Interesting, So dogs bark because they feel Threatened, Lonely, Afraid, Sad.Could it that your dog could be telling you that you have a nasty Apartment ? Could it be that barking is there way of saying , "Geez your an ugly fucker in the morning" ! Maybe, one morning you picked your dog up and kissed it on the nose and it got a full whiff of your morning breath and was using it's bark to tell you your breath smells like Rotting Burnt,shitty diapers, On fire ! Or it could be that the dog saw you in bed with your mate and thought, "You know I could really good for some of that " . Just some off the wall type stuff to think about people .

HELLO, those purebreed are ENGINEERED to a FAULT, where THEIR young must be delivered by C-section or the mother would die. >>

A blanket statement? Surely you jest!

There are over 455 different breeds of purebred dogs and only an infintesimal number of those "require" c-sections.

But they usually wind up neutered and aren't bred further. Instead too many people insist on purebreeds and that demand is met by breeders. >>

I beg to differ.... the majority of mixed breeds that you see, particularly in shelters and rescues, are so far removed from their original parentage that there is almost no way to distinguish what two original breeds were involved. That problem was obviously not caused by mixed breeds that have been spayed or neutered. In addition, "designer" breeds are gaining more and more popularity; goldendoobles, labradoobles, and all the "poo" breeds.

Genetic diversity is a good thing. >>

Hybrid vigor has pretty much proven to be false. Mixed breed dogs can be/are affected by the same genetic problems that purebreds are... in fact, depending on the heritability of certain genetic diseases (autosomal dominant vs recessives) mixed breed dogs can inherit specific problems from BOTH parents, resulting in twice the amount of genetic diseases than the purebred from whence they came.

You didn't really say that mixed breed dogs are as likely to have genetic problems as purebreeds, but you seem to have implied it. I can only go by anecdotal evidence (although quite a lot of it), and I'd say the purebreeds I've worked with are about 10 times more likely to have genetic issues: whether health related or behavioral.

You are right though, about a lot of mutts coming from many different backgrounds, so that it's hard to determine which breeds are in there. And that kind of dog, in my experience, is one of the easiest to work with.

A lot of purebreeds (like the shelties so heavily discussed on this page) no longer perform the tasks they were bred to perform, and so they are harder to manage in a city environment.

For some, the incessant barking of a dog can grate on the nerves, especially when the barking is a frequent occurrence and affects your quality of life, the enjoyment of your home, your property and your peace of mind.

You've probably talked to your neighbor several times. The neighbor feels bad and promises to take the dog to training classes but the barking doesn't stop. As much as you hate to, you call the police and file a complaint. The police also notify Animal Control and a legal cycle begins. It's an unpleasant situation that I have been in.

What saved me was the fact that my dogs had been bark softened; they had a simple, surgical procedure where a veterinarian goes down the throat with a surgical tools and makes a small notch on either side of the dog's vocal folds. There is virtually no bleeding, the procedure takes less than ten minutes and the dog awakes from the anesthesia, still able to bark, just not as loudly. (Yes, I can cite the research)

While I recommend this procedure as a last resort for people who have dogs that are "nuisance barkers" and whose dogs have failed to be helped with other forms of training, I was horrified to read post after post vilifying this procedure by people who have not armed themselves with facts. Instead, they are insulated with emotional nonsense and all rational thought seems to have left them. They ask, "would you silence a crying baby or your mother?" (Good thing they didn't ask about my mother in law.) The lynch mob mentality of the opponents of this procedure is frightening, egged on in many instances by the equally frightful animal rights organizations hovering in the background.

The American Veterinary Medical Association position on bark softening is that "Canine devocalization should only be performed by qualified, licensed veterinarians as a final alternative after behavioral modification efforts to correct excessive vocalization have failed."

So, here we have the predominant veterinary medical association saying that bark softening is a valid alternative to dealing with excessive barking in dogs when other forms of training have failed. Bark softening becomes a valid option to keep people from having to surrender their dogs to the shelter while it could face possible euthanasia.

Its important to discuss canine communication. It's a well known fact that wild dogs and wolves seldom bark once they mature past adolescence and experts state that barking is actually a result of domestication. Certain breeds have a genetic propensity to bark, such as the herding breeds.

For the poster who argued that this is a statement against the purebred, let me remind you that ALL mixed breed dogs originate from purebreds at some point in their lineage. And despite what those who propagandize the myth of hybrid vigor, genetic traits from BOTH sides are passed on to the offspring, including the propensity to bark.

Barking is only one means of canine communication and in fact, not the major means used. Dogs communicate with body language, smell (if you watch two dogs greet each other, they usually sniff each others hindquarters) and a series of yips and growls which bark softened dogs can still do. As has been said here repeatedly, bark softened dogs can STILL bark, just not as loudly.

Research done at the Humane Society of St. Joseph, Mishawaka, Indiana, by a team of veterinarians lead by Gary Patronek VMD, PhD, found that excessive barking was given as the cause in 41% of dogs surrendered for behavioral problems... almost HALF!! When you factor in the number of dogs surrendered in this country for behavioral issues and realize that almost half of those are due to barking, you simply cannot rationally deny that excessive barking leads to many dogs being euthanized in shelters. How many of these lives could have been saved had the owners known that bark softening was a viable option (as recognized by the AVMA.)?

"For the poster who argued that this is a statement against the purebred, let me remind you that ALL mixed breed dogs originate from purebreds at some point in their lineage. And despite what those who propagandize the myth of hybrid vigor, genetic traits from BOTH sides are passed on to the offspring, including the propensity to bark."

