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debarking a dog.


danielost

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This is another don't do it. Would you want someone to rip your throat out. This and declawing a cat is just done because said person is lazy.

The samething with shock collers and chock chains. Basic rule of thumb if you wouldn't want some one doing to you don't do it to your pets.

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Can't believe they can find a vet to perform these mutilation's on animals. Never have I came across a debarked dog or a declawed cat, or a person that would do that type of thing to there pet. Cruelty to animals, done by a vet IMO.

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Do you know anything about debarking? Do you know about all the different types of procedures that can be done?

I have a debarked dog, I did NOT have the procedure done to her. But I know why it was done. I don't love my dog any less, and I can assure you that my dog has no idea she's been surgically altered.

I personally would NEVER have a dog debarked... the reason is because I'd never own a dog that had a chronic barking problem. I do know a lot about debarking though. In some VERY rare, very special cases I might advocate it for someone else though.

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Kinda defeats the nature of a dog, alarming you / the pack when trouble or food is around... I have a foxhound and I can tell by his various intonations whether someone is outside that shouldn't be or whether he's spotted a rabbit or when someone familiar is there. It's bad enough we take away breeding capabilities (and I know in the long run its better that way but still...) but to also take away their voice is a mean thing to do.

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The whole notion sickens me. I have a staffy and the only time it barks is if someone is at the door. That is because i trained it.

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My dog still barks occasionally (she was never a chronic barker to begin with) even though she's "debarked" although the correct term is "bark softened". She still has her voice, it's just quiet. She didn't have her vocal chords cut or severed as most hack job debarkings are done. She has tiny what I'd call "piercings" in her vocal chords. They're about the size of pierced earring holes. It doesn't affect her in any way. I'm absolutely sure she has no idea her bark is quieter than it should be. Given that, I could see where bark softening could be useful in a few rare cases. There are some dog breeds that bark for the joy of barking and it's very hard to impossible to train it out of them. The most commonly bark softened dog breed are Shelties.

My neighbors had a mini-schnauzer. Bailey died because he wouldn't stop barking. They tried to train it out of him, they even sent him away to an intensive obedience school for a month, and he came back as a barker still. Then they sent him away again to live with some other family members and he came back a year later still a barker. Because I look into their backyard from my living room, I saw this family working intensely with him for a few years. Eventually, since they got so much grief from neighbors, and shattered nerves from all his barking, Bailey went to the vet and never came home. It would have been so much nicer if Bailey had come home bark softened. I believe that after all options have been exhausted for a chronic barker, that bark softening might be an option. It's not a decision to make lightly.

Edited by MissMelsWell
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I think aving yourvoice box pearced would be painful, until the tissue healed.

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Our next door neighbour's two dogs are painful to listen to every time they're left in the house on their own. Talk about headaches and shattered nerves!..... but as annoying as they are I wouldn't wish for them to be 'debarked'.

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I think aving yourvoice box pearced would be painful, until the tissue healed.

I'm sure it hurt when she was spayed too. It hurt when I had my nose fixed, it hurt when I had a hysterectomy too, it hurt when I slammed my finger in a door too.

Chronic barkers who can't be trained out of it end up in shelters, end up being abused because they won't shut up, and sometimes even wind up dying because of the desperation of the humans who can't make them stop or their inability to be adopted. I think a couple of days of a sore throat when the alternative is considered is less hurtful.

I think Bailey and his family would have been a lot happier bark softened rather than dead. But sadly, no one gave them that option.

Edited by MissMelsWell
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IMO, it's better to "de-bark" than to "put down". Most people can't be with their dogs 24/7 and there are some dogs who just chronically bark when left alone (and you can't train it out of them). Better to have the surgery if all other options have failed.

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There is a way of training a barker, you won't train them completely but it helps... Teach them to bark on command, then they know what a bark is and you can teach them "no bark". One of the first things your dog learns is "No" as long as you can teach them what "bark" is, you should have some measure of control. It's not easy, dogs like to bark but it's possible.

Debarking or softening a bark, whatever you want to call it isn't something I would ever do, I also wouldn't dock a tail, nip ears, get dew claws removed, (unless they are causing a problem), I'm sort of a purest, I love them the way they came!! I also don't like to spay a female until she's had one litter and neuter a male before 6 months. They need the hormones to grow properly IMO. Besides, when was the last time you saw a mutt, (not at the pound), they are the best dogs... With all the fixing going on, they are putting the mutt on the endangered species list...

