I really can't believe you want to purposely alter your dogs bark for life because of your now current living situation. I have a poor dog that no matter how hard she tries she can't bark. I thought maybe she had been debarked before I got her. The vet checked her out good and said she hadn't been but doesn't know why she can't bark. Most likely it's a result of a respitory infection she had as a puppy. It's really sad. She tries so hard to alarm us that she hears something and at times nothing but a whisper comes out not even her usuall sqeak. Yes it's convient for sneaking her in (rarely do I do that, very rarely) but it's not good if she's into some sort of danger and can't alert us. Therefore I don't take my eyes off of her when we're outside. People think I'm probably a little phsychotic with this dog but when you can't hear them it's really scarey. I just think it's a bad idea...once you take it away you can't put it back. Please don't do this for own personal sneakiness and selfish reasons, think about the dogs well being.

No it wasn't intending to be snide, I'm sorry, if you took it that way. It was one of those "lists" where people can say, "yes, yes, yes, yes", and think that somehow these ideas support something. It's a form of persuasive arguing, and used by many politicians. :D (Now that was snide.)

It was almost as if you were saying we do this and this, so why not this? Or perhaps, you were saying if debarking is considered wrong, all the other things should be wrong as well. Either way, I have to disagree.

I'm going to jump in here and say that I don't like the idea of debarking but if it was debark or get rid of one of my babies I for sure would debark them. Having said that I can also tell you that I have lectured young married couples, new graduates and students about NOT getting a pet until they are in a situation that isn't likely to change. I own my house and therefore don't have to worry too much about the problem.

None of our opinions are going to help the OP though. She will keep her dog and will sneak it back into the dorm. What advice can we give her?

I tried the coins in a can trick and it didn't work. What did work was a rolled up newspaper smacked against the kitchen counter or coffee table. (No never the dog.) I would say "Quiet" right after doing it. It worked like a charm on all 4 of my beasts and it worked quickly. If the barking starts again all I have to do is act like I am picking up the newspaper and they scurry - they just hate that sound.

Well, thank you for intentionally being snide this time. :rolleyes: I said I disagree with de-barking, so I'm not sure how you got I was claiming that someone must agree or disagree with the four other points I listed off the top of my head. Thor is neutered, after all. There are many other ways that we make dogs' lives "artificial". When we control the fate of a species as completely as we do the dog's, we need to challenge ourselves to consider all aspects of how we care for them. I'm sure you agree that we have tremendous responsibility towards our dogs and all dogs. There's nothing wrong with taking a step back and reconsidering our beliefs once in a while.

You're completely right Lou. It is just another one of those polarizing issues where our back and forth isn't really helping)

I would tell the OP to try all the training methods and definitely look into shared off campus housing.

Please, Please, Please, don't debark your poor baby how would you feel if someone decided to take out your voice box, vocal cords or whatever you want to call it if they felt you spoke too much and got on their nerves? I found this don't know if it really works and they say it's for the outdoors, they have postitive reviews on it and it's not that expensive, possibly less than debarking.Good luck to you and I hope with all my heart that you reconsider before going through with it.

PetSafe Ultrasonic Bark Control Birdhouse

Personally, I think debarking is cruel. To the OP: is there someone who can care for your dogs?

To the OP...you may be interested in this article...

NAIA: Debarking* (Bark Softening) - Myths and Facts

Here's another view: http://www.cliniciansbrief.com/uploa...llingplace.pdf

I was in class so I wasn't able to respond. I would first like to say that I respect all of your for your views on animals and your rights to your opinions. I would hope that you would at least respect me enough to not be cruel to me if at all possible.

I made a choice to get my dog because I needed them at the moment and they mean the world to me and I will exhaust every option that I can before giving them away.

As I said before I have read a lot of stuff about it and I have talked to a few vets who say that the only thing that upsets people is the way that it sounds. It doesn't hurt the dog in any way, it simply disturbs our view of what a dog should sound like.

I have tried the pennies and I have tried spray bottle and nothing works. It just makes him afraid of me and that breaks my heart more than hearing him squeak would. I just asked for personal experiences about debarking.

