Your Canine's
Sense of Smell

A much larger part of a dog’s brain is devoted to processing smells than yours. Some search dogs locate people buried under the snow of avalanches, search for evidence in crime, and find people in the water. Cloudy days, mornings, and evenings are the best times for dogs to search. And depending on the conditions, dogs can pick up a scent up to a half a mile away!

Learn more about dog senses, training and agility at this free dog agility teleseminar.

Training & Obedience

Stop Dog Barking

Dog Care

Dog Kennel Boarding

Surgical Bark Removal – the Vocal Cordectomy Dog Surgery

The cordectomy is a last resort for the incessant barker. It shouldn’t be used unless you’ve tried and failed with training, and less drastic methods. If there is nothing else to try, and it’s now surgery or the pound, you may decide to have your dog “de-barked”. With the dog anaesthetized, the veterinarian removes all or part of the dog’s vocal cord. There are two methods: in one, the surgeon goes in through the mouth. In the second method, the surgeon goes in through the voice box (larynx). The second method costs a bit more but is

preferable because the dog’s airway remains free of scar tissue. This surgery does not create a totally silent dog, but one with a modified bark that is softer and hoarser than it’s original. If your dog’s barking has been chronic, he may continue to bark. It may not annoy the neighbors, but you may still find it stressful. Aside from the irritation factor, the surgery doesn’t stop your dog from wanting to – and trying to—bark. Whether your dog barks from anxiety, boredom, loneliness, and territoriality or because you unintentionally reinforce the barking, surgery won’t solve the underlying problem. Another potential problem is that your dog may regain his bark two or three years after the surgery, or develop scar tissue that obstructs his breathing and requires additional surgery. Some vets estimate that half of dogs who undergo vocal cordectomy will have problems from the procedure.

Now that we’ve covered your options, you may want to use the decision tree below to choose your course of action. It is designed to move from the simplest solutions to more complex ones, and I encourage you to start with the earliest techniques, only moving up to more complicated or intrusive remedies if easier ones fail. Above all, be patient – learning takes time, and it’s only fair to give your dog at least as much time to change his habits as it would for you to stop smoking or swearing or eating sweets – several weeks of consistent training –an average of ten minutes every day.

Summary of Drastic Devices

Ultrasonic Collar
Sonic Collar
Bark Free
Citronella, or Stinky Collar
Leash
Pinch Collar
Shock Collar
Surgical Bark Removal: Vocal Cordectomy

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