Dog questions

[NbyNW]

We had Gordy for 6 or 8 weeks before we ever heard him bark.

He will probably never be great at playing with other dogs. He prefers to play with us. He is well-socialized enough to be around other dogs, at the park or in day care. Otherwise for him it is usually enough to sniff a little and then move on if he decides there is no threat. If he feels like another dog is getting too much in his space, he will but them with his hip or warn them off, but he's really not one to initiate play.

We've talked about maybe getting a second dog when he is much older, but that is a few years away.

[spokewench]

I love, love, love dogs that don't bark. It is a problem you don't have to deal with so be happy about that.

She'll get used to all things and probably play more later, but she may not ever like to play with other dogs due to her upbringing. Who knows? But she has a lot of adjusting to do still.

[Pax]

My older Border Collie didn't bark until she was almost four years old, it really seemed to startle her when she did it.

[GLC1968]

Our boxer/shepherd/chow mix didn't bark for the first 9-10 months of her life, either. She was born in the shelter, so she knew nothing but cages and cement floors when we adopted her at 4 months old. It took her forever to learn how to 1) play and 2) bark.

She does both with much frequency now that she's 6, so be careful what you wish for!

[skhill]

And now she has barked! Not sure if it was at a squirrel she saw out the window, or if one of the cats was taunting her, but there was a definite woof. Just one.

She's mainly a yellow lab, about a year old, btw. It's nice to see her relaxing and loosening up as she settles in. Now we just really need to tackle the pulling on the leash thing...

[bmccasland]

Nala (Aussie shephard) wasn't a barker, except at other dogs. She was an stray that wound up in a shelter, then her first owner had a little girl (age 4), so Nala wasn't allowed to play with toys in the house. She would play some outside, but never in the house. She didn't grasp the concept of tug-of-war or catch. Branwen (Spaniel mutt) was a stray, and had been beaten before my neighbor found her and brought her home. She never learned to play, learning to trust people was a big advance, she didn't bark much either.

[Aggie_Ama]

My parents had a Rottweiler, Athena, who rarely barked. Oddly she only liked to turn to the neighbor next door and bark. All the dogs we have seem to dislike him.

Heidi, my 10 year old schnauzer, has never been much for play. She had no interest in toys as a puppy. She would always engage in a fun game of chase but that was all. Jens on the other hand will play with any dog, toy, person, cat he is allowed and even those who don't want to play.