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This is another don't do it. Would you want someone to rip your throat out. This and declawing a cat is just done because said person is lazy.

The samething with shock collers and chock chains. Basic rule of thumb if you wouldn't want some one doing to you don't do it to your pets.

Training is the best solution although it's harder when you have a barker. I had one, barks at nothing, barks for fun, barks for warning. He was on the way to be put down when we got him as a gift , he was a crated unwanted rejected Christmas present to a little girl. He didn't even know what a ball was until we got him :( Have to admit I fantasized about doing that to him LOL I'd never do it although I threatened him with you're going to get a shock collar like the neighbor's dog. I swear my dog knew what I meant because he knows what the other dog goes through. He still eventually barks once a day at something stupid but at least he stops and he only had persistance as his guide not something cruel :)

Edited by White Unicorn
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There is a way of training a barker, you won't train them completely but it helps... Teach them to bark on command, then they know what a bark is and you can teach them "no bark". One of the first things your dog learns is "No" as long as you can teach them what "bark" is, you should have some measure of control. It's not easy, dogs like to bark but it's possible.

Debarking or softening a bark, whatever you want to call it isn't something I would ever do, I also wouldn't dock a tail, nip ears, get dew claws removed, (unless they are causing a problem), I'm sort of a purest, I love them the way they came!! I also don't like to spay a female until she's had one litter and neuter a male before 6 months. They need the hormones to grow properly IMO. Besides, when was the last time you saw a mutt, (not at the pound), they are the best dogs... With all the fixing going on, they are putting the mutt on the endangered species list...

No female dog should have a litter until all the pets looking for homes are homed. My dog was spayed at 2 years old (no puppies) she hasn't suffered at all. I see mutts ALL the time, the shelters are LOADED with them.

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I would hate to have to debark a dog but if it was either that or the authorities taking it and having it put down due to neighbourhood complaints, I'd do it. I would hate that I did it all my life but I would at least have taken the best of two horrible options.

Edit to add: don't they have collars that zap the dog if it barks? I know that too sounds cruel but it will only affect the dog until he learns to not bark, which should be pretty quickly given the consequences?

Edited by libstaK
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IMO, it's better to "de-bark" than to "put down". Most people can't be with their dogs 24/7 and there are some dogs who just chronically bark when left alone (and you can't train it out of them). Better to have the surgery if all other options have failed.

What's wild, is my neighbors were with their dog pretty much 24/7. Mom was a stay at home mom, and was there all day pretty much all the time and the kids were in school. They tried SO hard to train him. I watched her out there working the training program... no luck ... They even sent him away for a whole month to obedience school... no luck. The little dude just LOVED to bark. It just makes me sad to think about him... if they'd had him bark softened, he could have barked his little heart out and not bothered anyone.

I didn't have any problem with his incessant barking to be honest. I have an uncanny ability to block that kind of repetitive noise out and not hear it if I choose not to. It probably comes from living with hundreds of parrots at one time! LOL. But I think if Bailey didn't stop barking, one of the other neighbors was going to kill him themselves. The whole situation was just sad. :(

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don't they have collars that zap the dog if it barks?

My old neighbors had a collar like that on their dog that barked all day long. The dog would bark... the collar would shock him and make a high pitched whine, which was also annoying to us, he would yelp and yip, then start to bark again.

It was awful.

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Honestly, I think those anti-bark shock collars are worse than the surgery. At least the surgery is over at some point...the collar option seems rather like unending torture IMO.

Thank Goodness neither of my dogs has a barking problem.

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I would hate to have to debark a dog but if it was either that or the authorities taking it and having it put down due to neighbourhood complaints, I'd do it. I would hate that I did it all my life but I would at least have taken the best of two horrible options.

Edit to add: don't they have collars that zap the dog if it barks? I know that too sounds cruel but it will only affect the dog until he learns to not bark, which should be pretty quickly given the consequences?

yes they do and they work...sometimes..... some dogs are too stubborn ( or stupid) to learn. My friend to the left liked to bark when people came over we broke him of it by growling no in his ear every time he barked inappropriately( and sometime we would bark with him when he was correct in barking at least I would.) he soon learned when he could bark.

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This is another don't do it. Would you want someone to rip your throat out. This and declawing a cat is just done because said person is lazy.

