Why My Labrador Is Not Barking? 7 Logical Reasons

Many Dog guardians often think when their pooch will stop barking or howling for a while and give them a few minutes of peace. However, when the dog isn’t barking at all, concerns and questions for many arises.

Labrador isn’t particularly a very ‘Barky’ breed, and therefore excessive barking has never been an issue with them. However, major confusion pops up when the Labrador isn’t barking even a bit.

Your Labrador Retriever may not bark, and there could be a number of reasons responsible for the same. It could be your dog’s personality, age, previous training, new environment, health concerns, and more of that. A non-barking dog may not be a concern for many but considering the reasons that can be responsible, figuring out WHY becomes important.

At What Age Do Labradors Start Barking?

Labradors start barking (small barks) as they turn 7 to 8 weeks old. However, not all Lab puppies are very vocal, and some start barking when they turn 15 to 16 weeks old.

Labradors are one of those quiet dog breeds, and therefore even if they aren’t barking for long, that isn’t particularly a concern. Some Labs with a very active and vocal personality may start communicating very early. At the same time, others who are reserved and not very vocal may take quite some time. Even when the Labrador hasn’t barked after turning 3 or 3.5 months, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they can’t. Instead, maybe the Lab doesn’t want to bark yet.

At What Age Labrador Start Barking At Strangers?

Labradors are friendly even with most strangers. The people they don’t know and have met for the first time, Labs go well with them as well. Even when they get too stressed without people, Labs doesn’t bark very often. That is why most of the time, you will not find your Lab barking at even the strangest of strangers.

Labradors will bark at strangers only under two conditions:

When Strangers threaten Labs.
When Labs are trained to bark at Strangers.

If your Lab has an aggressive and territorial personality, he may begin barking at strangers at the age of 2 or 3 years. However, since that’s not very common for Labs, some pooches do not bark at strangers for their entire life.

Why Is My Lab Not Barking?

Should I Be Worried If My Dog Doesn’t Bark? Though Labradors aren’t much into barking around the house or streets, if they are oddly quiet, you should concern. So, Labs aren’t a barky breed, but they are vocal and expressive at the same time. If your Labrador Retriever has suddenly gone very quiet, you should monitor him for the matter. For guidance, look at the possible reasons below:

7 Reasons Why Your Labrador Isn’t Barking

That’s his Personality: Labradors have a very subdued personality, and therefore in most cases, they prefer not to bark. It is common for some labs to not bark since they are wired like this. They could be shy; they could be timid or less vocal than dogs naturally are.
They are trying to adjust to the new environment: Labradors are very vocal, more likely when they are new to an environment. If you have just got the dog, maybe he is trying to adjust to his new house around you and therefore being slightly conservative in his approach. This is quite a coherent behavior, and your Lab may take a few days, weeks, or months to be completely vocal.
Maybe the Labrador was trained not to bark: If you have adopted Labrador from an already owner (and not a breeder), you may have a dog who won’t bark. Wondering why? Maybe because his previous owner trained him not to bark. And with that lesson, it may be possible that your Labrador won’t bark for his entire life.
TIP: You can contact your Lab’s previous guardians to clarify if training has something to do with it.
Your Lab may refuse to bark due to some past trauma: Dogs may appear fearless, but they get traumatized easily. Especially the dogs you find in rescue centers or shelters are the ones who have undergone a history of bad abuse. Maybe your Lab doesn’t bark because he had a bad barking experience earlier. If there’s any possibility as such, it is better not to force him to bark. Instead, shower the dog with love, affection, and care. Allow him to love you and come out of his past trauma. Once his behavioral and emotional issues are sorted out, you can encourage the Labrador to bark or even train him to do so.
Labrador is too young or too old to bark: If your Labrador is too young, he probably does not know how to bark. Or, if the Labrador is growing old, he will naturally begin barking less, or even not at all. With aging, Labs’ hearing declines; they do not hear many sounds to react and thus bark less. Old age also means less energy, and barking requires a lot of physical effort.
They are threatened by someone or something: If your Labrador has recently stopped barking may be because they were threatened. Maybe someone from the family or a stranger punished them for the same. You just need to figure out if something as such has happened at any time.
Due to Medical Reasons: If there’s any underlying medical condition, your Labrador may suddenly stop barking. When in pain or under temperature, some dogs do not dare to bark out loud, and your dog can be one of them. If the Lab is showing some other signs of illness as well, it is better to take them to an experienced Vet. Maybe not something major, but some kind of vocal stress is keeping the dog from barking.

