Debarking itself is, IMO, not a particularly barbaric procedure. I would never ever ever declaw a cat, but under the correct circumstances I would consider debarking a dog. It’s less invasive than sterilization, and the dogs don’t seem to have any idea that they can’t bark.
That said, dogs bark for different reasons. The most common reason they bark:
- Anxiety (separation or otherwise)
- Boredom
- Lack of exercise
- Lack of training
NONE of these are appropriate reasons to have a dog debarked. A dog making noise for any of those reasons is just going to be made more miserable by debarking, because it will allow his owners to more easily ignore his distress.
On the other hand, once you rule out those reasons for barking, some dogs are just very vocal and have a “hair trigger” bark. Many shelties and mini schnauzers are like this.
A lot of people think debarking involves the removal of the vocal cords entirely. THIS IS NOT THE CASE. The debarking procedure is simple- the vet uses a laser or small surgical punch to remove a small amount of tissue from the vocal cords. Just like a flag would catch less wind if it had a hole, a vocal cord with a hole doesn’t catch as much air (therefore doesn’t vibrate as much, reducing the volume of the bark).
My own sheltie is very very good about not barking at people walking by the house and other common “nuisance” barking, but he just. can’t. help. himself. once he its a certain level of excitement. It just slips out. He doesn’t even seem to realize he’s making noise some of the time. But I got a sheltie and know that some level of barking is to be expected.
In contrast, my last sheltie was a rescue who was not good about nuisance-type barking. Despite plenty of training and a huge amount of exercise, he was just loud. He barked at leaves blowing, cars driving by, kids in the street, the telephone ringing, hair dryers… my parents used to joke he barked at the grass growing. It was CONSTANT.
This meant he spent his days being constantly told to shut up. Every day, dozens of times a day, his behavior was corrected. To me it doesn’t matter if the correction is scolding or a shock collar… that’s not a fun life for a dog, their owner, or their neighbors.
Sheltie rescues get dogs that are on home #4, #5, #6, because of excessive barking. Dogs that have had household cleaners poured down their throats, their mouths tied shut, or their throat cut.
The point of my very long post being: I don’t think debarking should be a first-line solution to a yappy dog, but I also don’t think the procedure should be as villainized as it is. It’s not very invasive, the recovery time is quick, and it can save a dog from a lifetime of endless scolding or shock collars. For the right dog in the right situation, I think debarking (or “bark softening”) can be a good solution to nuisance noise.
Typically it doesn’t silence the dog, but reduces the volume/shrillness of the bark and makes them sound pretty hoarse.
If your parents have tried increasing exercise, worked through behavioral modification with a behaviorist (i.e., not just the bark collar… that’s a band-aid, not addressing the underlying desire to bark), and the dog continues to bark… IMO it’s worth considering as a quality of life measure for all parties involved. The dog can literally “bark” as much as they want, and their owners can maintain their sanity.
Here’s a bit more information, from the National Animal Interest Alliance.
