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mommyofsophie · 07-27-2010, 06:12 AM

Hello all, I know this is bound to be controversial, but I would really appreciate it if anyone who posts in response to this would actually read my entire post before simply writing something out of an impassioned feeling.

I heard about debarking or "bark softening" surgery in the past and was absolutely horrified that people would do that to their dogs. I was glad when I learned that my vet will not perform the surgery. I looked at it in a very black & white way. But here's the thing... life is not always black & white. There's a great deal of grey out there.

Sophie is 1 1/2 years old and loves to bark like no other dog I've had. (Previously, I've owned an Akita, an Afghan hound, and a shih-tzu.) I live in an apartment now and Sophie barks at every little noise and every person walking by, even though these are the same people she is happy to see and be petted by when we're out walking. She loooooves to bark, and I understand that barking is a very natural dog behavior. While the barking of many dogs is an indicator that there is an underlying problem, I think Sophie is genuinely happy and healthy.

In order to train her to stop barking, I've used clicker training and POSITIVE reinforcement to teach her that "Be nice" means she needs to stop barking. She responds well to this cue and stops barking quickly. No drama, no yelling at her, nothing negative: I say "Be nice," and she stops barking. It's amazing what taking the time to bond with and train your dog can do!

However... when I'm not home to give the cue, she is terrorizing my apt. neighbors with her barking. They have complained; they have called the apt. office; they have called the police. Yesterday I came home to find a police car in front of my building and a hefty ticket waiting for me. (Mind you, the neighbor who phoned the police has a miniature poodle that barks sometimes, too!) I am struggling with what to do here. I love Sophie very much and she really IS a well-behaved dog!

I know it's not separation anxiety because when I'm filling my water bottle to leave for work, Sophie will climb into her basket in the kitchen before I even put the gate up. She doesn't bark or whine as I finish getting my things together and head out the door. When I come home, she is quiet; in fact, I often wake her up when I walk into the kitchen. She is happy to see me and we take a walk right away. I understand that some dogs appear fine but fall apart when mommy/daddy leave, so I left a digital audio recorder (that I use for my work research) running on multiple days. It recorded for SIX HOURS each day and I then cued through it for barking. Sophie barked repeatedly and loudly, but it was her "I'm being a watch dog" bark, not her "Please, play with me" or "I'm hurt" bark. (Yes, I know the difference in her barks because I'm her mommy, lol.) Yesterday the lawn maintenance guys were in the apt. complex and I'm sure she went nuts every time a mower or blower went by because I wasn't there to say "Be nice," hence the neighbor's call to the police.

So what have I tried? More/longer walks to tire her out before I leave the house for work... more games of catch to tire her out... leaving the radio/TV on when I'm gone... having a dog walker come over on the days that I teach morning and evening classes... citronella collar... high frequency gadget that supposedly emitted a sound when she barked... change food in case it was related to an allergy, etc. Now I'm trying gating her in the kitchen so that she can't see out any windows to be stimulated to bark. I feel badly though because she's potty-pad trained and could have the run of the house all day instead of being in a windowless apt. kitchen. But, if this will stop the barking, then I need to try it. It has reached the point where my apt. manager is talking about me possibly having to get rid of Sophie. I just finished my Ph.D. a few months ago and work as a college professor, so I don't have the money to buy a house. Sophie and I will be living in an apt. for many more years.

And here's where it gets grey... I wonder if it would actually be more humane to have Sophie's bark softened so that she can still bark when I'm gone (again, it's not separation anxiety), but it won't have the neighbors phoning the police. She could then have free range of the house, including her favorite of lying in front of the sliding glass patio door to watch the birds at the feeder, instead of being kept in a windowless apartment kitchen. Reading on-line, I see that many sheltie owners have the procedure performed on their pets. I understand that any surgery has its associated risks and this is not something I am considering lightly. This is not about making her less annoying for me (she's not annoying to me!) or quieting her for a new baby or for some other convenience. I am considering this so that I do not have to give her away. She is a happy dog who loves her mommy and gets showered with love and attention. I think it would be as traumatic for her to be rehomed as it would be for me.

So after all that... I would love to hear the thoughts of other YorkieTalk members. But, PLEASE, don't just post that I'm a horrible person for even considering this. If that's your response, then you clearly haven't carefully read what I've written. Thank you for any thoughtful comments.

