I’m just wondering whether anybody else’s lab is a “motor-mouth”? As some of you already know, our Bella (who died at age 10 last summer) hardly ever barked. In fact she would startle us when she did, and until she was almost 5 months old we never heard her bark at all. In her later years she’d whine when Rob left the house - wanting so badly to go with him, but she was SO quiet most of the time. Molly, on the other hand, is 4 months and NEVER quiet. She doesn’t bark at other people (thankfully) but she barks at us when she wants something, and she whines, and she moans, and she chirps, and sometimes she even growls, but generally she makes all manner of strange sounds. I’ve never before had a dog that does this. It’s kind of hilarious, but it’s also kinda stressful because I feel like she’s trying to tell us things and we can’t understand her. So I just wondered what others’ experience has been and if there’s actually a “language” happening there, or if she just likes to make noise.
Toby speaks to me and is much more animated than my previous lab. It ranges from a really deep but piercing bark if someone come to the door to the quietest little whimper when he wakes in the morning and thinks it is breakfast time. If for example I choose not to answer the door or know it was just a car door slamming he runs to find me and makes some amazing sounds to alert me to what he thinks is there. He definitely has a language of his own. Very amusing.
With Hero I sometimes think I've got a moody child/teenager in the house. He makes a noise which isn't a growl or a groan but somewhere in between when he doesn't get something he wants straightaway ( usually food). Makes it sound like he's grumbling at me. He's got several different bark pitches, the worst being the deep rumbling from way down inside which erupts into a very loud bark. Usually reserved for when anyone comes down the garden path. The high pitched, in your face, continuous, head ache causing demand barking has stopped thank goodness. Now we only get a quick yip and a lot of nudges. The two funniest are when it's bed time for us exhausted humans, he will lay down, but then gives a sigh followed by a few minutes of groaning and grumbling. Hard not to laugh at that. The best one by far is when we ask him to 'Speak'. He sits there and his mouth opens and closes and his lips shake about but the only sound for several attempts that comes out is this funny kissy noise and the bark that finally arrived is the most whimpish one you could ever hear. He's never so far managed a straight out bark at first go. And these are just a few of the noises he makes throughout the day so yes Hero has a very wide vocal range from the funny to the exasperating but certainly never dull.
Cooper has a loud, high pitched, indoor bark that usually means she wants attention, but sometimes its not clear what she really wants. Asking her to be quiet is usually ineffective, but often telling her to "get a toy" will shut her up. Overall she doesn't bark much, though she announces visitors and still barks at dogs and horses on TV.
Monte is the most vocal lab I’ve known. He’s 7 months and does seem to have got worse this last month. He barks at the washing machine, at people walking passed (he can’t see them, just hear them). The birds, people upstairs, anything really. He’s got an alert bark for people at the door, or on the phone. He whines when he wants something. Grumbles and sighs if he doesn’t get it. The worst is his reaction to horses out on walks. That’s just scary for all involved and I’m working on getting him used to the sound of horses, but wow it’s a slow process. We mostly ignore all noise, wait for a pause then say in a calm voice “ nice quiet” but tbh it’s not helping at the mo. I need to really address it because we have a baby due and it’s going to be a very noisy house!
Kyko barks at people/things he's unsure of, and also when we leave him alone (very very rarely, because of this). He also sighs and groans a lot especially when he's tired which is comical. He will bark on cue too. He also cries like a baby when tired . He is the most vocal of all labs I've owned (he's the fifth). One thing I wish he would do is howl I love hearing a dog singing along with horrendous voice but he's just not interested
We also seem to have a vocal one....not so much actual barks but when playing or trying to get your attention all sorts of funny little noises come out...complete with nudges, nibbles and pawing! I call it his gremlin time.... I heard his big boy bark for the first time last week and I jumped a mile when this beautiful deep bark popped out of his mouth......
Our first Lab would howl. It started with a harmonica, but we could get her to howl with us. Tilly and now Cooper don't seem to understand the concept. Cooper has a number of very different barks. Her big girl outside bark would scare off burglars. Our first Lab, Ginger was the same way. Before we opened the front door she sounded like a big GSD guard dog. Years ago, I had a Malamute who would only howl, not bark.
