De-Barking your dog..

[Zoom]

I've been around a few dogs that have been debarked and I can see why the owners did it. The dogs continuously barked...ALL THE TIME. The dog didn't seem to care that it was now a muffled bark, and for one...my ears were glad of the debarking. It's still loud enough to get attention, but not piercing enough to make you want to yell at it or worse.

 

[gaddylovesdogs]

I do have a barky dog. Colby is part jack russell - one of the yappiest little breeds you'll ever meet. She sees or hears something, she goes off. "Wuffooo! Wuffooo!" and geez she is LOUD!! I know what it's like to have a yappy dog. Colby is so darn loud, and she barks at EVERYTHING. And no, she doesn't always quiet down when I tell her to shush. She usually calms down after a few minutes though. I realize that she's barky because of her breeds, and I'm going to deal with it. I'm not going to debark her because she like to hear her own voice. If it was a situation of rehoming or euthanizing the dog vs. debarking the dog, yes I'd pick debarking. But it's not. Some people just debark their dog because they don't like the sound of barking. They don't even try training.

Just because I'm against debarking does not mean I don't know anything about dogs No I don't know as much as some people - I haven't been around dogs as long as some people. But I think I know enough for my age and I'm learning new things every day.

 

[luvie]

i wasnt aware of this kind of procedure, but this sounds really cruel. shouldn't we try to provide a place where a dog can be themselves?

 

[femke]

The reason for the reference to age difference is strictly because we who are older have had more experiences to draw upon. I am sorry if you are offended by those of us with more years and more experience than yourself, but that is something I can't help.

I have a distinct advantage over you or anyone else 20 or more years younger than I because I have had more TIME to have more encounters and experiences-----get it??????? It is a FACT that there are certain advantages that come along with having been around the block a few times.

And as I said, I hope you never have a child that needs a tonsilectomy. Then you will find out what inhumane REALLY means!!!!! Snipping a dog's vocal cord is actually less invasive than cutting their toenails. Someday if you are every around a dog that has just had the surgery you will have the chance to see just how little a deal it is.

It is great that you have so much experience with dogs and good for you for stating your oppinion however I agree that the age thing really shouldn't be an issue as much as you make it out to be...

I know lots of people that are older than me yet come to me to talk about things/for advice just as much as I go to them. Just because you're older doesn't mean you know everything and know it better all the time.

If you KNOW that debarking isn't cruel then why get so terribly defensive? Most people here are just simply stating their oppinion about it which they are entitled to. I agree if out of so many dogs you only got 3 debarked you seem to know what you are doing and certainly not doing it out of convenience or anything. A lot of people said if it's a last resort then yeah but it wouldn't be their first option.

I do not wish to be considered " unexperienced" because of my age. One 18 year old is not the other and one 50 year old is not the other. It all depends on what you went through in life and what kind of stuff you have dealt with. I realise you are very experienced but you are not always right just because of your age.

If you are so experienced about debarking etc why not just give a website add where people can find more information about it so they can have a more informed oppinion? I think that would be very informative.

As I stated I do not know a lot about debarking and so I find it hard to say much about it I just find myself not liking the idea of it much and dont think I would consider it for my dog unless I absolutely have to.

 

[Melissa_W]

I think if barking bothers you, you should know better than to get a Sheltie. Debarking is probably not cruel, but it's something I would never do to Skye. His bark is part of his character.

 

[Gallien Jacks]

I dont claim to now loads about different breeds but most dogs will stop barking if trained to do so, I have Jacks they are known for barking and mine only bark a little, debarking in not something that is done over here

 

[SummerRiot]

I think if barking bothers you, you should know better than to get a Sheltie

We've had shelties for over 20years.. did some breeding with our previous show dogs, and have shown extensively with them through all types of trials. Never have we had such a barker as Jada.. lol

We are currently exercising the squirt bottle routine, and it seems to be doing a good job so far.. now she just looks depressed that she can't bark and anything she sees..
So.. if she continues to understand the concept, we wont have to de-bark her, but IF she doesn't understand this.. she may have to be de-barked.

 

[Gallien Jacks]

Glad you are trying out other options first

 

[SummerRiot]

lol oh yeah.. we'd never just opt to the permanent thing first... we'd miss her little growls when she plays and grumbles and such.. because when a dog is de-barked those generally go away as well. but her bark i could definately live without lol

 

[jmsamr]

Not trying to stir things up but isn't neutering a more serious and common surgery than debarking? Neutering prevents probably the most common and basic drive in any animal, reproduction, is it cruel?

I can't make a blanket statement and say debarking is bad in all situations nor could I say I think it is needed in all situations.
Just my .02 cents.

In my previous post I was curious about price I found a site that said ~200$ does that sound correct.

 

[nedim]

I dont know if this was mentioned, but what about the anti-barking collars?

 

[Melissa_W]

We've had shelties for over 20years.. did some breeding with our previous show dogs, and have shown extensively with them through all types of trials. Never have we had such a barker as Jada.. lol

We are currently exercising the squirt bottle routine, and it seems to be doing a good job so far.. now she just looks depressed that she can't bark and anything she sees..
So.. if she continues to understand the concept, we wont have to de-bark her, but IF she doesn't understand this.. she may have to be de-barked.

lol! I can't imagine how bad that is then! hehehe

I'm glad you're making progress. I hope it works out!

