If your dog doesn’t make any noise, you might be wondering why and what you can do about it. This post will show you a number of possible causes and what you can do about each of them.
So, why doesn’t my dog make any noise? Possible reasons why your dog does not make any noise are that it was punished for making noise, trained to be quiet, depression, injury, nature, old age or it is in a new environment and not yet comfortable.
There are actually multiple possible causes and it might be due to a combination of them. However, there are some things you can consider when figuring out the main cause and there is a number of things you can do about it.
Reasons why your dog does not make any sound
Below are a number of possible causes and what would make each of them more likely to be the main reason.
Previous experiences
The cause could be that your dog has learned to be quite because it was punished for being noisy in the past. This would be more likely if you adopted your dog as an adult or if it started being quiet after someone punished it for being noisy.
Previous training
The cause might be that it was previously trained not to be noisy. This would be more likely if you got your dog when it was no longer a puppy.
It could also be that you have inadvertently taught it not to be noisy in the past yourself. If you punished your dog in the past when it was being noisy or you rewarded it when it did not make noise but it normally would then it could have learned not to be noisy. If you think that it might have happened then you should take measures to correct it that will be discussed below.
Depression
Another possible cause is that something has been causing it to be depressed. This would be more likely if it has started being quiet suddenly since an event occurred that might have caused it to become stressed such as an owner leaving home or another pet dying.
Injury
Another possible cause is that it has gotten an injury. This would be more likely if it has started being quiet suddenly and if it has been showing other signs of being injured such as limping and being less active.
Nature
It could be the case that your dog is naturally quiet. This would be more likely if it has always been quiet, it otherwise has been acting normally and if it has not stopped making noise suddenly.
If it does seem to be naturally quiet it wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing since it means that your dog won’t be bothering you or your neighbors constantly. It also means that, when it does make noise, it will be because something really is wrong so you’ll be less likely to ignore your dog when it needs help or when it’s alerting you to danger.
With that being said, there are situations where having your dog make noise can be helpful such as when you want it to let you know that it wants something. You can get your dog to do this with training that I will discuss in the next section.
Age
One reason why your dog might not be making noise as much as it used to could be that it is getting older. When dogs get older their hearing declines so they won’t react to sounds as much as they would when they were younger this can result in them make less noise.
A new environment
If you recently adopted your dog from a shelter or you recently got your dog it could be the case that it is still becoming comfortable with its new surroundings. In this case, it would be likely that it will begin to be more noisy over the course of a few weeks. You can help by giving it lots of positive attention, training and by playing with it.
Things to consider
Below are some things to consider when figuring out the main reason why your dog has been doing it.
If your dog did make noise in the past
If your dog was noisy in the past, it would help to consider what else happened when it stopped being noisy. If it stopped being noisy suddenly, it might be due to things such as learning that the beahvior is rewarded, being punished or injury.
What your dog different when it does make noises
If it is noisy sometimes, it would also help to consider what is different when it is noisy. For example, if it is noisy when a certain person is not around, it might be the case that the person trained it to be quiet or that they punished it for being noisy.
What to do about your dog not making noise
Below are some options you have when dealing with the behavior.
Get help
If your dog has started being quiet suddenly, it could help to take it to a vet. By doing so, you should be able to get expert advice tailored towards your particular dog and to rule out injury as a cause.
Wait
If you have recently adopted your dog, one option would be to give it time to adjust to its new surroundings and to become comfortable around you. However, it would also help to give it lots of positive attention, training, exercise and to play with it to help it become more comfortable.
Train it to be noisy
Another option is to train your dog to be more noisy with the use of positive reinforcement training. This is where you reward your dog for displaying the behaviors that you want to see from it and stop rewarding it when it stops displaying them.
To do this get some treats that your dog likes in your hands, give one of them to your dog so that it knows you have them then keep the other just out of its reach until it is noisy and then give it to it.
You’ll probably find that your dog won’t just begin to be noisy straight away so start out by rewarding slight growling and then gradually require more and more until it starts to be noisy.
It will probably start doing the other tricks that it knows, such as sitting or rolling before it starts being noisy. But, eventually, it should start to make noises that you can then build up to being noisy.
Make sure to only reward your dog when it is noisy when you tell it to and not to give it the impression that being noisy, when it wants, will get it rewards a loud dog can be worse than a quiet dog.
Watch below to see how to do it.
Give it other ways to communicate
If you can’t get your dog to be noisy more, another option would be to give it other ways to communicate. For example, you could tie a bell to the door to the backyard so that it can let you know when it wants to pee.