Why Is My Dog Not Barking At Strangers?

There are many reasons why my dog is not barking at strangers. Sometimes regardless of their breed, some dogs won’t bark. It might be good to have a dog that doesn’t disturb the neighborhood with noise but it could also be a life-threatening situation if your dog is not barking at strangers. 

Why Is My Dog Not Barking? Possible Reasons

Below might some of the reasons why your dog is not barking at strangers.

• Medical conditions

One reason your dog is not barking could be a result of medical conditions. The laryngeal disease is one of the most common disease in dogs, it is a condition that alters the normal structure and function of the voice box otherwise known as larynx.

Laryngeal disease can be treated if diagnosed early by a professional. For some breeds of dogs, e.g Bouvier des Flandres laryngeal disease is inherited, these breeds of dogs will not be able to bark.

There are other breeds e.g St Bernard, that are susceptible to this disease and extreme exertion and stress could trigger this disease in them, which could make them stop barking.

Other medical conditions like chronic vomiting, respiratory problems and metabolic disorder could also be the medical reason why your dog is not barking.

Read also: Why is My Dog Always Angry? | Dog Behavior Explained

• Change of Environment

If you just adopted your dog, the new environment could be the reason why he is not barking, your dog is just trying to adjust to the changes of his new life, and once he is comfortable with you and the environment , he will bark or learn to communicate with you.

Read also: Why Do Dogs Growl? | Reasons Explained

• Dogs are Shy Too

Your dog is not barking because it’s just shy. Yes, it is normal for a dog to have a quiet personality, so if your dog does not like to draw attention to itself by barking, it does not mean that they are depressed or there is something wrong with them.

It’s just their personality, this type of dog has other ways of expressing themselves aside from barking, so it’s advisable to pay extra attention to know how they communicate.

Read also: Why Do Dogs Lick Your Feet? | Reason Exposed

• Sore Throat

A dog can stop barking temporarily if it has sore throat, as a result of over-barking. This situation can be easily remedied by silence.

• Some Breeds Don’t Bark

Some breeds of dogs simply prefer to be seen and not heard, so they don’t bark often, they reserve their bark for specific occasion.

If you are in need of a dog that will alert you of intruders and danger, get yourself a guard dog. These dogs has been carefully breed to be at alert. Examples of guard dogs are; Beagles, German Shepard, Basset Hounet.

• Emotional Abuse

The past experience of your dog could also be the reason why your dog is not barking. For instance, if their previous owner was abusive to them when they barked, the fear from this experience could stop them from barking.

• Debarking

Some of the dogs were debarked which is also the reason for their inability to bark. Debarking is a surgical procedure that involves trimming of the vocal cords to reduce the volume of a dog’s bark. Dogs whose previous owners did this to them might bark but not loudly.

There are also dogs that are trained not to bark by its previous owner, so if your want your dog to bark, you have to retrain him yourself. If your dog is not barking because of any reason, get them the right help professional and give them all the love you can, that is all they need.

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