I don't care if I am a college student or a homeless person. I made the decision to have my dogs and I made a commitment to be their owner for the rest of their life. As long as they are not being harmed then I will do anything in my power to see to it that they stay with me. As I said before I am trying to work out other options, but that you so much for the input.

debarking
 

I had 2 cairn terriers before I had my yorkie, Tessie. They had an acre of land for their private yard and a huge insulated dog house my husband built. One of the boys had a high pitched bark and was obsessive-compulsive. They built a subdivision behind our 5 acres of land and two of the people complained about his barking,(he could bark for hours). Animal control came to my house and told me I had to keep them quiet or locked up at night. or they would fine me $250.00 and take me to court. (They weighed 15 lbs.) I did this for two days . I talked to my vet and he suggested debarking. I thought it was cruel but is was better than doggie jail. They did great, no side effects. They could bark but sounded like they had laryngitis.It was like taking our tonsils out. They both lived very long (14 years) happy lives. Good luck with your decision.

Ok I got through the crying part and was going to be quiet but I just have to say something. I consider my furbabies just like I did my kids (call me silly but I do). I had a have a middle daughter who was born while we lived on a military base in a duplex. She was had colick for the first 6 months of her life and asthma combined. The poor little thing spent 20 hours of every day crying. My neighbors even went so far as calling the MP's on us but to me having her voice box removed would of amounted to the same as having my furbabies debarked. They bark when they play, when they are stressed, when they are in pain, and to warn us. What if your home caught fire while you were sleeping? They couldn't even warn you. Ok I gave MHO and sorry if it offends anyone. Please rehome these little ones.

That sounds like a good idea. I might have to try that myself. Thanks.:)

I am literally shaking because I am so upset that some of you would have the nerve to tell me to rehome my dogs and question their quality of life.

They are in their separate bag all of 2 minutes for me to transfer them from my room into the car. They go to a park away from campus and interact with other pets every other day when I do not have lab and for several hours on the weekend. My boss knows all about my puppies and my situation so as long as one other lady who is afraid of dogs isn't there then they are by myside every day and have full range of the office.

They never see the inside of their crate unless they are chasing each other into because I let them have full range of my room. I modify my schedule for their life. I skip class to make sure that I get whatever emergency care or meds that they need. My dogs are my companions and they have helped me through everything and I will not give them up simply because of some annoying habit.

I will work on it as long as possible and I have looked into hiring a trainer, but it never dawned on me that individuals who preach about how many animals are in shelters, the greedy BYB and overpopulation of pets woud encourage me to let my puppy go into the hands of strangers.

Both of them have been together since they were puppies and I saw how my little girl reacted to him being away to get neutered. I can't imagine what would happen if he never came back.

As I said before thank you so much for the advice and I will try other options as much as possible, but I would like for this thread to be closed before things progress.

I am sorry that you feel that way. I anticipated that things would go south with such a sensitive topic. I hope that through it all some new possibilities emerged, either way I am sure you will do right by Hooks.

I honestly don't think anyone meant to be mean to you. It is just that debarking is such a drastic thing to do to these precious little ones. I am sure you love your babies as we all do. Who could not love a yorkie. I suggested rehoming as a last effort for you after you exhaust all other avenues and not debarking. Sorry if I offended you.

I never told you what you should do, I said what I would do. I'm so against debarking that I would rehome rather than do this. I might rehome myself with Joey, but my point is I would never consider debarking. I personally think it's horrible.

There are links posted where one vet doesn't think it's a big deal. Of course, there are vets who approve of it, vets have to do the surgery, so you will find some who approve of it. However, many more don't approve of it for a variety of ethical reasons. The point I think many of us are making is – Have you really done everything in your power to correct the situation, or are you looking for a quick fix?

I just want to add that the sound a debarked dog makes is pitiful, worse than any barking.

