Has anyone else got a silent dog ?

My working cocker spaniel is quiet. Never barks. They are bred to be that way so that they don’t frighten the birds they’re meant to flush. Agree though, it does seem odd when they don’t bark to alert you of a problem! Ours was shut out in the garden in the cold for half an hour once and still didn’t bark. She doesn’t bark when people come to the door. (She can bark, as a puppy she barked at things that frightened her but no more!)

This reminds me of when the DR came to see Mum. We had two dogs an Alsation cross and a Chihuhah crossed with JRT. They were in the kitchen with Glass Panels on door the little dog was barking but the DR could only see the Big One. Oh he said what a funny dog it is barking funny with its mouth shut

My daughter had a rescue dog that didn’t bark. After she owned him for about a year, he barked when someone knocked at the door and immediately cringed. He clearly had been beaten for barking in the past. As he became more and more secure that he was safe and loved, he started barking more and more, especially at passing delivery vans. Only when his hearing declined did he return to being silent.

hellymart

My working cocker spaniel is quiet. Never barks. They are bred to be that way so that they don’t frighten the birds they’re meant to flush. Agree though, it does seem odd when they don’t bark to alert you of a problem! Ours was shut out in the garden in the cold for half an hour once and still didn’t bark. She doesn’t bark when people come to the door. (She can bark, as a puppy she barked at things that frightened her but no more!)

I had two Cocker Spaniels that didn’t bark although one started to bark when she went blind. But then I had a third one who barked constantly. I must admit that it drove me nuts.

valdali

Back ages ago we used to have golden retriever cross, who rarely barked.
His noise, particularly if there was food around & he was being ignored, was an ultra-loud burp!
My cocker's fairly quiet & ignores the neighbours rather yappy dog, but once he gets started barking he is hard to stop.He won't bark if he's the wrong side of a door, even if he hears us calling.

This has made me laugh for ten minutes straight

Thanks everyone. I do know that I am lucky not to have a yappy dog. The one behind me is bad enough! It’s just disconcerting looking up from my book and seeing her standing there silently staring.

I really really really wish I had 🤣😂🤣😂

We had a Saluki . They don’t bark . And highly strung . The only time he made a noise was when i accidentally stood on his foot & he let out a loud yelp ! We were all so shocked to hear him vocal 😅

I adopted a sweet Terrier mix from a shelter years ago. The only sound he made was a low half bark/growl and very rarely. I think he may have experienced some trauma wherever he had been.He would follow me everywhere but down the basement stairs although he would go upstairs.He also didn't like to be picked up.

Our Springer never barked. The cat we have now (won’t have another dog 😢) is very, very vocal! Heigh ho.

We had an English Springer Spaniel years ago and as we worked shifts we got a rescue dog of the same breed to keep her company . He was a lovely dog and was very placid and lovely with children .
We had had him around 3 years before he ever barked , and even then it was just one ‘woof’.
He’d been found as a stray on the streets of Blackpool so we put his lack of a voice down to trauma . Maybe he’d been beaten or kicked or something. We will never know .

My rescue terrier mix barks if he hears a pin drop on the next street, oh for a silent dog OP. Watermeadow, I’d be very interested to hear how your dog’s behaviour changed with your efforts. I too have wasted a lot of money on behaviourists.

Never had a silent dog ,but I had a silent cat she was a tuxedo and used to squeek trying to miaw .

Oooh a dog from Croatia, now this I find interesting.

I go twice a year to Croatia and have just come home, when there I do a coast walk every morning (for the past 10 years) and meet lots of different dogs with owners along the way.
What absolutely fascinates me in Croatia is that the first thing I noticed and comment on all the time is that the dogs I see every day don’t bark, they all seem ultra well socialised, approach each other in a friendly/ neutral/inquisitive way and I have never witnessed any aggression - at all.
So, so different from what I witness in UK and in other countries..
I have just assumed that they really know how to train the dogs nicely and well there? The dogs all look happy, they seem to be doing something special.

I am going to ask a local dog owner on the next visit.

Gosh..i wish.I have 4 poms...when they bark..its a right din....

