I had two Dashunds. Loved them both. One was well behaved and the other a brat...but I still loved her. She was a barker. Barked at birds, at leaves, at the wind. Sometimes she barked just cause she could. We tried EVERYTHING!!!! Discipline, shaking coins in a can (loud noise), citronella spray (supposed to work), even did the shock collar. (Tried one time). My son heard the dog yelp and was upset. He put the collar on himself and he yelped. I took the collar back and sent the company a long letter about the cruelty of that awful collar. We were getting complaints from everyone about the barking. Finally, her vet suggested that we de-bark her. She said it was not cruel. She also told us that she went to a place where a whole room full of beagles had been de-barked. She said it was still quite loud and that it only muffles the bark. I chose to forget the de-barking procedure and just did the best I could to deal with her and her barking. She died at 11 years from someone who poisoned her. She died of kidney failure. Her sister lived to 18. It can be a real problem for anyone to go through. My pup now never barks. She's a sweetheart. But if she did bark I would still love her.
|