cases the collars proved that the complaint was accurate.
"In many cases, owners don't know their dogs bark uncontrollably when they're absent, while others seem oblivious to the barking of their own dog."
Mr Pisasale said the council was in the process of determining if the collar's data had legal status.
If that is established they will "absolutely" become part of the council's arsenal in its battle for neighbourhood harmony, Mr Pisasale said.
"If it works legally, the days of bad barking dogs are numbered," he said.
The trial initially began with two collars but quickly expanded to seven.
"The collars won't stop the dogs barking, but they provide irrefutable evidence so owners can take the necessary steps to control their dogs' barking," Mr Pisasale said.
"They also can prove that frivolous or vexatious complaints are false."
Previously, each complaint would have to be verified through lengthy monitoring and recording.
This involved a commitment of council staff and placed the onus on the complainant, Mr Pisasale said.
"The person complaining was being treated as the culprit in having to prove their claim," he said.
"In a sense we're making dogs responsible for their own behaviour."
