by Christine Bennett

Created on: August 27, 2011

Strangely enough there are more dogs which bark less than there are at the other end of the scale and bark more.

Terriers seem to have a reputation for barking but actually they are not at the top end of the scale, the Bedlington Terrier, Boston Terrier, and English Toy Terrier are all relatively quiet in comparison to other dogs, the only terrier that seems to bark more is the West Highland White Terrier.

Greyhounds are sadly overlooked a lot as a pet but do make exceptional family dogs and are usually very quiet as also are the Labrador breeds and Labradoodles.

The smaller breeds will include the Lhasa Apso and the tiny Maltese, moving up to medium sized breeds the Bulldog, Cockerpoo and Field Spaniel are good breeds to choose for less barking.

Not seen so much is the Ibizan Hound, Dalmation and Chow Chow along with the Akita and Bullmastiff.

All these dogs are considered less likely to bark, but of course it is dependent on how they are acclimatised to the home they live in.

There is one dog however that really doesn’t bark and that one is the Basenji, a medium sized dog, fun loving and a good pet if handled well right from the start, these dogs are usually not so good with other pets though that aren’t dogs.

They have boundless energy and fair well in Agility or like sports for dogs, although they don’t bark they can still howl and make a sort of yodelling sound too.

Most dogs will protect their home to some extent, with a bark at someone’s approach, but whereas some will go over the top others will just give a small bark and then leave it up to the people around to take over.

As with dogs that bark too much and can be taught to bark less, the case is also the same with dogs that bark less, they can be encouraged to bark more.

Dogs that are used for guarding premises are often taught to bark to initially ward off any unwanted visitors, the loud bark of a German Shepherd, Doberman or Rottweiler should be enough to deter would be burglars.

What must be remembered though is that even though some dogs bark less they may make other noises which can be as loud or even louder and more annoying, especially to neighbours who don’t particularly like the peace and quiet broken by howls and screeches, yodels and whimpering.

Dogs should not be taken on if the owner is going to have to leave them alone all day, it may be inevitable at odd times but dogs like company and if there is no chance of company then they should be left with a chew toy or slow release food toy to keep them occupied.

When choosing a pet dog always take in to account the noise factor not just how much it may or may not bark.

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