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My puppy is not barking

820 Views 9 Replies 9 Participants Last post by  storyist
My puppy Shila is 3months and 2weeks old but not barking and am so worried because I want her to be barking and aggressive what can I do
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She is a baby. In human terms, she's only about three year old.

And no, you really don't want her barking and aggressive. Speaking from personal experience, life with a dangerous dog is no fun for either the owner or the dog. And also from personal experience, a typically friendly dog who never. shuts. up. is extremely annoying.
If you really want/need a guard dog, I think the best thing you could do would be find a home for your amiable pup with someone who wants/needs a good-natured pet. Then you could look for a dog with a guard-type attitude. And you might want to look for something already grown so you could be sure of the temperament you want. You can maximize or minimize a dog's basic nature a little, but you can't really change it.

All my puppies have had puppy temperament tests before leaving the breeder, and of course the breeder has some idea about their pups just from raising them, but they still are full of surprises. I know of one that was judged too lazy for competitive work who ended up doing very well in obedience and other competition and wasn't at all a lazy adult. One of mine was an outgoing go-getter in the litter. She's still friendly, but surprisingly timid in some circumstances.
Poor baby. Take her back to the breeder or find her a new home.
Get yourself a good burgelar alarm.
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Why would you want an aggressive dog? If you want a family protector then just get a burglar alarm or get a dog that looks threatening but isn't. Having a protection dog takes a lot of training (which your dog is probably not suitable for) and is a huge liability. Dogs suitable for protection work are very high-drive and are certainly not for everyone and the majority of people who think they want a protective dog change their mind once they meet a high drove dog and talk to their owner. Please rehome your dog or at least put the idea of an "aggressive and barking dog" out of your head.
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While I'd agree that an aggressive, barking dog isn't desirable in most cases in the western world, I think that perhaps Archowells is from an area where things are very different? Please correct me if I'm wrong! I had a friend work in Ghana for a time (different country, I know!) and in the area she stayed, dogs were genuinely the most accessible and effective security systems available. Even in the housing her company put her up in.

If you have other options, @Archowells, I do encourage you to consider them. Dogs just aren't as effective as a good security system that authorities reliably respond to, which is one of the reasons I wouldn't recommend them to anyone who has that option. If not, it may be that this puppy isn't the right temperament for the job you need her to do. I urge you not to try to change that by hurting or scaring her in any way - a scared dog is going to be less likely to protect its space than a confident dog with an attachment to its owner and territory. She is very young and may still find her voice, and you can encourage her by praise, attention, and food when she does bark. Or you may find that a different dog will be better at the job, maybe an older one proven to bark as Storyist suggested, especially if your need is urgent.
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I have a Jack Russell who never barks. Didn't even bark when he was a puppy. When he does barks it is only if a stranger comes close to the house which is exactly what we want him to do. You don't want your dog to be aggressive, but you do want it to protect you.
I'm not sure if this post is for real or not... The OP is wanting the complete opposite of what most of us strive for!
And i can't say I've ever met and aggressive, barking baby puppy. They are sweet and innocent at that age, unless they have been horribly mistreated by their owners trying to make them aggressive...
You don't want your dog to be aggressive, but you do want it to protect you.
I'm of the opinion that it is our job to protect our dogs, not the other way around. It is nice, in some cases, to have a dog that alerts you when something unexpected is going on. Perhaps that's what you meant.

Years ago we had a gigantic black lab. He was probably three or four when we got him and he never barked. I begin to think there was something wrong with him, so I got down on the floor with him and (I'm ashamed to say) basically taunted him.

When he finally barked, about four inches from my face, my ears rang, my hair flew back and my life flashed before me. It was a couple hours before I could hear normally.

He rarely barked in the ten years we had him, but he certainly could. Even if he was outside and wanted to come in, he wouldn't bark. He would just stare at the door with such intensity that it would nearly open on its own. I think he felt he could handle nearly any crisis himself and had no need to alert and involve anyone else.
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I believe my dogs are what we call "hostages to fortune." My feelings for them mean a threat to them would give the bad guy leverage over me. And I don't think any dog has any defense against a determined bad guy with a gun or even a club.

However, I also believe there's no reason not to count on the better hearing and other senses of my dogs to give me advance warning of something so I can deal with it without endangering me or them, and there's nothing wrong with hoping their mere presence makes some bad guys look for other prey.

If the little flag emblem in the OP's avatar is right, he lives in Nigeria. I don't pretend to know of his circumstances there, but I bet they're different from mine in rural Colorado. If he needs a dog that barks and growls in certain circumstances, that's his call not that of people who live in different places.
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