November 7, 2008

by shibashake

Debarking – Should it be Legal?

I am hearing more and more cases of people debarking their dogs. Many people consider the debarking process to be inhumane, while others think that debarking is acceptable as a last resort to surrendering their dog, which would mean euthanasia in many cases.

Debarking is illegal in the UK, so should it be illegal in the US as well?

First, let us consider why dogs bark.

Dogs bark for a variety of reasons, including:

1. Warning. Dogs may bark to indicate that some resource (toy, food, area) belongs to them.
2. Alert. Guard dogs may bark to alert pack members of potentially dangerous activity.
3. Boredom/Frustration. If a dog is left alone for long periods of time he may bark due to boredom and frustration. This may also lead to barrier frustration, and other behavioral problems.
4. Stress. Stress may also cause dogs to bark. Some dogs may bark at other dogs or people because of fear. Other dogs may bark when their owners leave as a result of separation anxiety.
5. Excitement. Dogs bark when they are excited. This usually occurs when they are greeting people, or new dogs.

I am lucky in that I never had to consider debarking my dogs. When I was growing up, we had several German Shepherds that barked whenever there was any activity outside. However, we lived in a cul-de-sac so there was not much foot or car traffic. Now, I stay home with my dogs most of the time, so I do not have a barking problem.

The question, I think, comes down to this …

How much does debarking reduce a dog’s quality of life?

That is difficult to tell. I imagine that it would be different for different dogs. My Shiba Inu, for example, would get really depressed and stressed out if he got debarked. He is a very sensitive dog and does not like any kind of change. I imagine he would get stressed every time he vocalized and realized he could not do it properly.

On the other hand, my Siberian Husky is more of a happy-go-lucky girl. She is a tripod dog and has adapted to that very well. I imagine she would be able to adapt to debarking as well, without a significant decrease in quality of life.

But … I can only speculate.

So what do you think?

1. If you anticipate that you will have dog barking issues, should you not get a dog?
2. If you already have dog barking issues, and have debarked your dog(s), should you not get new dogs in the future?
3. If a dog is about to be euthanized, but can be adopted if he is debarked, is that acceptable?

What is your position? Are there instances where you think debarking is acceptable? Or do you think that debarking should be illegal?

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11 Comments

1. shibashake

   Hello Amanda,
   I have never used a Husher collar before, so I do not know how effective it is. From what I can tell, it seems to be an elastic muzzle used to prevent the dog from barking. My concern would be that like the muzzle, it is just a temporary prevention tool. It can stop the barking or biting in the short term – but does not actually do anything to fix the root of the barking behavior.

   This is not to say that it can’t be useful. I sometimes use a muzzle on my Shiba Inu, for example, during vet visits. Muzzles can also be useful to ensure safety when retraining an aggressive dog. Similarly, I imagine the Husher can be useful, but only when paired with behavior modification training for the barking behavior.

   Other questions/concerns about the Husher –
   1. Can the dog still pant?
   2. How long can it be put on at a time?
   3. Will it result in more stress?

   Since Harry was neglected by his previous owners, he has probably practiced this barking behavior a lot in his old home and it has become an ingrained habit. As a result, fixing it will require a lot of patience and time (many, many months).

   Does Harry bark inside the house? or just outside? Does he only bark for particular types of sounds? Does he bark because he is stressed?

   Some things that may help –
   1. Try to mask out sounds from outside with music, or something on television.
   2. When he barks, tell him thank you for alerting you to the possible intruder, and interrupt him by getting him away from the location where he is barking. I have a drag lead on my Shiba Inu which makes it easy for me to move him away from areas that I don’t want him to be in.
   3. Once you get him away, try and get him engaged in something else – something positive. For example what does Harry really like other than barking? Does he enjoy playing tug? Are there particular types of food that he truly enjoys? Get him involved in a game or playing with an interactive food toy, or doing something else that he truly enjoys.

   Most of the time, dogs bark from stress. I feel that debarking and other similar techniques just prevent the symptoms – the stress is still there. For a long-term solution, that will also improve the dog’s quality of life, behavior training and desensitization, I feel, may be our best solution.

   12:43 pm on October 5th, 2009
2. Amanda

   I have enjoyed reading both sides of the debarking debate. We adopted a King Charles Cavilier about 5mths ago, he is now about 20mths old. Harry had been emotionally negleted and spent all of his time in a backyard alone with little interaction. I initially thought if i bring him into a loving home all of his problems would disappear. Quickly we realised that Harry had behavioural issues with the main one being incessant barking for absolutely no reason. Anything can start Harry barking…other dogs, people walking by, the wind, a car, the postie or our cat. It has been a very long road and our neighbours and us are at our wits end. I have been in touch with the local council, used a sonic collar, a citronella collar, had a behavouralist visit, obedience classes, built a fence to keep him away from the front fence, regular walks, he has a little friend here, I am home most of the time and I am running out of options. He is a lovely little dog with a beautiful gentle nature but he is driving us crazy! I am now considering a Husher collar or debarking.

   2:01 am on October 5th, 2009
3. shibashake

   Very interesting. This got me to thinking that Dayla’s confidence may be contextual based. For example, she is very confident during shows because it is a very structured setting and she knows what is expected of her and enjoys it. The same goes for walks, or when you put the leash on and it is work time. It could be that when things are less structured, e.g. roaming freely in the backyard; she loses some of her confidence, and so starts barking. This is similar to cases where the dogs are very confident when their owners are around, but are totally different on their own. Just a thought.

   Hugs and kisses to Dayla.

   5:33 am on February 7th, 2009
4. Jacquie

   Dayla is anything but stressed. She started going to dog shows at an early age, and started showing in matches at 3 mths, winning most of the time, by the time she was six mths old and could be shown in real shows she confident, and outgoing. Dayla finished her Championship at just shy of 9 mths. She has never met a stranger, or a strange place or situation that she wasn’t comfortable with. In fact a couple of mths ago I didn’t have a dog sitter and had to take the dogs to a dog show where I do tattooing for the National Dog Registry. Ironically enough that was the only place I have never seen her bark at all, she also never barks when on a leash, (I take all of the dogs for a 2 miles walk every day unless it’s pouring rain, and she explores and approaches people who come up to talk to us). All the dogs are barking and happy to show. The National Anthem is played or sang and during that time not a dog makes a sound, the last notes of the song people start clapping, dogs start barking, you can feel the energy in the air, Dayla’s laying on her blanket watching and not making a sound. Go figure.

   6:02 pm on February 6th, 2009
5. shibashake

   Thanks for sharing your story Jacquie. Some dogs are more easily stressed than others. My Shiba is a stress cadet When we first got him, he would spook at most new things, and bark at them. A trainer once told me that this usually stems from lack of confidence.

   What really helped with Sephy was 1. Exercise; 2. Extreme socialization. In the beginning I would take him out about 5 times a day This got him really used to people, other dogs, cats, construction noise, garbage trucks, etc, and it also gave him a lot of time outside so he could associate the different sounds with positive experiences. When at home, he would look out the window. He has gotten more confident over time, and is a regular pro about outside noises. He only alerts to strange sounds that he doesn’t usually hear.

   The Italian Greyhound you describe sounds like she is very stressed as well. One thing that may work is to try and keep her in a quiet room/space away from other dogs. Music or the radio can mask out the sounds coming from outside. Certain smells (DAP, lavender) can also help to calm some dogs down. Once she is more settled/calm, slowly introduce her to low-levels of sounds from outside while associating it with rewards. Once she is desensitized to that, you can slowly increase the inteisity of the sounds.

   6:08 pm on February 5th, 2009
6. Jacquie

   I have an Italian Greyhound, who formally lived in Canada and was debarked due to excessive barking. Due to a death in the family the dog was returned to her breeder. I helped find her a new home, but I also babysit this dog. I have never been in favor of debarking. Boy, let me tell you, she can still bark but it is quiet, she also screams and it is quiet. I have tried behavior modification. The former owners were at home with her all of the time. Collars both citrus, and shock made her scream and pee all over. I have a dog grooming business out of my home and am with the dogs all of the time, so the dogs get a Quiet command, water, rattle can, or a tossed toy to distract. Nothing I have tried works with this dog, this is a dog that would be dead if it wasn’t for the fact that she is debarked. Even listening to her debarked, I for one can tell you, her soft barking is great, because most of her waking hours are spent barking at everything, leaves, birds, grass, noise of any kind, and the best thing of all is because she’s quiet the rest of the dogs just ignore her excessive barking. My clients come and go and all is quiet. Except at night, the dogs know the difference between working and non-working hours and will alert me, and quiet upon command.

