I have just realised something, is this odd? Benson who is 19 weeks old and he has lived with us since he was 10 weeks old. In all that time I have never, ever heard him bark...a tiny whine very rarely...when in the morning I have overslept maybe. Is this normal? He is a very laid back puppy, adores people and other dogs, seems very happy, it is just odd I never heard him bark?
Re: Benson has never barked... I'll swap you!!!!!!! Big barker here If you've got a quiet, non-barking puppy then you are lucky. Long may it last
Re: Benson has never barked... Harvey is a little over 6 months now and has only barked once - a frustration bark after he pushed a toy through the bars of his crate and couldn't then get at it! When the other dogs at training classes start to bark he looks at them with a puzzled look on his face, bless him (yes, I know that is just me putting a human slant on what the look means but it is funny). If we can keep at one bark every 6 months I'll settle for that ;D
Re: Benson has never barked... Sam, now two and a half years old rarely barks either , only when he sees something he doesnt understand, like a plastic carrier bag flapping , apart from that, zilch , I am very happy with this
Re: Benson has never barked... Amy is a barker! I think I might have taught her to bark in the garden instead go stopping it. She barks at nothing, then runs to me for a treat. So now I am recalling her to me, and distracting her by making her sit/ watch me etc. is that right?
Re: Benson has never barked... Six months old and no barks yet. Happy with that. I'll settle for a bark when it really matters. Clare
Re: Benson has never barked... Riley's pretty quiet and his first barks took ages to come. Now he barks when there's someone at the door or on next doors drive and that's about it much to our relief
Re: Benson has never barked... Neither of my Labs bark - it's perfectly normal. Some do, some don't, many that probably wouldn't are inadvertently taught to by owners that offer attention in return for noise.
Re: Benson has never barked... Charlie is one and a bit and has barked 5 times - and I remember each time - once he was asleep, so 4 times when he has been awake. Big, deep, wonderful, single "woofs" each time, apart from once when we got three woofs at the tail end of a fox disappearing through a hedge. Thank my lucky stars for this - having just spent an hour in a kennel with 2 dogs that like the sound of their own voices, I am so thankful for silent Charlie! We have had a strict "no reward" to any barking from day one, so even when he does bark (which I am always delighted to hear, he has a lovely woof) we make sure there is no reward.
Re: Benson has never barked... You're lucky! Enjoy it! Vespa didn't bark till she was 1 1/2. I was so happy. Then she went to stay at the dog sitter's with quite a few other dogs and that was it. Woof. She still only barks when she hears other dogs outside. Maybe she fancies a chat. I don't know! She also barks at the moon or if something freaks her out. She nearly had me believing in ghosts because she seemed to be barking at something in particular and there was literally nothing there! Yes. Ridiculous. I've tried really hard not rewarding her by inadvertently paying her attention but I'm guessing I must've done at some stage. Do working labs have it bred out of them at all? Is it an undesirable thing that has been part of selection in the past? Either way a Labrador bark is better than some.
Re: Benson has never barked... [quote author=Rosamund link=topic=4752.msg58937#msg58937 date=1394115229] Do working labs have it bred out of them at all? Is it an undesirable thing that has been part of selection in the past? Either way a Labrador bark is better than some. [/quote] Charlie is all show lab - the breeder said to me, in a slightly embarrassed tone, that none of her dogs bark. I said that was fine by me... The lab we had when I was a kid was just the same - barely a woof his whole life. And when he did bark (three or four times when he was a puppy, and that was it), the whole family jumped up and down in excitement, cheering him on. He still didn't bark though...
Re: Benson has never barked... I guess not a working thing then! You're so lucky! I don't mind it but I teach at home quite a lot it's a nightmare if she starts barking when I'm teaching (especially as one pupil is really scared of dogs and thinks that barking=aggression) I wish there was an off switch. I'm trying to teach Vespa to 'speak' and then stop as I've heard this helps.
Re: Benson has never barked... well that's a relief...seems to be quite a range of barking and non-barking labs out there with labs being in the main naturally a quiet dog.
Re: Benson has never barked... [quote author=Rosamund link=topic=4752.msg58955#msg58955 date=1394118445] I'm trying to teach Vespa to 'speak' and then stop as I've heard this helps. [/quote] No, I don't think it's just a working thing (although it might have been earlier in the development of the lab, of course). Given the encouragement that Jups (lab I had as a kid) had to make any noise, yet remained completely silent, I'm not entirely sure that barking is all about encouragement either (inadvertent or otherwise) although I'm sure encouraging a barky dog isn't a great idea. Best thing is to celebrate your Labrador's lovely bark, I think. You can tape it and add it to our collection, here: http://www.thelabradorforum.com/index.php?topic=3342.msg37031#msg37031
Re: Benson has never barked... Our last dog Diesel was a cross Lab/Collie and he didn't bark until he was a year and a half. Once he found his voice he was very vocal ;D
Re: Benson has never barked... Harley didn't bark u til she was about 4 months old. Since then she only barks if the doorbell goes, or someone is outside of the garden and she can't see them or if she is spooked by a loud noise. I would say she has barked 10-15 times max and she's 7 months old now. I have been teaching 'shhh' with my finger to my mouth and it appears to be working
Re: Benson has never barked... [quote author=Rosamund link=topic=4752.msg58955#msg58955 date=1394118445] I'm trying to teach Vespa to 'speak' and then stop as I've heard this helps. [/quote] Working on the same principle I taught Obi to speak on cue. Now he barks when he wants and on cue. My first Lab was a non-barker (except when people came to the door). In obedience classes I used to feel very smug about my quiet dog. Now I have a noisy dog and I give others the opportunity to feel smug. And make rude comments that are just loud enough for me to hear. Obi is a secondhand dog and came to us a barker. He's improved a heap but he's still often vocal so I need to anticipate the times when he's likely to bark and get him doing something else (e.g. being rewarded for lying quietly, heeling, sitting to attention, doing tricks). I've found that that has helped the most. If you're a person with a quiet dog, don't give people with barky dogs a hard time about it. There, but for the grace of god, go you
Re: Benson has never barked... [quote author=Oberon link=topic=4752.msg59038#msg59038 date=1394139604] If you're a person with a quiet dog, don't give people with barky dogs a hard time about it. There, but for the grace of god, go you [/quote] Well said! Although, there is a big difference between a big, deep Labbie woof, and the constant, non-stop, yapping of the 2 lapdog dogs I spent an hour with today... So, I still say, we should celebrate the lovely woof of the Lab - and we need some more vids. Not enough bark vids around here. Those of us with quiet dogs (even though they might all grow up an be noisy) need our Lab woof fix...
Re: Benson has never barked... Haha, yes, all-day, migraine-inducing yap-barking is in a very different category! I'm sure that Obi will oblige with some woofing over the weekend. I'd better get ready for work now. At least it's Friday!!!!!
Re: Benson has never barked... I am looking forward to hearing that deep lovely woof from Benson...he does make very peculiar noises with his squeaky toys though!
