ClantyreSheltie
Forums Sage
Sounds logical to me.
To Debark or not?
- Thread starter SpaceCadet
- Start date
Sounds logical to me.
Debarking
You can scream and yell all you want.I have done all that you have mentioned in your thread.I had animal control at my house threating to take measures then its time to do something.I am not getting rid of my dogs nor do I use shock,prong, choke or bark collars.I tried the citronella collar.It was a waste of money they learn to bark through it.I have done all the trianing and I have the best behaved dogs on leash and off .You can call it what you want but it isnt mutilating.I'm happy, my neighbors are happy but most of all my dogs are happy and they still bark but at a level thats tolerable for all.
Not to mention, cutting a dog's ears off so they resemble a breed standard. Oh and cutting tails off as well. How about declawing cats too? Too many double standards.
I know, I was shocked and somewhat disappointed. Just quickly, I brought him home with the hope that he would make noise when people came through our yard. I had just built a new home in the middle of a large grove of trees. The nearest lots around ours were not developed yet and street lamps were not yet installed on our block making in pitch black at night. I worked at night leaving my wife and my first daughter alone in our new surroundings. And Demitrius (my fur boy) was a no barker.In his defense, he would go on high alert whenever anyone approach the house, so if we paid attention, he really did do his job. Oh, I forgot. He did bark (quite a lot) when a half a dozen of the little neighbor kids from the next block came over to play and he was herding them around the yard. He was an outstanding dog.
Ah, so Demitrius had the herding-only bark option installed. That's the most important bark package available. (I speak in terms of options because sometimes we wonder whether we should have paid extra for the factory-installed common-sense option for Olive!
)I do know of several dogs who had tails docked for medical (not cosmetic) reasons. They were all major tail-waggers and yes, they broke all sorts of things in the owners' homes. That was not the reason for the docking - all the owners rearranged their homes to accommodate the wagging. All of the dogs managed to split open the skin on their tails, so frequently and so many times that all the owners were told docking was the only option; not enough tissue padding, never had a chance to heal before being split again. And how could one possibly try to train away a dog's wagging tail? One of the owners has a home with cathedral ceilings and they were never able to get all the blood droplets from the high corners. The decision to dock was agony for everyone and not lightly made.
I do agree with you about docking tails and cropping ears for cosmetic reasons. Pointless and stupid procedures.
Jess041
Forums Enthusiast
Ah, so Demitrius had the herding-only bark option installed. That's the most important bark package available. (I speak in terms of options because sometimes we wonder whether we should have paid extra for the factory-installed common-sense option for Olive!
Missy has this option as well. But she does "speak" on command.
And so in those situations there is a good reason. Same goes with debarking. I still can't think of a reason to chop off ears or cut cat's knuckles off though...
ClantyreSheltie
Forums Sage
I have a friend that breeds Norwich terriers, and he leaves the tails on. This is not a breed where tail damage is an issue, it seems to be cosmetic. So his last litter has these cute little tails, and it really enhances their expressions. It's cute! And frankly, even undocked, the tails meet the description in the standard.
Imagine my surprise when I learned the dock Boston Terrier ears! I thought they just stood up on their own. Some do, and some are docked to present "cleaner lines" of the head.
Imagine my surprise when I learned the dock Boston Terrier ears! I thought they just stood up on their own. Some do, and some are docked to present "cleaner lines" of the head.
Ah, so Demitrius had the herding-only bark option installed. That's the most important bark package available. (I speak in terms of options because sometimes we wonder whether we should have paid extra for the factory-installed common-sense option for Olive!
Actually the breeder threw that option in at no charge to misdirect us from that fact that she also threw in the "stubborn as heck" and "hard headed beyond belief" options
for good measure. Every time I read one of these "what neat/silly/weird things does your Sheltie do" type threads, I have to smile (and shed a little tear) remembering the goofy things he would do. Looking back, I would gladly have paid extra for those options and a few more, too. Thanks, Celloyogi for giving me a few chuckles. 
danisgoat
Moderator
I would go with the bark softening.
I personally find it cruel to train a dog out of their natural instinct to bark. I find it more cruel to scream at them for something that they are bred to do. I am not talking about barking at you for demanding something, but that instinct to run around the yard barking their little heads off. That is a sheltie. Training them out of it is just plain cruel. I think that would cause constant stress in their little heads, and make them act out in other ways. I would rather a relaxed dog versus a stressed out one.
Bark softened dogs are happy and can actually be the Sheltie they were bred to be.
I personally find it cruel to train a dog out of their natural instinct to bark. I find it more cruel to scream at them for something that they are bred to do. I am not talking about barking at you for demanding something, but that instinct to run around the yard barking their little heads off. That is a sheltie. Training them out of it is just plain cruel. I think that would cause constant stress in their little heads, and make them act out in other ways. I would rather a relaxed dog versus a stressed out one.
Bark softened dogs are happy and can actually be the Sheltie they were bred to be.