I had a Tibetan Terrier who didn't bark for the first 6 months and then found her voice at every body passing, leaves that blew, the cats, the tv et al. You name it, she barked at it. It drove us mad.

The dogs I had and even the one I doggymind have never whined or barked for any food, attention. Stand at the food bowls yes, but no noise. Now, squirrels in the garden is another kettle of fish!

LaCrebescule - I used to shout when my dog barked. What’s helping now is reassuring and soothing her.
Most of her barking was habit and an automatic response to every noise. Now I respond every single time to stop her.

hellymart

My working cocker spaniel is quiet. Never barks. They are bred to be that way so that they don’t frighten the birds they’re meant to flush. Agree though, it does seem odd when they don’t bark to alert you of a problem! Ours was shut out in the garden in the cold for half an hour once and still didn’t bark. She doesn’t bark when people come to the door. (She can bark, as a puppy she barked at things that frightened her but no more!)

I too have a working cocker who I suspect was trained as a gun-dog as a puppy as she's very good at putting up game. Silently. She never barks. She can, as she barked to call me back when I first had her and she was trying to call me home.
(She was bought by a reputable kennels as a breeding bitch and their dogs were never left alone, there was always a human around somewhere. I got her when she "retired".) She does tell me when there's someone at the door by fetching me. She comes and stares at me, trots towards the door and then comes back to make sure I'm following. She does the same if I'm at the bottom of the garden and the phone rings.

Like you hellymart I have accidentally left her outside and she just stood patiently at the door until I realised she wasn't there. Nearly an hour. I think it may have been her training me to watch her all the time and pay attention to her needs! (Which I do!)

We have two cockers and as I said rarely bark However the eleven year old howls when son comes down the drive.
The younger one did not howl bu thinking he is missing out tried and tried to howl. It was so funny listening to his efforts. Now aged four has eventually mastered the skill and they howl in harmony with a slightly higher pitch They do stop when asked to

Allsaints55

We had a Saluki . They don’t bark . And highly strung . The only time he made a noise was when i accidentally stood on his foot & he let out a loud yelp ! We were all so shocked to hear him vocal 😅

From AI “The "Sighthound Cry of Doom"—most famously known within the dog community as the Greyhound Scream of Death (GSOD)—is a notoriously bloodcurdling, ear-piercing shriek emitted by greyhounds, whippets, and other sighthounds.
Despite sounding like the animal is being actively impaled or facing existential torment, it is almost always triggered by something completely trivial.

Common Triggers

According to discussions among sighthound owners on platforms like Reddit and Facebook, common catalysts for this dramatic outburst include:
• Minor Inconveniences: Stepping on wet grass, a stray pebble, a leaf, or a single berry.
• Mild Startles: Having a fly or a static shock land on their nose, brushing against a stray plastic bag, or seeing a snowman.
• Trapped Paws: Getting a foot "stuck" between two plush sofa cushions or wrapped loosely in a blanket.
• Protest: Being asked to move from a comfortable spot or experiencing general boredom.

The Behavioral Pattern

When a sighthound unleashes the Cry of Doom, they typically pair the sound with high-stakes physical theater. They will flail, shake, or hold one paw high in the air as if it has been amputated.
As soon as a panicked owner rushes over, inspects the area, and offers a reassuring rub, the dog will instantly drop the act, put all four feet back on the ground, and trot away perfectly fine. Paradoxically, sighthound owners note that when these dogs suffer actual serious injuries, they tend to go entirely silent and stoic”.

We have a silent Labrador too. You have to interpret her stares!
She does bark at foxes and occasionally at people at the front door. She’s very sweet.

Luna, our tuxedo cat is practically mute. She was a rescue cat and when we first got her, we only heard her tiny meow when we put her in the cat carrier to take her to the vet! At her last stay at the cattery, upon coming home she meowed quite loudly and I thought "at last, she sounds like a cat!" but it didn't last!

That's interesting-I've only had one tuxedo cat and she was the only one who couldn't meow.
She was a devil for hunting though .

My silent until old cat was also a tuxedo! Interesting