 

[amymarley]

While there are many avenues to try, anti-barking collars can work. They now have some on the market that does not shock the dog, but instead, releases a high pitch noise that dogs don't like. Humans can hear it too (I know dogs can hear it far more). I recommended one to a client and she only had to use it for less than a week and actually saw progress in less than a day. Then there are behav. and trainers out there. I personally have never used a shock collar on a dog, nor would I need to. I have heard of most people trying it on themselves, including a couple of funny drunk guys I knew years ago. They put it on the highest level and would run through the "invisible fence." Almost peed myself. As for the newer "shock" collars, I don't know too much, if any thing about them. I just know about the sound one. As a matter of fact, a pet sitting friend here in Reno has a fish tank that her cats always jump on (she thinks one of 'em got to a fish), anyway, there is this "thingy" you can buy to hook to the lid of the tank so when a cat jumps up, it releases the same sound I heard coming from the sound collar. Startles the cats and they jumped off and have stayed off.

 

[RD]

While there are many avenues to try, anti-barking collars can work. They now have some on the market that does not shock the dog, but instead, releases a high pitch noise that dogs don't like. Humans can hear it too (I know dogs can hear it far more). I recommended one to a client and she only had to use it for less than a week and actually saw progress in less than a day. Then there are behav. and trainers out there. I personally have never used a shock collar on a dog, nor would I need to. I have heard of most people trying it on themselves, including a couple of funny drunk guys I knew years ago. They put it on the highest level and would run through the "invisible fence." Almost peed myself. As for the newer "shock" collars, I don't know too much, if any thing about them. I just know about the sound one. As a matter of fact, a pet sitting friend here in Reno has a fish tank that her cats always jump on (she thinks one of 'em got to a fish), anyway, there is this "thingy" you can buy to hook to the lid of the tank so when a cat jumps up, it releases the same sound I heard coming from the sound collar. Startles the cats and they jumped off and have stayed off.

Then you meet dogs like my Ripley, who bark AT the high pitched noise.

 

[amymarley]

lol, but I bets it's really not to funny for you...it's just the way you phrased it. I personally can't give sound advice unless I am working with the dog, finding triggers, getting to know the personality etc.. so it's very hard to say. Traning and behavior is not black and white, there are just too many gray areas. The best of luck to you. Let us know what you do and how it helps.

Also, (I didn't know too much about this until about 3 weeks ago), and this is not directed to RD, at least I don't believe it was you how posted this...
Anyway, someone wrote that dogs do not even bleed when their cords are cut, just that the tongue is pulled and a v shape is made. That may be true in some cases, but I have a client (who now regrets doing this) had 2 of her small dogs de-barked. I have to remove the stictches from both of their throats (outside) in about 4 more days. So this was a surgery, that contained bleeding. There must be a few different ways to perform this. Yes, I have worked with vets. and I am a certified vet. tech., but never worked with a vet. that did this so I never knew about the "non" bleeding procedure until that was written here. Never really knew about the procedure in general, just what I have heard from vets themselves.

 

[SummerRiot]

lol! I can't imagine how bad that is then! hehehe

I'm glad you're making progress. I hope it works out!

lol I'll try and get an mpg of it and load it on here.. its crazy.. shes got this high pitched, poke your ear drums out with a fork type bark and its INCESSANT lol

 

[oc_spirit]

If OC's severely distressed he's got this scream that is the most awful; sound ever!!!! It sounds like a 3year old getting stabbed and screaming!!! It's awful! Luckily he has no reason to do it anymore and i love his talking so no debarking for over here!!! I think I've heard OC bark a true, "big boy" bark ummmmmm 5 times in his life??? He just doesn't know how lol

 

[oc_spirit]

Oh a note on no-bark collars, I highly do NOT recommend them!!!! They don't correct the dog for barking, they're correct the dog for their reaction to why their barking. Like what if he's barking cause he's excited to see you home? He's not geting corrected for the bark, he's getting corrected for beig excited at seeing you come home...hmmm

 

[Doberluv]

I agree with RD's pose a few pages back. And I'm soooooo glad I live in America where socialism and government control has still not gone completely off the deep end as it has in the UK and other places. (although it sure is following in those footsteps as long as people keep inviting the government to make choices for them, spend their money and to take care of them.) Because of our history, we are not accustomed to being told what time we have to go to bed. And I sure wouldn't go for being told what to do with my dog (cropping, docking, de-barking) by someone who is clueless like so many people are and who have been brainwashed by their own government. Like RD said, look at the abuse out there and then tell someone they're abusing their dog who has a medically acceptable and correct procedure done by a licensed vet.

If de-barking is a last resort, fine. I don't think it sounds like a major surgery deal and I don't think it's cruel to a dog's way of thinking as far as not "getting" to hear itself bark. That's us putting our emotions on the dog. They can still hear themselves bark enough. There still are some sounds and they're not going to sit there and say to the other dog, "Hey, what's up here? What happened to the sound system dude? Where's that mic I had? What did you do with the amp?"

I have heard of having occasional scar tissue overgrowth and that is not the fault of the vet necessarily. It depends on the individual's healing rate, whether or not or how much scar tissue forms and how much epithelial cells develop. When there is a scar tissue problem, it's definitely not good. So, again....as a last resort IMO, if you cannot train the dog...Maybe a good trainer to help would be an idea.

 

[Zoom]

This has been on my mind all day and concerns a prior post of Manchesters: What exactly do tonsils and debarking have to do with each other? One is a medical procedure done for health reasons and most debarking is done for convienence.

Maybe it's because I'm a dumb young 23 year old, but I don't see how kids and tonsils have any bearing with this thread...