My Puppy Doesn’t Bark? 8 Reasons Why & How to Train them to Bark
Puppy Doesn’t Bark
My puppy doesn’t bark. I’ll share 8 reasons why they don’t bark and some training techniques to use to teach them to bark on command.
Let’s have a look at some possible reasons why your puppy doesn’t bark.
Table of Contents
Why does my puppy not bark?
1. Comfort zone
When you bring your puppy home for the first time, he may look out of sorts. Maybe your puppy is feeling plucked from his previous home, and now he doesn’t like the sights and smells of new people.
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Like children who are not vocal around new people and unfamiliar situations, the same as your brand new puppy gives priority to silence rather than speaking.
After a few weeks, most puppies start showing their natural personality, which means lots of woofs. Mentioning that each puppy is different in behavior and nature, i.e., some are shy while others are super active.
2. Your puppy is not a barker
Within the list of reasons, why a puppy doesn’t bark, the next one is breed. According to research, some puppies don’t like to speak their mind; they are reserved and antisocial types of dogs.
Here’s a list of dog breeds that don’t bark. Maybe your puppy is one of them?
- French Bulldog
- Irish Setter
- Whippet
- Great Dane
- Dalmatian
- Collie
- Greyhound
- English Bulldog
- Great Pyrenees
3. You don’t encourage them
Puppies understand the energy and vibe of their owners. If your puppy finally starts barking after a few days or weeks, try to act normal.
Don’t try to praise your pup for its barking because you may encourage them to be an excessive barker.
4. Medical Problem
However, there are a few cases in which puppies stop barking due to medical issues. If your puppy is opening its mouth and trying to bark but fails, there could be a medical issue.
Most of the time, laryngeal, paralysis, and laryngitis could be the reasons. Primarily, both of these conditions occur in elder dogs due to excessive barking.
Soon after noticing this issue in your puppy, consult the vet to get proper treatment at the right time.
5. Shy Puppy
Don’t panic. Enjoy this phase because your shy puppy will be frank with you after 2 to 3 weeks. Soon after getting comfortable in your house, your puppy will bark over every silly thing.
6. Vocal stress in puppies
There is a possibility that your dog was not so quiet from day one, but you are noticing calm behavior for two to three days.
Maybe your puppy has strained their voice due to excessive barking. If you are noticing a sudden silence in the behavior of your puppy, there is a high chance of a health issue.
7. Trained or debarked
In the case of dealing with a shelter puppy or a dog whose past is unknown, there is a possibility that the previous owners had debarked them.
Debarking is a surgical procedure in which there is a trimming of the vocal cords to reduce the actual volume of the puppy.
The dogs can bark, but the voice of their barking is not loud when you compare it with usual dogs. While on the other hand, there is a possibility that your puppy is well trained to not bark.
Maybe your puppy was wearing a bark collar that never let him bark, so the puppy is not in the habit of barking now.
8. Want your attention?
Humans are not fully aware of the clever tactics of their dogs. Puppies are smart enough to get the attention of their parents.
Stress is also the reason, and I will include this under the same heading because we can treat it by giving quality time to our dogs.
Is it normal for a puppy to be quiet?
The straightforward answer is YES; it’s pretty standard for puppies to be quiet. Also, some species bark in specific situations.
Otherwise, they keep quiet. Therefore, there is nothing to worry about if your dog is not barking. However, there can be some conditions to worry about when your puppy is not barking.
How do you get your puppy to bark?
Not all dogs are talkative by birth due to their breeds or due to their nature. Like humans, some dogs do not like to be social, and they never speak up.
Or you can say that some of the puppies are moody and never bark until they don’t need anything. However, there are ways in which we can teach dogs to bark, even in public or in the house.
1. Create situations to make your puppy bark
Making your dog excited is the best way to make him bark. Most of the time, puppies start barking whenever they are excited about something.
If toys or leashes are not working in your favor, go ahead with the running or jumping techniques no; matter what, running and jumping methods will serve you with the required results.
2. Teach a command to bark
Using the speak command at the right time is actually about marking the bark of your puppy. Whenever you hear a dog bark, you should say that command loudly.
Let’s say you are selecting the speak command to teach your puppy to bark. Keep saying this command and keep showing the treat or award it will get after the bark.
If you are using the clicker training, you must click at each bark to understand that it is supposed to bark whenever the click sound is produced.
3. Use a hand signal to bark
When your puppy hears your verbal order for “bark,” you can include a hand signal as well.
An ordinarily utilized hand signal for “bark” begins with an open hand, palm confronting the dog, at that point over and over, shutting your four fingers against your thumb.
At the point when your dog has gotten a handle on that, keep on using your verbal order, hand signal, or a blend of both to build up the command and get your canine to bark on order.
4. Providing treats is crucial
Starting puppy training sessions without a treat in your hand is useless. Your puppy will never learn something new if you are not rewarding them with a favorite treat.
