'Debarking' dogs - how do you feel about it?

[timo]

Dogs surely bark for a reason. Often it is because their basic needs are being neglected by selfish owners. Why should they endure mutilation because of the feckless behaviour of the anti-social cretins that should be looking after them properly?

 

If one leaves a domestic breed of dog out at night, or unattended until it becomes crazed with boredom, barking will follow. Anyone with an ounce of commonsense knows this. It is the owners who should suffer the consequences, not the dogs. It is far too easy to obtain a dog, and far too easy for people to get away with neglecting them. Thousands buy the animals on a whim , after seeing some sentimental film, or encountering a 'cute' puppy of the breed in a park. They do not seem to realise that owning a dog brings with it serious social responsibilities and duties.

[muddycoffee]

I mentioned in my previous post about a particular type of collie dog I see every day, which just barks all the time. In my opinion I do not think that any amount of training could alter it's behaviour. I know it's owners and while not perfect, this dog just barks constantly, and so do all it's brothers, they have had lots of dogs before and have never had one like this or one which barks like this. They even got another dog too because they thought it might help, but that one is a nice well behaved crossbred bitch and didn't change the other dog's behaviour one iota.

In my opinion it would be far less cruel and offensive to me to have this dog's bark removed than having a dogs tail removed for vanity, like many breeders and owners do.

[Juicyb125]

ALL barking dogs can be trained - there are various methods - you just have to work through them..... my mother-in-law's dog barked all the time and I mean ALL the time, but they found a good trainer who sorted him out - now he only barks when someone comes to the door.

[fierysatsuma]

What needs to be appreciated is that a bad behaved dog, behaves badly because its owners don't care - I'm sure ALL dogs can be trained, however, more often than not, the owners dont care

[evildrneil]

Surely if you have a dog, you take responsibility for it? If this is the case shouldn't the judge be making the OWNERS pay for the dogs to be properly trained rather then "simply" snipping the dogs vocal chords?