debarking or bark "softening"

[mommyofsophie]

Originally Posted by Ringo1

Wow, you are between a rock and a hard place. I know how scary it is when apartment neighbors are complaining. Sounds like you have tried a lot of different things.

I can think of three things I might try before debarking:
1. doggie daycare
2. dog walker mid-day
3. citronella collar
4. Medication to keep her calm for a few days while you are at work.

(Ok - make that 4 things). I had to give my maltese medication when we moved to another state and I received a complaint that he barked all day. Of course, this was due to adjustment issues and after about 3 days on somekind of doggie valium; he was fine.

I wish you could move because your neighbor doesn't sound all that nice! But understand this may not be in the picture for you.

In your shoes - if all else failed; I would probably have to consider the surgery. I'm so sorry you find yourself in this position.

Thanks, Ringo1. I can't afford doggy daycare, but do have a dog walker come on my long days. The citronella collar didn't work. I have discussed meds with my vet, but since Sophie's problem is not anxiety, we both agree that meds would just be sedating her all day. It's hard to say if daily sedatives would be harder on her than would a procedure that would leave her feeling like herself. There are medical risks associated with meds as well as surgery. :-(

[mommyofsophie]

Originally Posted by BamaFan121s

That's a tough situation to be in and I understand that it must be very upsetting and frustrating for you. That being said though, if everything has been tired and the only options are rehoming, or debarking, I *personally* would choose to rehome the dog. The reasons for not doing it are still just as valid...they are not lessened just because it's a last resort.

Hopefully all will work out for you somehow.

Thank you for your honest opinion, given in a non-judgmental way. I appreciate your candor.

[Ringo1]

I'll bet you are a nervous wreck the whole time you are at work; I know I would be. Wondering if there will be a police car or animal control waiting for me at home.

You poor thing.

[mommyofsophie]

Originally Posted by Rhetts_mama

Spaying and neutering are done for medical purposes. Debarking has no medical benefit. They should never be placed in the same category, IMO. PA has outlawed vocal cord surgeries, and more and more vets are refusing to do them in other states because there is no medical benefit.

If an animal's quality of life changes due to the consequences of excessive barking, the animal will likely suffer psychological effects. Some things we do for our pet's psychological benefits as well. Spaying/neutering are largely done to prevent reproduction. Decreases in risks of breast cancer in spayed small breeds is statistically negligible. You can find these data in vet medical journals. I researched this and my vet confirmed this with me. Yes, large breeds, such as German shepherds have a greatly reduced risk of breast cancer after a spay, but for Yorkies and other small breeds, the risk reduction is quite minimal. We have our little dogs spayed to prevent reproduction; it is not necessarily for their medical benefit. How many Yorkies have docked tails? Most of the photos on this site show docked Yorkies, yet there is no benefit in docking. Some people think it is inhumane and would like it to be illegal. I'll be candid, I think docking is much less necessary than debarking could ever be. (Yes, Sophie's tail is docked. She was a gift and was docked as a puppy.)

[yorkiepuppie]

sorry, i didn't read the entire thread. i only read your first post. (so if i am missing something you already posted about. i am sorry)

i really would not debark if i were you. barking is one of the ways she communicates with you. and i think if you take that away, you will be very sorry that you did it later on.

if i were you. i would look to rent a house and move out of the apartment. you don't have to buy a house...you can always rent one. and if it's too much money, you can look for roommates. it might not be your preference to rent a house with roommates, but it will only be a temporary situation where as if you debarked your dog, it will be permanent. and what if you regret it later?

if someone told me that they have a debarked dog, my first question would be if it's a puppymill rescue, because i can only imagine puppy mills doing that to their dogs. and if you told me that you did it because it bothered the neighbors. i would have asked you why didn't you just get new neighbors instead of doing something so drastic to your dog.

our dogs trust us to make the best decisions for them. are you making the best decision for your baby by choosing to debarking her? that might be a simple solution, but i don't think it's the right solution.

[MaddiesMommie]

Mommyof Sophie, I hope you find a place to "rehome" yourselves to. I will keep my fingers crossed for you.

[mommyofsophie]

Originally Posted by BamaFan121s

Hey, there's a first time for everything! But if you're going to disagree with me, you must do it properly--you must type in all caps and tell me I'm rude and accuse me of being a clique leader...or something.

I really don't know what to say in this situation, on one hand I think "no way, never", on the other, I try to put myself in that situation and consider getting rid of one of mine.

I think debark the neighbor would be the best option!

Lol, I would love to be able to debark my neighbor. Yesterday she was SCREAMING at me outside. When I tried to talk calmly with her, she just went inside and slammed her door. She is an irrational snot... but she is not the only neighbor who has complained. Most of my neighbors are nice people. Sophie is genuinely bothering them. :-(

[mommyofsophie]

Originally Posted by Rhetts_mama

I'll tell you what I actually DID in this situation. I moved.

That would be such an easy thing to do, if it was only about one snotty neighbor. The fact is that Sophie is an exuberant barker and without me there during the day to tell her to "be nice" she will simply annoy the daylights out of new neighbors. Multiple neighbors have complained.

