How unusual is it that my dog never barks?

Question

Never barks at anyone... friend or stranger.... dog or human.  I know he CAN bark.... but as an adult dog I can only think of him barking maybe 3-4 times. 

He is almost a year and a half old... and he's a very friendly, very docile, neutered golden retriever.  He will play/wrestle with other dogs just fine... but never barks.

He can be in a yard with 3-4 other dogs (friend's dogs) who might bark at a passing dog... but he never does.  My neighbor's dogs bark so much they sometimes get into howling matches.... and he just looks at the fence like there is something strange going on over there.

I am not really that worried about it, he's a great dog, no health issues other than he's kind of skinny for his age (but not underweight).   I am just curious if this is common.... or if my dog is kind of an oddball.

Thanks.

bigsis1on1 · Accepted Answer

Jake (my lab) never barked when he was younger. now that he is older he will bark if he sees his friends outside playing. but for the first like two years of his life we could count the times he barked on one hand. Don't worry. He is fine. Maybe his bark is still too big for him.

Kaye · Answer

Dogs vary as much as people vary.


I have six dogs and all of them have very different and distinctive personalities. My oldest male beagle neither barks or howls....ever. The world will end before this dog makes a sound. He may whine on occassion but that is as vocal as he gets. My oldest female beagle only barks but never howls. When she barks, she barks a lot. My youngest male howls but never barks. My youngest female barks and howls but they're both few and far between. Both of my golden's bark but they are also trained when to stop.

If you're dog is quiet then I say you should count your blessings. It's not unusual but it's not exactly super common either. I wouldn't be concerned about it at all.

the L eagle · Answer

my jack russel terrier mix hardly barks as well, its actually not a bad thing. most people tell me that im lucky . she only barks when she senses danger so i know nothing is wrong with her, but other than that shed never respond to any barking dog . the neighbors dogs would be barking their heads off and she never replies lol .

Anonymous · Answer

It's actually not unusual at all. Some dogs love to bark as if their lives depended on it, while others just don't care for it. Odd balls are usually the best dogs to have anyway :)

? · Answer

Yeah that is quite strange that he doesn't bark. Have you ever heard him bark? If not, maybe he has something wrong with his throat? My cat has a similar problem where he can't meow and we found out that it was a hereditary thing with his vocal cords. It doesn't affect his health or anything but he just can't meow. But I wouldn't be worried about it if he doesn't have any health symptoms other than that. Maybe ask your vet next time you're in.

Anonymous · Answer

Many, many people would be telling you to count your blessings!

None of my greyhounds, my own or fosters, barked.  They're just a very quiet breed.  My bearded collie didn't bark at people or dogs, he barked when he wanted someone to throw snowballs for him.  My Belgians will most definitely bark at strangers, but then they're also a guarding breed.

You've just got a great dog who sees no need to be vocal!

? · Answer

YOU are BLESSED.

i have a poodle that never barks , it's really normal and good.
whats not good is he'll never get scared from anything lol, a vicious dog or something.

i managed to train him to bark on command by noticing what triggered him the most, it was a hanging towel moving with the wind

Anonymous · Answer

Who cares stupid!

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How unusual is it that my dog never barks?

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