Debarking Hooks

[Hooks_Yorkie]

I have been "sneaking" my pups on campus and it has been a pretty big success. I moved off of campus for the summer into a house with a few other people and for some reason Hooks has developed a joy for barking. It has reached sheltie level barking where it is like he can't believe this sound comes from his mouth and everyone needs to hear it

I think he does it so that I will pick him up because once I do he stops, but even if he is just laying around he will just get into a barking fit for no reason. I don't know what has brought it on because we lived her for a the last few weeks in May and he was normal, but all of June he has been barking his little butt off.

I took them with me to the NOW convention and I was asked to leave 2 hotels. I really don't mind it during the summer. My roommates haven't said anything to me about it since they are gone during the day for classes and at night for work and my pups sleep when I sleep. I am just worried about August because I have to move back onto campus and I am not getting rid of my dogs for anything in the world and I have been researching debarking and it doesn't seem that bad. It is less invasive than his neuter. I am trying to work out living off campus, but I don't even think it is financially possible.

Has anyone had the procedure for their dog?
Besides aesthetics then it doesn't do any harm right?

I know there is a chance that it won't work and it can only soften the bark, but I would take soften too. I have found a vet who has an amazing record for this procedure, so I am not trying to be as responsible as possible.

[JenniferLeigh]

I haven't done the research into debarking myself so I won't comment. There are many other additional methods you could try first.

Pennies in a can worked wonders for me, but needs to be used consistantly.

A couple friends of mine have used spray collars with good success - they spray some kind of citrus when the dog barks - eventually the little guys got the idea and no longer need to wear it.

How old is Hooks? Have you tried ignoring him when he barks? You have a couple months to work on the barking issue, there is ways to train it out of them. Personally I would leave debarking as a last resort.

[alisonJ]

I don't think this is a good idea--debarking. It seems cruel to me.

I am going to say this in the nicest possible way: maybe now is not the time for you to have a little dog in your life. Students move constantly and they have schedules that can be varied and unpredictable. I know when I was a student, having a dog (of any kind) just would not have worked for me. You said already that you have been "sneaking" your dog into campus. While we have all done this occasionally, I don't think it is a good practice on a regular basis.

I don't doubt that you love your dog. But think about his needs. Dogs, like children, thrive on routine and stability.

[Gennies]

Originally Posted by JenniferLeigh

I haven't done the research into debarking myself so I won't comment. There are many other additional methods you could try first.

Pennies in a can worked wonders for me, but needs to be used consistantly.

A couple friends of mine have used spray collars with good success - they spray some kind of citrus when the dog barks - eventually the little guys got the idea and no longer need to wear it.

How old is Hooks? Have you tried ignoring him when he barks? You have a couple months to work on the barking issue, there is ways to train it out of them. Personally I would leave debarking as a last resort.

I agree! You picking him up when he barks is rewarding his behavior and he will do it more. Try ignoring him when he does it....turn your body from him, wrap your arms around your chest, and make no eye contact (when he barks). Wait a few seconds of quiet and then reward him. Dogs are great at reading the slightest body language.

My father adopted a puppy mill female pom years ago that was debarked and when she tried to bark a squeak came out of her mouth. It was soooo heartbreaking, because it was used to silence her in the miller's house. I know your situation is very different from that, but I strongly urge you to reconsider. Image if some one took away your ability to communicate. Please, try the training or hiring a personal trainer for the money you'd spend on the procedure.

[jencar98]

I would exhaust every training method available and if none worked (which I can't imagine some method wouldn't work) I would choose not to move onto campus.

I've known of only one case where I thought debarking was acceptable. This was an elderly woman with an older dog that was moving into a nursing home. The only way she could take the dog with her was to have her dog debarked. They had been life long companions and both would have been heartbroken with out the other.

[nanahas3]

All I can say is this post makes me want to cry. I am speechless.

[kdlmon]

Originally Posted by jencar98

I would exhaust every training method available and if none worked (which I can't imagine some method wouldn't work) I would choose not to move onto campus.

I've known of only one case where I thought debarking was acceptable. This was an elderly woman with an older dog that was moving into a nursing home. The only way she could take the dog with her was to have her dog debarked. They had been life long companions and both would have been heartbroken with out the other.

The only person I know who had their dog debarked is my grandmother. She lives in a neighborhood for the elderly and it was a similiar situation to the one above. My grandmother isn't that pleased with the result. The noise that her dog makes now is pitiful. Also, she was told that the procedure can "wear off." I had not heard that before, but that is something else to take into consideration.

