Comments on: Stopping Dogs Barking

By: Lisa Hill

Lisa Hill — Sun, 05 Dec 2021 01:21:27 +0000

I agree that electronic collars are awful, and they are banned here in Victoria, but I know of one instance (before the ban) where one was used to break a barking habit that was causing real distress. Our neighbours had a blue heeler, never walked, left alone for hours and hours including at weekends when nobody came home to feed it at night. This dog barked very loudly and it went on and on and on without stopping. We endured it for years because their kids loved it and it was their pet. But tradies used to complain about it and finally there was a complaint to the council from a nearby gentleman who was at home dying with cancer and could not bear it. As immediate neighbours we were asked to document the dog’s barking and we did.
The upshot was that the council made them use an electronic collar under supervision for about a month, I think. And honestly, it was bliss. The dog would bark, once or twice and then stop. It broke the habit for good. I found myself wishing that we had complained to the council years ago!
But my point is that these neighbours were not the sort of people who were going to take up any of the suggestions here. They were never going to go to the trouble and expense of behavioural therapy because the dog’s barking didn’t bother them. They were the sort of people who shouldn’t have dogs, and so often barking dogs have that kind of owner, who doesn’t care about the dog and doesn’t care about the neighbours either.
It is, as you say, a very complex problem, and we are seeing a lot of it because so many people bought pets during lockdown, and now they’re out and about and the dogs are not really part of their lifestyle any more…

By: Andrew

Andrew — Wed, 26 Dec 2018 00:59:00 +0000

In reply to Eddie. Hi Eddie. My experience is that dog owners who request debarking surgery have never truly tried everything as ‘everything’ includes seeing a veterinary behaviourist. Debarking a dog prior to taking this step is considered highly unethical and a convenient shortcut for a complex problem. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

By: Eddie

Eddie — Tue, 25 Dec 2018 23:08:52 +0000

Hi,

Our neighbours have a cattle dog
X. He has always barked but in the past they just put him inside unless they were out than we just had to tell him to be quiet. They have recently had a child so the dog lives outside. He barks under my 1 year old sons window and constantly wakes him. I have spoken to them a number of times and they say they’ve tried all the barking options and would like to debark him. Can you recommend a vet in Sydney?
Thank you in advance for your help.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Sat, 09 Jun 2018 08:17:19 +0000

In reply to Marilyn. You have our sympathy- hopefully, the owners will seek help. We have also discussed anxiety as a cause of barking here.

By: Marilyn

Marilyn — Sat, 09 Jun 2018 07:13:47 +0000

We have a chocolate labrador about 12 months old opposite us. He has, I believe, an anxiety disorder. He gets going and has barked for four hours more than once, often two or more hours. He sets off some of the other dogs in the vicinity and so we are all getting fed-up with this young boy. The family have three children and they are not at home when the barking happens.
I wrote them a polite note because this dog could have cleared the small wire mesh fence they erected. They have fixed that, but not the barking. It’s a big problem.