An Overview Of The Debarking Debate (Part 1)

One of the most controversial subjects in the field of dog training is the question of debarking surgery. Debarking surgery is a procedure designed to minimize the volume of a dog’s bark. It is generally used by those with dogs who have both a loud bark and a tendency to bark incessantly. The procedure is most commonly used on very loud larger dog breeds. Shetlands and collies, for instance, make up a large percentage of those dogs subjected to the surgery.

The procedure generally requires the use of a general anesthesia and involves punching, cutting or otherwise manipulating the tissue around a dog’s vocal chords to soften or significantly reduce his ability to bark. Access the areas targeted during the surgery can come either through the dog’s mouth or via an incision on the dog’s neck.

Debarking does not, usually, complete eliminate dog’s bark. The volume of the bark is decreased substantially by the surgery, but most dogs will still have some bit of “bark” left subsequent to surgery. It is sometimes referred to a bark softening for this reason.

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