Hi there,
you mentioned that debarking does not "harm" them. I disagree . It is unatural to do this procedure. I am certain this has psychological effects on a dog ! :( It may not physcially harm them, however does harm them is other ways .
you want to do what is right ? You want to be together , and say that your commited to your dogs, then I suggest that you look into moving off campus. I feel that it is a very selfish move to have these precious Yorkie's debarked. You say you love them , and will do anything for them, and want to stay together know matter what, however, IMO , your NOT thinking of what is in the best interest of their needs at all. You are thinking of what is in the best interest of YOUR needs . This is what is most disturbing.
KNowing full well, that you were not suppose to bring dogs onto campus , and you did so anyway, their was NO problems at all until these beautiful little yorkie babies grew up and found their voices. Which Yorkie's do BARK. these are little dogs, Little dogs BARK! BIG surprise ! Now you want to debark a yorkie for doing what comes naturally to them??? That is wrong ! and selfish. How dare you ! think that this is ok , and feel like this is the right thing to do ! only because you got yourself in a situation that could have been prevented in the first place!
If you love these babies as much as you say you do then please do the right thing! Stop thinking of yourself , and do what is right for these yorkies. These yorkies deserve better . REHOME them. Sorry, but I feel that this is a imature , selfish act on the owners behalf:thumbdown:thumbdown:thumbdown

Great post:thumbup: A dog's job in life along with other jobs is to bark to alert its people, to let you know when they are happy and to say hello to people but mostly to guard you and to keep you safe. If you take that away the dog is going to be one mixed up little dog. I have always said re-home in these situations, it's just not the right time for you. You have the time to find good homes and go to their homes so you can see where they your yorkies will live (a shelter is not necessary) We are not been cruel, you asked and we gave you the same answer 99% of vets would as well.

:( Debarking in my eyes is absolutely beyond cruel.
Do you have any idea what it would sound like if they tried to bark after the procedure ? :(

I am sorry and I don't mean to post rudely, but I would definitely re-home my dog before I would perform a ghastly procedure such as that.
It's disgusting and cruel.. JMO :(

This is gonna sound "mean" (its not mean, its the truth)..

If You loved your dog you would do what is best for him.
That means NOT debarking him. You choose to get this dog. It is up to you to protect him. (The best thing you could have done for this dog would have been to leave him at his breeders or whereever. And it is true. You could have gotten another dog when you were settled. And not illegally sneaking him into a dorm. That is irresponsible on sooo many levels.)

You PROTECT the animal that YOU bring into your home. Protect means do eveything that is GOOD for him. Debarking is cruel. Downright abuse in my opinion.

The truth is. If you debark the dog. he will suffer emotionally and mentally for the rest of his life. It will screw your dog up on so many levels.

You rehome the dog. hes said for what? A week.. Seriously, its the truth. Dogs adjust. Once he realizes that his new family is fun, and loves him. He might not forget you. but he wont be hurting. Sad, but its true. not a whole lot of rehome cases really get depressed (Dumping at a shelter is a whole other story).. It is up to you to PROTECT HIM. like i have said before. That means. DONT BE SELFISH. DO WHAT IS RIGHT FOR HIM. NOT YOU!

Ahem.. it is very obvious to me that you havent tried training, or looking at any other solutions. you are trying to find an easy fix. And that is downright depressing. If you had done any research at all you would have come across the citronella collar (MUCH more humane then a bark-zap collar and a hell of a lot more humane then "debarking".) Dont wanna deal with what a dog does. Get a stuffed dog.. Easier fix for you.

ooo, they even have nice robotic ones out now.

Previous post EDIT: SAD, not said.. lol

I am sorry that you are so upset. It can be very hurtful to feel judged unfairly. None of us know you personally, so if you know that you take good care of your dogs, then that is what is important. To be fair, I have to believe you anticipated at least some controversy on this topic.

I agree that if you said you were re-homing your yorkies because they barked, a lot of people would be angry about that as well. As for whether you should have gotten them in the first place, you have them now. I am sure you will do what's best for them.

