De barking....

[TollSettFK]

I would not de bark my dog, but if you just HAD to, I mean if he was a perpetual barker, would you? do you guys think its mean to de bark your dogs?

[purrley]

I would think that de-barking would be a very last - I mean bottom of the barrel resort. I don't know a lot about dog training, but I just know this behaviour can be modified with a lot of diligence. Seems this would be a very uncaring easy way out to me :(

[AdoreMyDogs]

Every dog who is an extreme barker can be cured of his or her obsession (or at least it can be decreased by a considerable amount) with the correct training. I wouldn't de-bark if someone paid me a million bucks to do so. I also have the same feelings about cropping ears and declawing cats.

[ramanth]

I'd never de-bark a dog.

~Kimmy

[kobieeli]

Uh-uh, no way. And I'd never use one of those "shock collars" either, after I heard the story of my hubby's friend Jayson. Seems Jayson and his wife have a young Lab that's home all day alone and has a serious barking problem (cause-effect relationship, I'd say). They got a shock collar and put it on the dog--dog kept barking. Jayson thought the collar might be broken, so he put it on his own neck--not too bright, but whatever--and the collar hurt Jayson so badly he refuses to put it on the dog ever again! It practically knocked him to the floor. Now they're actually looking into other non-cruel methods of training the dog not to bark, which is probably what they should've done in the first place... :rolleyes:

[Karen]

I would look into every behavioral help, training method, and even earplugs for myself. If all that failed, and my own sanity was in question, I would look into finding a better home for the dog. I would NEVER debark him or her.

[yorkster]

My dog used to be a big time barker (not at all times, but in the car and park where she would see other dogs).
What REALLY worked for me was a water-spray bottle. I had to put a little vinegar in the water before it fazed her- I read about doing this in a dog book. The vinegar won't hurt your dog, but they do not like the taste,etc. Also try and squirt them on the sly, so they don't really know it's you, and do it immediatly after they start barking. Then when they are quiet, praise them for that. Now, all she has to do is see the bottle, and she calms down. I don't even carry it with me most of the time anymore.
I agree with everyone else about not be-barking or no shock collars.

[jackiesdaisy1935]

I would never debark a dog, never in my lifetime.
Jackie

[aly]

I would debark myself before I debarked any dog. The idea is unthinkable to me. I would never do it.

Wanna know something awful? I was calling to get a landlord check on someone wanting to adopt a cat today, and the apartment complex REQUIRES that every cat be front declawed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I almost fainted. That is disgusting. The guy wanting to adopt the cat had absolutely no intentions of ever declawing a cat and was as appalled as me. He says he's going to move and then come back for a cat.

[3-greys-and-a-mutt]

NO NO NO

ouch, that would hurt! I don't think that surgery is the way to go for cosmetic or behavioral issues.

Also, a woman on my street adopted a seven-year-old, former brood bitch, Belgian Shepard, from Belgium. The dog was de-barked at some point in her life. Well, she still barks, and it's not really quiet either, but it has this awful, horrible, tinny, raspy sound. I'd rather listen to normal barking than that painful-sounding noise any day!!

[AngieS]

I agree with the others. I would Never Ever debark my dog! It can be dealt with by training. No matter what you teach your dog to or not to do you need to be *patient* and *persistent*.

Angie

[Daisy's Mom]

Nope, no way.