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At the August Board meeting, the AKC Board of Directors approved an official canine legislation policy position statement on debarking.

Debarking is a viable veterinary procedure that may allow a dog owner to keep a dog that barks excessively in its loving home rather than to be forced to surrender it to a shelter. Debarking should only be performed by a qualified, licensed veterinarian after other behavioral modification efforts to correct excessive barking have failed. As with other veterinary medical decisions, the decision to debark a dog is best left to individual owners and their veterinarians.

Click here for an official copy of the AKC’s policy position statement on debarking.

Click here for an updated copy of the AKC’s summary policy position statements.

For more information, contact the AKC Government Relations Department at 919-816-3720 or doglaw@akc.org.

At the August Board meeting, the AKC Board of Directors approved an official canine legislation…