[Britster]

I think it's kind of cruel to get a dog de-barked, whether you do it in a humane way or
not! Dogs bark... it's what they do. You have to know that going in to getting a dog.
There is many ways to prevent it as well. I'd want to cry if I saw a dog trying to bark
and they couldn't! It's natural for them, it's instinct, and while dogs who bark annoyingly
are not fun... you can train them to not bark as much. Picking him up while he's barking
is only adding to it, just so you know. You've been given great tips above ^^ I love
using pennies in a can to shake when he barks, or squirting him with a water bottle.
Works like a charm.

[MollysMum54]

Originally Posted by alisonJ

I don't think this is a good idea--debarking. It seems cruel to me.

I am going to say this in the nicest possible way: maybe now is not the time for you to have a little dog in your life. Students move constantly and they have schedules that can be varied and unpredictable. I know when I was a student, having a dog (of any kind) just would not have worked for me. You said already that you have been "sneaking" your dog into campus. While we have all done this occasionally, I don't think it is a good practice on a regular basis.

I don't doubt that you love your dog. But think about his needs. Dogs, like children, thrive on routine and stability.

I agree...please dont have your pup debarked.

[makhro]

"I have found a vet who has an amazing record for this procedure, so I am not trying to be as responsible as possible."

Freudian slip? I am not trying to be mean, but I think what you are thinking of doing is cruel. You chose to break the rules by acquiring, not one, but two pets that aren't allowed on campus. And for these actions there are now consequences that you are all to willing to let your dog pay the price for.

Is there any possibility that they can remain with your parents? Sometimes living off campus can be cheaper since what you would pay for student housing and meals could just be applied to an apartment. You owe it your pup to exhaust every possibility.

[Nancy1999]

I think this is cruel for many reasons. We have bred these dogs to be watch dogs, to warn us of intruders, and this is wired into their being. To try to eliminate something that is so much a part of them seems cruel. You can modify barking, and have the stop on your command. You won't eliminate it, but you can greatly reduce the behavior. I love penny's in a can for this, and if done correctly, can greatly reduce barking, even if you are not present to reinforce. Like anything, the training method has to be fairly precise to work correctly. So if you tried it, and it doesn't work, you are not doing something right. It is not one trial training and success doesn't come overnight.

[yorkie_mama22]

I'm sorry but that is just plain sick! HOW CAN YOU CONSIDER THAT? I don't mean to sound rude or offend you but that is just totally wrong, a dog is a dog, they bark. It's their nature to bark. If you don't like barking you should of thought of a cat instead or a pet that makes no noise! I'd say get rid of your dog before you would do something cruel like that to him(them).

[QuickSilver]

I have to admit I was pretty horrified when I opened this thread, but then I got to thinking: we breed our dogs artificially, we take away their sex organs, we cut off their tails, we choose when they die... I know this is a very bald way of putting it, but a surgical de-bark doesn't seem out of the question to me.

HOWEVER, like others have said, I would consider it an absolute last resort. Your dog may need his bark someday to let you know he's in trouble, or to tell others that YOU are in trouble. He needs his bark to communicate with other dogs. And from what I have heard, the resulting sounds are really pitiful.

Thor barked inside a lot until I tried pennies in a can. I literally shook it maybe a dozen times, and that was the end of that. Much cheaper, much faster, and much less invasive.

[Britster]

Originally Posted by QuickSilver

I have to admit I was pretty horrified when I opened this thread, but then I got to thinking: we breed our dogs artificially, we take away their sex organs, we cut off their tails, we choose when they die... I know this is a very bald way of putting it, but a surgical de-bark doesn't seem out of the question to me.

HOWEVER, like others have said, I would consider it an absolute last resort. Your dog may need his bark someday to let you know he's in trouble, or to tell others that YOU are in trouble. He needs his bark to communicate with other dogs. And from what I have heard, the resulting sounds are really pitiful.

Thor barked inside a lot until I tried pennies in a can. I literally shook it maybe a dozen times, and that was the end of that. Much cheaper, much faster, and much less invasive.

I was thinking about that too when I first read the thread, but didn't say
anything! lol. However, I don't agree with docking tails either. So, I feel
the same way about both things, lol.

[makhro]

I think the same argument can be made for children. We make critical choices about their care and that can be anything from circumcision to deciding to end life support. I know a lot of people on here consider their pets their children and that is why I make the argument.

My dogs are neutered because it is healthier for them. Their tails came docked or else I would have left them intact. I just got my gallbladder out because it was healthier for me, I didn't want to do it but it NEEDED to be done.

Debarking doesn't need to be done. It is being done solely to prevent undesirable behavior that is at the crux of what a dog is.

Sorry for the rambling thoughts still on Vicodin