How To Train A Labrador Puppy To Bark At Strangers?

Wondering, Why Labrador Is Not Barking At Strangers- Labradors usually don’t bark at strangers, and that is one of their breed traits. Some of them can be too barky and an annoyance for neighbours, whereas others may be quiet as air.

If your Labrador isn’t barking at strangers, allow him some time. Maybe he is too young, or the strangers around are very polite and friendly towards him. Some Labs do not bark at strangers because they are trained to do so, and yours’ can be one among them. However, if none of these is a possibility, you can train your Lab to bark at strangers. Here’s how:

NOTE: If your dog has a very friendly personality, the training may fail. It depends upon the individual dog whether he can train as aggressive, barky, or so. And remember, not all dogs are the same or are to behave in a certain way.

Training Labrador To Bark At Strangers

Barking is an inherited trait for dogs, and Command Training can help bring out that in your Lab’s personality. When your dog sees strangers, use commands like ‘Speak’, ‘Bark’, ‘Loud and Louder.

NOTE: While command training your Lab to bark, train them to stop as well. Use words like ‘Hush’, ‘Silence’, and ‘Quiet’.

Ask your Labrador to bark whenever the doorbell rings or someone knocks at the door.

You can ask a friend, you generally don’t live around, or you don’t meet in the presence of your dog to help. The friend can volunteer to behave like, a stranger while you are training the dog.

Every time your Labrador bark at any stranger, reward him.

My 5-6 Month Old Puppy Doesn’t Bark- Why?

If your 5-6-Month-Old puppy doesn’t bark, that’s completely normal. He is still and puppy and probably not vocal enough yet to bark around. Your dog may haven’t learned yet how to bark can be a possibility as well. Or, probably, he is one of those dog breeds who aren’t very barky.

Some dogs begin barking when they turn 3 to 4 months old, whereas some take even longer time.

8 Dogs Breed Who Bark A Lot- 2022 Noisiest Dog Breeds

Chihuahua
Beagle
Miniature Schnauzer
Golden Retrievers (They have one of the loudest barks)
Miniature Pinscher
Corgi
American English Coonhound
Basset Hound

8 Dogs Breed Who Bark the Least- 2022 Quietest Dog Breeds

Bernese Mountain Dog.
Borzoi.
Scottish Deerhound.
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
French Bulldog.
Bulldog.
Basenji.
Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier.

Labrador Barking Problems- Why Does My Labrador Bark Excessively?

While some Labradors can be quiet and may not bark at all, there can be some opposite as well. Labs, at the end of the day, dogs are dogs, and barking is a natural trait in them. There could be several reasons why your Labrador barks a lot. Some of them may include,

Your Labrador is asking for attention.
Your Labrador is bored, scared, or lonely.
The pooch is in some kind of physical discomfort.
The Labrador is trained to bark.
Your Labrador is barking because he is getting aggressive.

Or, your Labrador is barking excessively just because he wants to. Barking is a common way of communication amongst dogs, and it is completely ok for them to behave this way.

Wrapping up…

Some Labradors may not bark at all, and some may be heavy barkers; all of it is completely normal. Every dog has its individual personality that, at times, can even go beyond the breed’s traits. And Labrador is originally quiet, friendly, and doesn’t bark much, which is also their breed inheritance.

However, if your Lab has suddenly stopped barking, it might be a matter of concern. For precaution, consider checking up with a vet or an animal behaviourist.