An odd question I know!! My golden retriever is 10 months old & is gorgeous - he's a huge great softie & there isn't an ounce of agression in him. He'll have a good rough play with us or other dogs but doesn't bark. The only time he ever did was when he was tiny & used to bark for his food & I'm sure I made the classic mistake of telling him 'quiet' & then he got his food. I'd really like to encourage him to 'speak' on demand & have tried at various times while he's been growing up . I've tried barking at him & teasing him with food but nothing. Any suggestions very gratefully received thank you.

Personally i really wouldnt encourage it. Once a dog learns to bark they can become quite vocal. At 10 months he is still very much a baby and his territorial instincts etc may not have come out yet, so you may find he starts naturally barking at the door etc as he matures. Why do you want him to bark? Most dogs will bark if there is a real threat anyway.

Thanks for that & I hope you're right. I know many owners will think I'm mad as barking can be a real problem, but I'd love to hear his 'voice'.I have to say I've had 3 goldens before & none of them have either been big barkers or territorial, so maybe it's just a breed thing!

People often say you should teach a dog to bark on command in order to be able to stop them on command. If you want to teach it, I have read that you have to keep teasing with food, toys, etc, until he gives the faintest hint of a whine, and then gradually increase the volume of noise you expect before you give him the treat, and so on. I'd rather teach my Cavalier to stop whining at me to take him for walks in the mornings though - I can't get ready any quicker!!

Thanks Lucy - this confirms what I thought so I'll just have to keep teasing. SORRY to all those of you who think I'm totally barmy & would love their dogs to shut up, but I love my goldie so much I'd love him to talk to me.

SORRY to all those of you who think I'm totally barmy & would love their dogs to shut up, but I love my goldie so much I'd love him to talk to me.

Doesn't he though? All Goldens I've ever had (9) have communicated by various grunts, especially when happy. :)

One of my previous goldies grunted for England & I'm sure he thought he was actually talking in a language we could understand as he would look at us so intently, but this one's just quiet! Having said that I can always tell what he's thinking just by his face & body language & I'm pretty sure he doesn't have a pent up urge to bark so maybe I'l just take everyone's advice & be grateful for the peace & quiet. What I didn't mention is that he does howl-pathetically!- if he's in his cage (he's going through that 'furniture is yummy to eat phase' again) & knows someone is in the house & my husband said last night that if I teach him to bark he might start in the middle of the night which is a good point. Personally I hate cages but I know dogs are ok as they think of it as their den & it does stop the destruction  - I can't wait til he's out of the chewy stage though & he can go back to laying out on his sofa which he just loves.

well i've got a 3 yr old GSD that i thought would bark at the door and be protective etc but he doesnt bark much either, only when he wants to goad another dog into play or if a bunny is being killed by a fox in the night, other wise thats pretty much it and I must admit I'm really glad!

We have a 16 month old GR and he usually only barks if he wants you to open a door for him to go out - and then it is only one bark. I am personally glad that he doesn't bark much as my friend's four collies bark at any sound at all and the noise is horrendous. They are a bit slow at stopping barking so glad I don't live next door to them

Oh if only! I wish my boys would button up! :rolleyes: :D

I once knew an akita who barked about 4 or 5 times in her whole life! She could bark - she simply chose not to!

My youngest was totally addicted to a book called 'only one woof' when he was small. (about a dog who only barked once)  We had friends who had a springer who had never ever barked in his whole life!

Mine don't bark but certainly can.

oh if only mine would shut up. They bark at anything, everything, anyone and everyone. The only way I get them to be quiet is if I shake the pork scratching box. but if they are itching to get back to barking they fidget, fidget, fidget, shuffling on their bottoms absolutely dying to get back to the task in hand of barking at the wind :rolleyes:
Please don't be in a hurry to encourage this, its what my lot (family) did and I wish they hadn't :(

wanna swap? ;)  :P

I taught my previously silent cocker spaniel to howl when sat at the top of the stairs. I used to tell him the joke about "I used to be a werewolf but I'm OK nooooooowwwwwww".  In retrospect, it wasn't one of my better ideas.

My EBT didn't start barking until she was about 1 year. Then she found her voice and used to bark every evening about 7 for an hour. Luckily that phase lasted about a week. She still doesn't bark at the door bell etc, but I'm sure she'd bark if it was really necessary. Just be grateful, a barking dog can drive you bonkers!

>just be grateful, a barking dog can drive you bonkers!

Amen to that! We thought one of our dogs voice box had been cut or something as she never barked for the first 18mths or so that we had her,BUT then when we got another dog who thought nothing of barking she finally found her voice :( They then barked at everyone who walked past the house,cats fighting at night, nearly every night during summer leaves blowing a little too loudly past the front door,or when idiot neighbour stands at his fence and bangs on it for no apparrant reason,creaking noises coming from 10 miles away...well you get the point :rolleyes: I can not stand it,especially when dozing off on the couch at night and they hear a noise outside and go ballistic! There seems to be no happy medium when it comes to barking.But given the choice of a barking dog,or non barking dog,i would choose the latter every time!

So judging by all the replies I'll just count my blessings then!

:D :D

My Dobe is like this - in the summer it's a nightmare when you want windows open all night because he then hears even a mouse walk past I'm sure :rolleyes: At the moment we're in a very detached house so nobody hears it except us but soon I'm going to be moving out with said dog and will be in a terrace so goodness knows how I'm going to get round that one! Will probably be starring in Neighbours from Hell next year :D

My two a polar opposites.  Douggie sits there and rolls his eyes at a mental Daisy who barks at everything!  wind, rain, even twinkly Christmas lights that she can see throught he front door! :rolleyes:

Woof Woof Woof, it does give you a fright in the middle of the night, I'll tell you.

I do understand what you mean.  I always feel better if I'm on my own and the door bell goes.  She goes mad at it, but it at least lets the person outside know I have a "beast" inside!

Not sure what they think when they see my little cavies grinning up at them!

i taught 1 of mine to bark during rough play, unfortunalty its her fav. thing to do now! my lil one is yet to bark but were thinking twice about teaching it to her!

>in the summer it's a nightmare when you want windows open all night because he then hears even a mouse walk past I'm sure

Ditto!You dont realise how quiet they've been during the winter until summer rolls around :rolleyes: :(

Casper can bark for Britain and will bark at anything and everything.  It drives us mad!  Freya also barks but not quite as much as Cas.  Lola didn't bark for the first year we had her (got her when she was around 3 years old), then we got Casper and she will occasionally bark once or twice to back him up!

We live in a detached house with no neighbours so I thought that would stop Casper barking a bit but he now barks at the cows mooing, horses neighing and the cockeral who makes far less noise and is much less annoying than Casper!

I have a 16mth old Irish Wolfhound and he never barks either. Well very rarely and its usually just one bark. He growls when you tug his toys when playing but thats playful. Just doesnt bark. I would make the most of it! I just wish he would bark when some one comes to the door. Think he has barked once or twice at the door. Some guard dog!