Please think long and hard before performing this procedure. You may end up regretting it five or ten years from now, and you won't be able to reverse it. Try other training methods (or move off campus, as people have suggested). The pennies in a can or spray bottle are supposed to be things that bother your dogs. If these methods don't work, try something stronger - it might simply be putting coins in a coffee can (much louder sound).

If you want this thread closed, you'll need to PM admin. Peace.

Please listen to our advice and don't do it!
 

I think any dog can be trained. Just like how potty training seemed like an impossible feat in the beginning, we all know it can be done. Same as barking. Uni was a barker as well. We trained her not to bark when she was mad, irritated, wanted attention, etc and instead she will growl. Still gets heard, still gets her frustration out, but is much more quiet. But she still has the ability to bark.

If you cannot train your dog, you are not trying hard enough. You speak of debarking your dog like you have exhausted all other aventues. There are many more options even besides training if you really feel like your dog is untrainable, (like leaving them at your parents house, moving to a place that allows dogs) but it seems like this option would be easiest for you. It also seems like you have already made up your mind for your poor pup b/c so much helpful and useful advice has been given to you and you don't seem to want to try, or said you have already tried and failed. Again, I say you have not tried hard enough.

Also you noted that moving to a dog friendly place is not financially possible for you now, then how will you pay for the surgery?

I understand how you can feel attacked by everyone, but when you post a controversial topic such as this, people are going to feel strongly one way or another. It seems you haven't proved to most of us, for me at least (I don't want to speak for anyone other than myself), that you haven't really tried anything to stop this unwanted behavior. When did this start happening, since May or June? Barely over a month? How long did it take for you to potty train, longer than that I would imagine.

Also the fact that you want this thread closed now because it took a wrong turn (almost immediately) just shows how you do not want our help or advice.

I really hope you don't go through with the surgery. How would you feel if you were not able to comment back to all of us who have responded to your thread? If you were not able to speak up for yourself, defend yourself, let others know how you feel verbally? That is what you are thinking about doing to your dog.

I hope you are still reading this thread and not just ignoring all of us that are worried for you, your situation, and your pups.

If all else fails, then I would suggest auditioning to be on Dog Whisperer. If your situation really is so bad that you can't stop it, you should ask Caesar.

Good luck.

The pup just sounds bored to me. Try getting him more active, more walks and more quality play time. You'd be surprised at how many dogs will bark for no reason or destroy something, just because they're bored. Basically my recommendation is to play with him until he's too tired to bark. :D

I can't understand how her or I after posting this would feel "Attacked"
It's a horrible thing and people will post their opinions, this is what YT is for :confused: So I don't understand anyone posting a topic like this who isn't ready to be "attacked" your amongst animal lovers, what do you expect. :confused:

:thumbup::thumbup::bravo::goodpost:

Get a book on training your dog. Dont be mad at people on YT. There hearts are in the right place. Good Luck to you...

My questions were has anyone had this done and does it harm them physically other than our aesthetics.

I tried the cans and spray bottle before I started the thread. I also rush ordered the citronelle tags and a vibrating spray tag and also the thing that you plug in and is suppose to deter them from barking. I simply haven't recieved them yet. I will also try any of the new techniques mentioned in the thread. As I said originally, I was also looking into being able to completely stay off campus. I have to receive approval first.

I just wanted some input on whether or not someone has had it done and have they noted any physical harm. I haven't set the appointment or did anything of that nature. I was again trying to exhaust all the options and I didn't want to rush my decision.

I don't care what kind of activist you may be, but the first teaching of all those who believe they are "champions" for a cause is to learn a little tact and make sure that you listen and respect others while disagreeing with them. For adults to resort to ad hominem attacks instead of simply informing me of other options and expressing their disagreement is what is truly sad.

Debarking is an absolute last resort since rehoming is going to happen over my dead body. I will try the others (and new ones) until September when I have to move out. I was just trying to gather all the information that I possibly could to make the best decision. If you feel vindicated because you called me selfish and irresponsible than so be it. I will respect your opinion and hope that in any situation that you need some understanding and tact that you will meet individuals who show you more kindess and understanding that you never knew ws humanly possible.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup: