Dog Debarking - Debark a Dog - Dog Debarking Surgery

Dog debarking.  So your dog's barking is driving you and your neighbors crazy—annoyance, lost sleep and more. You may have heard about having a dog debarked as a way to stop a dog from barking.  Read on to learn about what it is to debark a dog and its pros and cons.

Debarking, or a ventricular cordectomy, as a way to stop dog barking problems is an elective minor surgical procedure in which the veterinarian severs or removes the vocal cords. The pro is that debarking a dog is fairly immediate way to stop dog barking problems. The dog can't make much noise with sliced vocal cords. So there's not much of a waiting period for debarking to take effect to stop dog barking.

The cons of dog debarking are that it's indiscriminate in that it removes all barking including the kind that protects us. You would wish your dog could still bark if there's a prowler in your back yard at night or smoke coming from an electrical outlet.

Also,  debarking surgery is often a temporary solution to dog barking problems or puppy barking problems due to scar formation.  And a debarking procedure must be repeated--sometimes a number of times. The dog isn't totally silent after you debark your dog, but the noise he makes--sort of like a loud, wheezy cough--is really pitiful. And worst of all, dog debarking does nothing to relieve that destructive process and stress that a barking dog falls victim to with the ulcers and immune system compromise.

So, how do you stop a barking dog without resorting to debarking your dog?  As I describe in my dog behavior training ebook, there are many causes of excessive barking--whether your dog's barking is occurring while you are home or while you are gone.  When you determine why your dog is barking excessively, you are on the way to the solution.  Then apply behavioral therapy techniques which are long-lasting--and even fun!

The truth about debarking: debarking to stop dog barking problems treats the symptom of excessive barking, not the problem. Your dog is still barking excessively; the loud bark is just gone.  And debarking a dog gets rid of some positive things at the same time. Also, there's always the risk of anesthetic. It's usually good to not anesthetize your dog for an elective procedure like dog debarking surgery unless it's absolutely necessary.

From:  Dr. Dog's Behavior Solutions