07-27-2010, 06:12 AM	#1
mommyofsophie Donating Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Ann Arbor, MI, USA Posts: 248	debarking or bark "softening" Hello all, I know this is bound to be controversial, but I would really appreciate it if anyone who posts in response to this would actually read my entire post before simply writing something out of an impassioned feeling. I heard about debarking or "bark softening" surgery in the past and was absolutely horrified that people would do that to their dogs. I was glad when I learned that my vet will not perform the surgery. I looked at it in a very black & white way. But here's the thing... life is not always black & white. There's a great deal of grey out there. Sophie is 1 1/2 years old and loves to bark like no other dog I've had. (Previously, I've owned an Akita, an Afghan hound, and a shih-tzu.) I live in an apartment now and Sophie barks at every little noise and every person walking by, even though these are the same people she is happy to see and be petted by when we're out walking. She loooooves to bark, and I understand that barking is a very natural dog behavior. While the barking of many dogs is an indicator that there is an underlying problem, I think Sophie is genuinely happy and healthy. In order to train her to stop barking, I've used clicker training and POSITIVE reinforcement to teach her that "Be nice" means she needs to stop barking. She responds well to this cue and stops barking quickly. No drama, no yelling at her, nothing negative: I say "Be nice," and she stops barking. It's amazing what taking the time to bond with and train your dog can do! However... when I'm not home to give the cue, she is terrorizing my apt. neighbors with her barking. They have complained; they have called the apt. office; they have called the police. Yesterday I came home to find a police car in front of my building and a hefty ticket waiting for me. (Mind you, the neighbor who phoned the police has a miniature poodle that barks sometimes, too!) I am struggling with what to do here. I love Sophie very much and she really IS a well-behaved dog! I know it's not separation anxiety because when I'm filling my water bottle to leave for work, Sophie will climb into her basket in the kitchen before I even put the gate up. She doesn't bark or whine as I finish getting my things together and head out the door. When I come home, she is quiet; in fact, I often wake her up when I walk into the kitchen. She is happy to see me and we take a walk right away. I understand that some dogs appear fine but fall apart when mommy/daddy leave, so I left a digital audio recorder (that I use for my work research) running on multiple days. It recorded for SIX HOURS each day and I then cued through it for barking. Sophie barked repeatedly and loudly, but it was her "I'm being a watch dog" bark, not her "Please, play with me" or "I'm hurt" bark. (Yes, I know the difference in her barks because I'm her mommy, lol.) Yesterday the lawn maintenance guys were in the apt. complex and I'm sure she went nuts every time a mower or blower went by because I wasn't there to say "Be nice," hence the neighbor's call to the police. So what have I tried? More/longer walks to tire her out before I leave the house for work... more games of catch to tire her out... leaving the radio/TV on when I'm gone... having a dog walker come over on the days that I teach morning and evening classes... citronella collar... high frequency gadget that supposedly emitted a sound when she barked... change food in case it was related to an allergy, etc. Now I'm trying gating her in the kitchen so that she can't see out any windows to be stimulated to bark. I feel badly though because she's potty-pad trained and could have the run of the house all day instead of being in a windowless apt. kitchen. But, if this will stop the barking, then I need to try it. It has reached the point where my apt. manager is talking about me possibly having to get rid of Sophie. I just finished my Ph.D. a few months ago and work as a college professor, so I don't have the money to buy a house. Sophie and I will be living in an apt. for many more years. And here's where it gets grey... I wonder if it would actually be more humane to have Sophie's bark softened so that she can still bark when I'm gone (again, it's not separation anxiety), but it won't have the neighbors phoning the police. She could then have free range of the house, including her favorite of lying in front of the sliding glass patio door to watch the birds at the feeder, instead of being kept in a windowless apartment kitchen. Reading on-line, I see that many sheltie owners have the procedure performed on their pets. I understand that any surgery has its associated risks and this is not something I am considering lightly. This is not about making her less annoying for me (she's not annoying to me!) or quieting her for a new baby or for some other convenience. I am considering this so that I do not have to give her away. She is a happy dog who loves her mommy and gets showered with love and attention. I think it would be as traumatic for her to be rehomed as it would be for me. So after all that... I would love to hear the thoughts of other YorkieTalk members. But, PLEASE, don't just post that I'm a horrible person for even considering this. If that's your response, then you clearly haven't carefully read what I've written. Thank you for any thoughtful comments. Last edited by mommyofsophie; 07-27-2010 at 06:14 AM.