OKLAHOMA CITY -- Many people can teach their dogs to sit, beg and fetch. However, teaching man's best friend to be quiet isn't always a trick he or she can master.

Some dogs simply like to speak. Barking is the way a canine communicates, even if it causes problems, television station KOCO reported.

However, dog experts said there's hope for hounds with ways to minimize or stop barking.

Karen Brady adopted a border collie mix from the Oklahoma City animal shelter about four years ago. However, the one problem she has with her best friend, Sophie, is the barking.

"It is a very high-pitched, shrill, make-you-want-to-cover-your-ears, annoying bark," Brady said.

The bark was so annoying that one of Brady's neighbors lodged a nuisance complaint.

"When they come in and say, 'My dog's barking too much. Let's fix this problem,' well, the first thing we talk about is 'Let's talk about how the problem is,'" said Dr. Jeff Henderson, with the Britton Road Veterinary Clinic.

Henderson said barking is one of the most common complaints.

"There's not an on-off switch," he said.

However, there are ways to reduce the barking, starting with what he called the simplest solution.

"Remove the thing that's stimulating the dog to bark," Henderson said.

In Sophie's case, Brady said she is a buddy barker. She likes to talk to other dogs.

Brady said she tried collars, some that spray citronella and others that apply a mild shock, to control the barking.

"She'd bark, and I would shock her, and she'd twitch, and she would bark again, and I would shock her, and she'd twitch, and it never corrected the problem," Brady said.

Brady considered having Sophie surgically debarked, where doctors remove part of the dog's vocal chords. However, most veterinarians do not recommend it.

"Just seems like a cruel thing to do. It's sort of like declawing cats," Henderson said.

In 45 years of practice, Dr. Anthony Thomas has only debarked a handful of dogs. The last time, he said, it was the dog belonging to a couple who had to make a difficult decision.

"They were having to either give up the dog or move out of the retirement village, and so they really didn't have much choice one way or the other," he said.

Even then, vets said debarking doesn't always do the job. It can even make the barking worse.

"It's like the dog has a terrible laryngitis -- that's it what it sounds like," Thomas said.

Brady agreed, and she decided that in order to deal with the barking, she needed to deal with the dog's behavior. Brady now leaves treats around the yard for Sophie to find. She bought a toy that keeps her busy, and she has accepted that her dog's bark will always be worse than her bite.

However, if a dog's bark becomes a significant problem to neighbors, they can take a dog's owner to court. A judge can force a resolution to the issue, including requiring owners to take their dogs to obedience training, to have them surgically debarked or to get rid of the dog altogether.

Brady is president of an organization called the Volunteers for Animal Welfare. Next month it plans to launch a behavior hot line -- a phone number pet owners can call for advice on anything from barking to potty-training.

She said she hopes the program reduces the number of neglected animals.