A lab retriever is a great pet to bring into your family. But if you’ve never had one before, you likely don’t know what to expect.
With everything you hear about dogs barking constantly and especially at strangers, you may be curious about a lab.
Is lab retriever barking at strangers something you need to be worried about? If your new puppy going to be a problem with the neighbors?
We’re going to take a look at all of that and more.
Why Your Lab Retriever Bark
In general, there are five different reasons that your lab retriever may bark. It’s mostly about expressing their feelings and communicating, but those types of communication and feeling fall into these categories:
Excited – If your dog is excited to see you or someone else, they are likely to bark because they’re pleased.
Attention – If your dog wants attention, they may bark to get you to come to them and see what they’re doing. This is similar to a child who wants attention.
Communicating – If your dog is around other dogs, they may bark as a way of communicating with each other. They might get louder during this time as well.
Alert – If your dog feels that there is danger, they may bark to let you know. This may be if there’s a dangerous situation or someone that they feel is dangerous.
Bored – This is one of the reasons that your dog may bark that can be a little more annoying because there’s no good reason for it. They’re just making noise.
What About Strangers?
There are going to be some instances where your lab retriever will bark at strangers, however it’s not a normal occurrence. In fact, a lab retriever will generally get a good idea from you whether the situation is good or bad.
Much like a child, your lab retriever will look to you for guidance. If a stranger walks by and you do not seem bothered, they’re less likely to be bothered. If you are upset, they’re more likely to think that there is some type of danger, and they need to do something about it. That’s when they may bark.
The good thing is that they will generally be happy and friendly with those they meet anywhere, as long as you’re not putting off signals of danger. They will be more than happy to meet new people, and they are unlikely to bark while on a walk or for just anyone walking up to your front door.
The Exception to the Rule
There’s an exception to every rule, and it’s entirely possible that your lab retriever is exactly that. So, while it’s possible to say that most of this breed of dog will not bark at strangers or unnecessarily, there is always the possibility that your specific dog will be a little different.
It doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong if your dog barks a little more or even a little less than the average lab retriever. The most important thing is just that you pay attention hen they do bark to figure out what they’re trying to tell you.
Is There a Right Amount of Barking?
There is no exact right and wrong amount of barking, but you should be aware of just how much your dog barks. If your lab doesn’t bark at all it can actually be a problem as well. That’s because you never know what’s happening around you or what your lab is thinking or feeling.
How Easy is it to Train Your Labrador Retriever?
It’s actually quite simple to train your lab, especially compared to many other dogs that can make it difficult. Labs are also easily excited and they love to do things that they think you approve of or enjoy. When they get their tricks or training right and get a reward or positive acknowledgement from you that’s enough to get them to continue to learn.
If you’re trying to get them not to bark, however, you will need to put a little bit of work into it. You’ll need to give them a little time and make sure that you are fully prepared as well. It’s not just your dog that needs to do some training and learn something new. You’ll need to learn as well.
Getting Ready for Training
When it comes to training your lab the best thing that you can do is start when they are young. The younger they are when you start working with them the faster they’re going to learn. Now, that doesn’t mean they can’t learn when they’re older. It just means that you’re going to have to spend a little more time on the subject to get them to listen and to understand what it is that you want them to do. Just remember that you need to have some experience or call someone who does have the experience with dog training.
Getting Your Dog to Bark as a Warning
Having a dog is one way that a lot of people try to protect themselves and stay alert to what’s happening around them. But if your dog doesn’t bark when something is wrong or when someone is nearby, it doesn’t do you a whole lot of good as a warning system. Teaching your dog to bark when there is something wrong starts with getting them to recognize what you’re looking for.
You can work with them by rewarding them when the doorbell rings and they let you know or when someone gets close and they let you know. Start working on different situations where you want them to bark and then reward them for a positive reaction.