That's me!!! **bows**

"ALL mixed breed dogs originate from purebreds at some point in their lineage." Well, duh. But they usually wind up neutered and aren't bred further. Instead too many people insist on purebreeds and that demand is met by breeders. Genetic diversity is a good thing. If people were bred like dogs, half of us would look like the British royal family, and the other half would look, well, more normal.

AVMA The AVMA does not recognize the rights of any animal and has been a scathing critic of anyone wishing to address the inherent needs of animals. Thye actually litigated against cities that change the word Owner to Guardian on city signs. "For the poster who argued that this is a statement against the purebred, let me remind you that ALL mixed breed dogs originate from purebreds at some point in their lineage" HELLO, those purebreed are ENGINEERED to a FAULT, where THEIR young must be delivered by C-section or the mother would die.

so, if the dogs next see its owners cheating in bed (I'm

trying to be delicate here) they should blind it too? I

guess if the dog is already debarked, depriving it of its

sight wouldn't be necessary. After all how's it going to

tell anyone what it saw?



The other answer is soundproofing, proper training, and

understand why it's barking in the first place, and then

address the dog's needs, not your own.

People need to be taught this whenever they decide to share their lives with an animal (or some people, but that's another story..):

You become responsible forever, for what you have tamed.

---Antoine de Saint-Exupery

some of us accept this joyously...

wouldn't it be nice if humans went through a "detalking" procedure? It would certainly make MY life easier.

We could start with the entire Fox News team!

If you feel the need to do such an inhumane procedure to your pet, you shouldn't have a pet. It's as simple as that!

I have met hundreds of debarked dogs and owned several myself, and the sound is not ugly, nor have I heard a single instance of the surgical complications being publicized.

Bark softening does not silence a dog, remove its vocal cords, or create psychological harm. It is done under anesthesia by a vet (anything else is already illegal and prosecutable), through the mouth, without stitches, takes only a minute, and merely makes a nick in the vocal folds. It is minor surgery like a biopsy. Dogs don't seem to care; indeed, many who have spent most of their lives being punished for their natural behavior stop being punished and are much happier.

Bark softening is not a mere convenience. Many dogs, especially small, high-energy breeds (shelties, terriers, toys), cannot be trained not to bark even by a professional, and the average pet owner hasn't a chance. And if we're criticizing convenience, why allow neutering and spaying, major invasive surgery with serious side effects, when all owners need to do is keep their dogs home while they are in season?

"Many dogs, especially small, high-energy breeds (shelties, terriers, toys), cannot be trained not to bark even by a professional, and the average pet owner hasn't a chance."

Another excellent argument against this obsession with purebreeds. And don't even get me started on miniuaturization.

(But you're wrong about most terriers)

"Dogs don't seem to care"...because they did not bark in protest after the procedure?

Selfishness will be the doom of human kind.

Are shelter animals free? Removing testicles = good and tail docking = satanic ? Sorry just trying to keep up.

yes, but the fee covers the neutering and in some cases vaccination and training. Also they don't neuter dogs with anesthesia as you do those poor cows.

I have never once CUT off a cows tail, I only use rubber bands at two weeks of age, they do not stop eating or show any signs of discomfort. Can you say the same for a neutering?

yes, my two guys never had any side affect and are very content. I was referring to the Mercy for Animals videos of them cutting the cow's ears and tails without anesthesia.

First off I would like to apologize to anyone annoyed with my arguments with Felix spilling over to other pages, but as you know, its hard to keep him still long enough to argue out your point and also would like to apologize if I may have any spelling and/or grammar mistakes,cause we all know people like to edit all comments for errors,JUST_SAYIN(you c**t). Felix you wore me down, however I would like to give you some advice. Your attitude of yelling insults, making wild accusations, and just pure ignorance on some topics was revealed to me when you told someone that you were not young, you were 26. I am 36 and if I look back to when I was 26 ,(unlike you) I can see that I learned a lot since then and I still have a lot to learn. Your no-it-all attitude does nothing to help your cause, Some of your comments make me want to go home and kick my cat(that's a joke). I can tell you are a passionate person or you would not fight the way you do , however you really need to learn about human interaction. If you want to advocate for animals, PICK A TOPIC, If its the dairy industry, then learn all about it, maybe you can then, help farmers change certain practices. You cannot understand the industry by following mercy for animals,hsus or peta, These organization cause more damage,than they do good, making up blatant lies like,milk is poison,full of puss,blood and antibiotics, none of this is true in any way and does not have any creditable science to back these claims up, yet these statements are printed as truth. If you want to help improve the way veterinarians deal with sick and injured dogs you do not start with protesting and boycotting a entire animal hospital over allegations, these things need to be properly investigated, the same way you cannot look in someones window and know everything that is going on inside. I have more to say but, I'm tired of typing so we will have to agree to disagree, just PLEASE learn about a topic before you scream about it. So I'm sorry for my own insults, and take care.THANKS

it is unnatural for an adult specie to drink for another specie much less continue to drink milk as an adult. The China Study -"When Willett and his colleagues investigated the milk-drinking habits of 72,000 women in the Nurses' Health Study, they found that milk consumption was not associated with a lower risk of hip fracture, a measure of bone strength. In fact, women who drank milk twice a day were as likely to suffer a bone break as women who drank it once a week"

It has proven many times that MILK is Poison but the MILK industry LOBBYISTS 's interest override public health.

http://www.thechinastudy.com/la-timesarticle.html

Also there are plenty of videos of the abuse of dairy cows.

Thank you for once again for, proving my point, perhaps it would have been better understood, had I typed the word CREDIBLE in CAPS and placed etc following the name Peta. One last suggestion is that ,Should you ever decide to take your comments out from behind the safety of your keyboard, I would highly advise that you first purchase a quality dental plan.