[mommyofsophie]

Originally Posted by Maximo

Some experts would say I'm being sentimental and attributing my thoughts and feelings to my dogs, but I honestly believe that my boys would be devastated if they were re-homed and that it would affect their health.

I think Sophie would be devastated and it would impact her health. When I went on vacation and my parents watched her, she barely ate and lost several ounces. Since she weighs 2 1/2 pounds soaking wet, this was a big deal. She walks with me every morning and night. We play with toys every night when I get home. She sleeps curled up under my right arm. She snuggles up to me when I'm reading on the sofa. If I'm working at my desk, she wants to sit on my lap or have me put her blankie on my desk so she can lie up there and watch me work on the computer. :-) I'm single with no kids, so she gets tons of loving and exercise and is extremely attached to me, as I am to her.

[mommyofsophie]

Originally Posted by smartpuppiepets

I know someone who used the shock/vibrating collar with lots of success. Although i have not used my self i have seen it working. He has a mixed silky, who is adorable and such a good dog every way. But she used to bark at everything, everyone , all the time and any time. It was pretty bad. He also lived in an apartment and tried all available, i took her here for about a month to try to work with her and to give him a break ... she drove me "nuts" ... no kidding... even my dogs were like ... tired of her barking.
Anyways, it was that bad.
He got her the shock/vibrating collar as the last resource before de-barking her. Because at end it was so bad , even re-homing her would be hard ...
I have seen it in action and at first i felt sooo bad, because she got a "sting" like reaction when she first started barking ... and she was looking around trying to figure out where it was coming from... she was wearing it all the time the first few days. i believe it is on and off every few hours... but she was wearing it consistently...
Today she is a well balanced dog, she does not wear it anymore, every once in a while he puts it on. I have the feeling she does not know the difference between the "collar" and her regular one as i see she barks more often when she has no collar on. She behaves like muy dogs now, she only barks every once in a while, i had her here for 3 days when he went travelling and what a difference.
Now, is there a difference between this shock/vibrating collar and the shock collar?
Is it the same thing?
Because it did work wonders for this dog. She still lives with her owner in his apartment without any more complaints.
I felt bad when i saw the first time , but seen the result i believe it was very worthy. besides he used it with training and other efforts so she is not a traumatized dog at all.
XOXO

Kudos to you for trying to help a fellow dog owner train his baby out of her barking problem!

[shoefelmeyer]

I would advise considering other options, other than doing this type of procedure.

My thoughts are, if this were a human baby that cried ALOT, would we consider taking away their voice? No! We would find ways to soothe the baby and find out what is the cause of the constant crying.

Moving to a house would be a much better solution. Praying you will find a rental house soon so you and your pup will be much happier.

My yorkie barks ALOT when my husband is home from work. She is much quieter when he is not home. Not sure why she is like this. I am thinking she just wants my husband to spend some time with her, once he arrives home from work?

[mommyofsophie]

Originally Posted by Britster

I, mean, if it came down to lose your dog vs. debark your dog.... I would debark the dog, but that would be a last resort. Dog daycare is what comes first to my mind. I would prefer my dog to be happy and content during the day rather than stressed and barking all day cooped up in an apartment. It can be a lot of money for sure but I knew, when deciding to get a dog, that it would cost alot of money. I think you also have to know when getting a dog that dogs bark, and certain breeds are more prone to it, when deciding on your living situation while owning a dog. I do understand life happens and you just have to deal with what you got.

Britster, I always love your baby's undocked tail! Yes, I did know that a pet would cost money for medical, etc. I've had dogs since I was a child and have never had a barking problem like this on my hands. I live in Ann Arbor, MI, which is the hometown of the University of Michigan. The cost of living is quite high here due to the university. I checked into doggy daycare in 3 places (2 private and also at PetSmart... which would really have been a last resort!), but the price range was all around $700 per month for 5 days/week of doggy daycare. I did not anticipate that cost. As for choosing a breed carefully: I agree wholeheartedly! Sophie was a gift from my extended family chipped in on as a gift for completing my doctoral program. Do I love her, absolutely! Would I have chosen a Yorkie? Probably not. I could have said no to the gift, but I fell in love with her immediately. :-)

[mommyofsophie]

Originally Posted by Ringo1

I'm reading all suggestions because I'm really worried about my Westie when we move. The houses are super close together (not like what I have here) and I can see some complaints coming my way.

I'm going to go price the citronella collar; though I see it's been used with varying degrees of success.

I love the idea of doggie daycare and we are moving to a larger area so . . maybe. Ringo doesn't get along all that great with strange dogs though so maybe not.

I really feel for this poster living in an apartment.

I hope Ringo has a smooth (and quiet) transition to the new house when you all move! :-)

[mommyofsophie]

Originally Posted by katy-yorkie

If I lived in an apartment, I would get a lot of complaints about Buster & Maggie. Maggie will bark if she sees something different in the yard (trash can, newspaper, etc.), Buster will bark because she is barking. Even my daughter has asked me if I can do something about their barking. Day Care is not an option for me, most don't open until I have been at work for two hours. Rehoming would not be an option either. That is a tough decision to make. Good Luck.

Lol, it's too funny that your daughter asks you to stop them from barking.

[susan lynn]

Praying for you that everything will work out.