The samething with shock collers and chock chains. Basic rule of thumb if you wouldn't want some one doing to you don't do it to your pets.

De barking is barbaric....

De clawing, if your cat will be a house cat 24/7, I see no issue with it.

Shock collars have there purpose. One reason for them is to train dogs to stay away from rattlesnakes. It only takes 2 sessions, and no more. That is the only reason I see useful.

Choke collars are used to train dogs, and used correctly they do not hurt them. I did obedience training on about 12 dogs this way, sit, heal, etc....Those are only to be used for training, and not left on for any other purpose. They do not choke when used as designed. People that leave them on are idiots.

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De barking is barbaric....

De clawing, if your cat will be a house cat 24/7, I see no issue with it.

Shock collars have there purpose. One reason for them is to train dogs to stay away from rattlesnakes. It only takes 2 sessions, and no more. That is the only reason I see useful.

Choke collars are used to train dogs, and used correctly they do not hurt them. I did obedience training on about 12 dogs this way, sit, heal, etc....Those are only to be used for training, and not left on for any other purpose. They do not choke when used as designed. People that leave them on are idiots.

a

Do you want your fingers cut off to the first nuckle. That ia what declawing is. After a cat is declawed the poor thing is always in pain.

Choke and shock collars same question.

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a

Do you want your fingers cut off to the first nuckle. That ia what declawing is. After a cat is declawed the poor thing is always in pain.

Choke and shock collars same question.

I have a friend whose cat is declawed. I can assure you that cat is in no pain. She's an indoor cat and never goes outside. She does plenty of slinking around the house, in fact, I'm pretty sure that cat Is plotting to take over the world. LOL.

Most people simply don't realize there are several types of "debarking" there is only ONE kind I'd advocate in very rare cases.

1. A full debark is when the dogs vocal chords are severed, cut right in half. It's HORRIBLE and the dog definitely suffers from it and I do believe it interferes with their breathing, eating, and general mental health. It is barbaric.

2. A partial debark is when the dogs vocal chords are partially sliced. Really, it's no better than a full debark if you ask me.

3. Bark softening. This is when the vet places SMALL holes in the chords, about the size of a human piercing. After the surgery the dog may feel some minor discomfort. They can still bark, but it's at about 2/3s of the previous volume. It's quite tolerable to hear (unlike a full debark where the dog sounds like they're gagging or vomiting when they bark--it's really terrible). My dog still barks and it sounds like a bark, but it's lower in tone, slightly breathy, and over the last 6 six years, as the holes begin to close like a piercing would, her bark gets just a little louder. I am utterly convinced that my dog has no clue she's been altered in any way.

I would just like to reiterate, I did NOT have her bark softened, she came to live with me well after someone else had had it done to her.

Bark Softening would be the ONLY procedure I'd support after ALL other options have been exhausted and it becomes a matter of life and death for the animal.

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yes they do and they work...sometimes..... some dogs are too stubborn ( or stupid) to learn. My friend to the left liked to bark when people came over we broke him of it by growling no in his ear every time he barked inappropriately( and sometime we would bark with him when he was correct in barking at least I would.) he soon learned when he could bark.

Your canine friend is adorable - such a regal and proud pose. That's good advice, reward a good bark and let them know in no uncertain terms when you are not happy with their bark. Thankfully my canine pal is not an voracious barker - she only barks for a reason and stops when she has your attention or your tell her to stop.

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a

Do you want your fingers cut off to the first nuckle. That ia what declawing is. After a cat is declawed the poor thing is always in pain.

Choke and shock collars same question.

Ok, you learn things on this site :

What is declawing?

Declawing itself is the amputation of each front toe at the first joint (hind foot declaws are not commonly done). This is equivalent to you losing the entire tip of every finger at the first knuckle. It is so excruciatingly painful that it was once used as a technique of torture, and even today it is used to test the effectiveness of pain medications. Recovery takes a few weeks, but even after the surgical wounds have healed, there may be other long-term physical and psychological effects.

I am not a Cat person at all, dogs on the other hand ( Wolves especially ) to me are better then humans, and I love them all to death.

Training a cat to use a scratch post would be the smart thing.

As for choke collars, I explained them. Maybe you have not used one correctly, or sen one used correctly for training.

Shock collars are a must in training for any dogs that will be in any place that has rattlesnakes....Hunting dogs, camping, hiking, etc....In the States that have them. ( Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, etc ).......

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