Hi everyone,

       I havn't been on this site for a while. I assume its because my German shepherd puppy is doing just fine and I havn't had any major problems with him anymore. He's four months old and his name is Boomer. He's fixed . I also have another dog shes a mut and I really dont know what she has in her. I believe shes a German shepherd mix. Her name's Coffee and shes a great dog. She is very good at protecting the house and always barks if someone unfamiliar is walking through the neighborhood. My puppy (Boomer) just sits through all of my older dogs barking and never joins in to bark with her and protect the territory. I feel that by this point my German shepherd puppy should already be barking. I've had him since he was 6 wks and I think he should feel like this is his home too at least by now. I don't know if I'm expecting too much from him but can anyone tell me ---when do you think he'll begin to protect the house and my family?

he's the baby though, its not his job to protect it yet- you wouldn;t expect a child to defend you would you? don't worry, his bark will come in time, and you will be deeply moved (like the first time he cocks his leg for a wee...) but he'll probably not start guarding till he's in his teens.

> He's four months old and his name is Boomer. He's fixed

This may be part of your problem.

Dogs begin to show guarding behaviour as they gain confidence and maturity.  You have prematurely taken away a large part of that ability to develop.

A GSD is a large breed so I certainly wouldn't expect a baby pup to guard, and he will now be a baby that much longer if not all his life.

Hi,

I wouldn't expect any four month old pup to guard or bark terriotially and would actually be a little concerned if they did, that they were lacking in confidence and would go about changing that.  Pups of this age are supposed to think everything and everyone are their best friend.  My Dobe girl barks at passers by in the house if she is looking out the windonw, I'm happy for her to do a couple of barks and have trained that that is enough, she lets me know there is someone outside and I acknowledge that and she is happy.  It's her instinct and that's fine but I want her to feel protected by me not the other way around.  However there is plenty of time for him to start barking yet, and you may end up looking back at his quietness longingly :-)

Brainless is right -neutering a dog so young makes it take a LOT longer to mature, if it ever does. I had one neutered at 5 months and he as 3 before he acted like an adult male.

It is no bad thing if a dog doesn't bark.  My staffy barked once when I first got her 7ish weeks and then nothing for months and even now she will go months without barking and rarely does more than one at a time.  For me, not barking is a good thing. :)

I wasnt aware they would let you fix at 4 months?!
Thats so early!

>I wasnt aware they would let you fix at 4 months?!

I suspect from the use of words that the OP isn't in the UK. Juvenile neutering is becoming quite common in the US, but thankfully not (yet) over here.

Don't worry about him not barking to protect the house, he's very young.
I have 14 month old Mastiff, he doesn't bark, growl or raise a heckle if a stranger comes to the door, he just sits down, wags his tail and waits for a treat :)

It's fairly common practise for it to be done that early in the states and there are quite a few rescues in this country that will do it that early aswell.  While it isn't my preference there are, with everything like that pros and cons for both sides of the argument.  I think it depends very much on the individual dog.  I had a guarding breed girlie from rescue who was spayed at four and half months and she displayed guarding/territorial behaviours fairly early on and seemed to mature more quickly than a girl of the same breed I had that was not spayed until much later.

Ive seen on a TV show that they spayed a pup @ 12 weeks old I was shocked! :0 They do it in Thailand too from 8 weeks onwards!!

When my girl had pups, we were surprised to hear them bark @ a week old! I think they were just making noises which sounded likes barks and sometimes growls! Testing those vocal boxes! So they can physically bark from extremely early on.

Different breeds, but don't recall mine barking in that way till about 10 months old.

My dogs rarely bark when someone comes to the door, in fact i often have all 5 in the living room with me, and a friend will ring to say she's been knocking on my front door for ten minutes! They just don't react :) gives people quite a shock if they walk in without knocking to be faced with 5 'wolves' all staring at them! (they're huskies really, but 3 could easily pass for timber wolves to a non doggy person and it freaks people out, lol)

My labs always give a warning bark when someone comes to the door. We like this because if we are in the garden or something we know someone is there (we dont have a doorbell)..
But they have been trained to only give one bark and then shut up.
my 10 week old puppy has started doing it now lol

my kleekai, did not bark when i first bought him home but he could howel for brittan!! it was actually really cute, if we all started howling he would join in and he would get so excited that he would sometimes fall over mid howel, lol :-)
he did start barking quite young though and he is now 11 months and will still bark at strangers coming on to our property or the street which he seems to think is our property. lol x

He is very young to be barking and it is not his job to do this, he is respecting your other dogs role and dont worry she shall teach him the ropes when he is old enough, you may not notice it straight away , but i have always found if i am out walking with one of mine the one left at home takes over the barking role, enjoy his puppyhood and the peace they grow up to quickly as it is, all the best .

My three shelties are very vocal, eldest is 2 years and the babies are 5 months and 6 months, the best bark I've ever heard or seen is the one my youngest Sheltie did when aged 4 months, she got really wound up and excited at the monster that was climbing up a our garden wall:)   It was a huge agressive terrifying   SNAIL!!!!

Hi nicola,it is surprising how loud and deep a puppys vocals can get  they can  sound like full grown  large adult dogs sometimes.what a funny story.

My two don't bark really (ridgeback and sussex spaniel) but will do if someone's at the door.  Like another poster, very useful if I'm in the garden.  Pumba will have the odd WOOF if someones dog is in their garden that backs onto ours, but it's just a show off male thing, rather than a continuing warning.  My SIL had a lab, who didnt bark until she was a year old.  She was walking late at night on the beach opposite our flat, and someone was walking towards her, she obviously tensed, and then heard Maisie bark.  Both of them turned to see who had made the noise!! LOL 
My RR pups barked when they were excited and v little, and then they all calmed down as they grew up, however, one of the pups has a right barking problem.  Well, I say problem, it's not really, just completely out of RR character.  Noisy little girl she is!! LOL  Back to your question, let him find his voice when he feels he needs to, or wants to 'talk'.  He may just be so comfortable to let your older dog take the lead, there is no need for him to express himself vocally, or he may just not know he can! I wouldn't worry too much, if he barked all the time, you'd soon be posting again.  lol

Clare x

We have the barker from hell in our household!!!

It's our Orange Winged Amazon Parrot!!

She's an aviary bird and can do Golden Retriever, adult Sheltie and baby Sheltie and you would not believe the volume, she's louder than any dog