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Tuesday 30 October 2012

Quiet as a mouse

Can anyone give some advice on barking, not excessive but lack of.

I have just acquired a Staffie, aged about four to five years, from the dog warden in Hampshire. She was found as a stray, and not much is known about her background, probably ill treatment. She has a wonderful disposition, clean, completely non-aggressive to people or other dogs, very affectionate and loving, walks well on lead; cannot fault her at all.

She was in the kennels probably for about a month and they never heard her bark. They thought maybe she had been ill treated. Perhaps she had been punished for barking. We have only had her for one week. She is quite relaxed and wagging her tail all the time but still not a sound comes from her. I recently heard about another Staffie, quite young who also couldn’t bark and made sort of grunting noises. they said it was probably a collapsed larynx. I spoke to someone else about it who has recently adopted a Labrador aged 13-14 who also doesn’t bark. I asked her, “what do you think is the reason”. She said often ageing or a paralysis of the larynx. Maybe it was caused by retrieving sticks or something stuck in the throat. So now I am thinking, in my dog’s case cannot be ageing so must be something else. My vet doesn’t think it is anything to worry about, not a health problem fit and healthy in every other way, but it would be nice to hear just a “woof” now and again.

Does anyone have any ideas or experience of this? Is there any remedy and could barking return?

Mrs V. J. Denton, by email

8 comments:

  1. Have you had her hearing checked? We have a tiny pom who although was born with her hearing intact, it deteriorated whilst she was young leaving her deaf and essentially dumb. As we have several other dogs, she eventually began barking, but very very rarely and she has a very odd muted bark. Whilst everyone else is lying asleep watching t.v. she'll randomly hop up and start barking - she really doesn't understand what its for! Although deafness is something you can usually pick up on quite quickly it could be worth checking. Hope this helps!

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  2. I don't know if it's any help but our staffie who was a rescue pup rarely barks - only at foxes. He does 'whistle' or whine though. He only started barking when he was about two and its do rare (and usually the middle of the night!) that we all jump out of our skins when he does!

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  3. My Staffie hardly ever Barks, Only when he sees something thats looking and ocassionally howls when greeting me or other people into the house.

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  4. My dog very rarely barks, just makes a very occasional one-off Scooby-doo type 'whoof' when she is feeling very playful or excited about impending dinner. BUT - she is a greyhound, and they are legendarily quiet. Staffies are uncommon where I live, but I previously owned a terrier cross. She was much 'barkier' and I'd have thought all terriers would be likely to bark more than greyhounds. Every breed, though, is made up of a range of individuals and if you have ruled out any health/behavioural concerns, I hope you can relax about it if she's a quiet girl. I know many terrier owners who have completely the opposite problem! Good luck, she sounds a real sweetie.

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  5. Be thankful !!!:-) I have always had multiple collies, renowned for their barking, but several had never barked. There was absolutely nothing wrong with their hearing or larynx.
    I have several friends who have Staffies, and not all of them bark.

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  6. My Deerhound Lurcher probably only barked a handful of times in her 14 years. I could get her to bark on command, but she NEVER barked at the doorbell or anyone coming in, in fact she would rarely raise her eyelids to see who it was. She was just a daft, laid back lump and barking was far too much effort for her.

    To be honest I'd far rather have a none barker than one who barks at every little noise, so I never encourage barking at all and I quickly teach natural barkers the "Quiet" command. Having a barker is ok if you live in an isolated place, but all too often it gets on neighbours nerves if you have a barky dog. So be careful what you wish for. Jules.

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  7. I rescued a staffie cross about 7 months ago, also a stray. We didnt hear him bark once in the kennels and didn't bark for around 5 days after arriving home. Then one day he was looking out the window and barked at the neighbour! I was thrilled to hear it! He's now a great guard dog, barking at front door etc. Think he started barking when he felt certain where he was was 'home' and needed to protect it. Hope your little staffie finds it's voice soon.

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  8. Kennels can be a very stressful environment for many dogs, as can starting a new life in a new home. I wouldn't worry at all about the lack of barking, I'm sure once she starts to get settled in she'll become more and more vocal

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