   1:59 am on February 3rd, 2009
7. shibashake

   Thanks Amy, for your alternative point of view. It is very good to hear from someone who has had experience with a debarked dog.

   The point you made about vocalizing while playing is a very good one. My Siberian can be quite vocal when she is playing, and in that case, it is excitement, and not stress. She also likes to sing when playing with squeaky toys I will usually stop play when it becomes too extreme, and she starts making too much noise. I let both dogs calm down for a bit, before letting them get back to it. I usually do some obedience commands during play-breaks, which seems to get them back down to earth from their overdrive mode. I have found that getting my Sibe to do something else, distracts her, and really works well in stopping her barking or singing. My Sibe also enjoys the breaks because she gets some nice treats out of it.

   I have not used anti-barking collars before, but I have done some research on them. The consensus seems to be that the spray collars work better than the shock ones. Also, these collars may cause the dog to wrongly associate the punishment, with some other event (e.g. playing with another dog), rather than the barking. So I totally agree with you that an anti-bark collar does not seem right for a dog who is just expressing her happiness and zest for life.

   3:15 pm on November 16th, 2008
8. Amy

   I appreciate the apprehension of people who have not dealt with a debarked dog. I adopted a Border Collie who had been debarked before I got her. Casper was not stressed at all by being debarked. As a matter of fact, she was a happier dog all around because she was a very vocal dog, and because she could bark softly but her voice didn’t carry, she was not constantly being scolded for barking. A debarked dog can still make noise. It simply sounds like a soft, hoarse bark, kind of like you would sound after spending the afternoon shouting in the stands of a football game. Casper’s bark was still loud enough that if she had a real reason to bark, such as an intruder or danger, she could wake me from a dead sleep. The benefit of her being debarked is that my neighbors never once complained about being disturbed by her barking. Her bark did get louder over the years, and I did have the procedure repeated once. Casper died at the ripe old age of 18 and led a very happy life.
   Of course, there is always the question of why the dog is barking. If there is a stresser that can be alleviated for the dog, then that should be considered first. But debarking a dog that just likes to bark is a perfectly viable option. I currently have a Papillon who simply loves to bark during play or to instigate play with her sibling cats. I am considering having her debarked so that she can bark happily at them without contstanly being reprimanded. I have also considered an anti-barking collar, but can’t imagine the stress this will cause my happy-go-lucky Spirit; being shocked every time she expresses her happiness and zest for life.

   10:47 pm on November 14th, 2008
9. shibashake

   Karen and Linda, thanks for your comments. I too have problems with the concept of debarking, but if it is a choice between euthanasia, or giving up your dog vs. debarking then I think that debarking should be considered.

   My thinking is as follows … My Sibe had a crooked leg pretty much since birth (we think it was a result of her c-section birth). We tried everything that we could to save the leg but the surgeon finally recommended amputation. In this case it was either amputation or euthanasia, so I chose the former. I am sure I made the right choice. My little girl is very happy and has adapted well to having three legs. She runs around a lot and plays very exuberantly with my other dog, and with other dogs in daycare. Amputation I think, affects quality of life even more than debarking, so if I approve of amputation as a last resort, it seems I must also approve of debarking as a last resort.

   However, in the case of debarking, there are usually other options. I think in most cases, debarking can be avoided by choosing the right breed, as suggested by Linda, or by making some lifestyle sacrifices so that we can free up some resources and address the root of the barking behavior. We can either get some help with training, or get help with exercising the dog (dog walker or daycare).

   9:58 pm on November 7th, 2008
10. Linda

    I think debarking should be illegal, but people may beg to differ under more extreme circumstances. However, if you know that you can’t keep a dog because of how much they bark, perhaps choose a another breed that does not bark as much. My shiba inu rarely barks, I believe that is one of their characteristics. I live in an apartment, so I can’t keep a dog that barks too much. Therefore, I made the decision to adopt a dog that didn’t do it as frequently.

    6:43 pm on November 7th, 2008
11. Karen S.

    Debarking should be illegal. I mean come on now. What if you could talk and sing and all that and then all of the sudden u lost your vioce for the rest of your life. I would hate my life. I also think it is abusive to take a natural vocal away from a dog. It’s just mean. I would never do that to my golden retriever even when he doesn’t stop barking at times.

    6:40 pm on November 7th, 2008

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