# Too Much Barking?



## lilybell (Oct 4, 2009)

Hi everyone, I'm new to this board and have a couple questions about this breed in general. I currently live with a 5 year old Pug that is debarked. Not my doing, I adopted him like that. As a result of that he is no problem living in an apartment with me. I want a Maltese now but I keep reading that they're barkers and bark excessively. Is this true? Do you have a barker? I live in an apartment with paper thin walls; the smallest sound can be heard. My neighbor has a lab that rarely barks so no one complains. Additionally I can't really stand the sound of excessive barking at the littlest things. There are people walking outside in the hall often. I would hate to hear barking every time someone walked by. Please tell me the truth so I can make an informed decision.


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## The A Team (Dec 1, 2005)

Hi...and Welcome to Spoiled Maltese! 

I have three malts, one of which is a BARKER...with a capital B!!! :blink: The other two are much calmer and quieter.


I think good breeding and early socialization helps in the barking department. Of course I'm no expert but I got Abbey at 7 weeks old, I think if she had been with her mother until she was 12 weeks that may have helped. In my opinion, she barks out of fear (?) Anyway a barker definitely gets on your nerves sometimes, LOL :smstarz: - makes a good watch dog but who needs to be saved from a kitty walking down the street? 


Hopefully someone else here can give you a better answer.


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## iheartbisou (Feb 13, 2007)

I think it just depends on the dog sometimes. My maltese was barking at any little noise outside our front door for a while. She's been better about it lately because we've been working on that via training- which she responds well to...and it seems like other Maltese on this forum respond well to training too. Now it's much much better and easy to deal with, it's been cut down by around 75%. I believe she was doing it out of fear too.


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## ilovemymaltese (Oct 9, 2008)

Gigi is not a yappy dog. But if someone dares ring that door bell, her barks will never stop. LOL That's the only time she's yappy. Sometimes she yips cutely when she plays.


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## Nikki's Mom (Feb 13, 2008)

Nikki only barks a bit when she is trying to get me to play with her. She doesn't bark when people come to the door.


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## lawgirl (Jul 22, 2009)

I think it's wonderful that you're thinking through the possible ramifications of a bark-happy dog in an apartment setting! This is a sign of a great dog owner. The worst possible situation occurs when an untrained dog's barking creates a nuisance, which is legally actionable by the landlord if the tenant is unable to work out an informal solution with the offended neighbors.

I do agree that the Maltese breed, along with Yorkies and Chihuahuas, have a reputation for being yappy, but this generalization won't help you when it comes down to the individual dog. As others have commented, some dogs bark at the slightest pin drop, while others bark only in response to particular triggers such as door knocks and telephone bells, depending on temperament, training, and socialization. Nuisance barking is a different behavioral problem altogether: non-stop, self-reinforcing barking that goes on for prolonged periods (I assume this is what you're most worried about). You can reduce the chance of owning a nuisance barker if you're willing to do the legwork for procuring your dog, or committed to help train her out of the habit if you obtain one. All dogs, in my belief, respond to dedicated, positively reinforced training over time.

My dog was reactive to door knocks for a while but he responded very quickly to training. The only time we have problems now is when I need to leave him alone, as he has separation anxiety. He will bark for 1-2 minutes before calming down, so I never leave him alone in evenings or early mornings when the noise could be disruptive to my neighbors, and he goes to doggie daycare when I am gone for longer than 2 hours. We are still working on his anxiety issues but they are getting better.

Based on personal experience and those of friends, I do believe that _companion breeds like the Maltese purchased from pet stores tend to have a harder time adjusting to being independent, both because genetically companion dogs are bred to be with others and also because pet store life can be extremely stressful, leading to behavioral problems such as barking later on_. This is not a hard rule, just another risk factor in behavioral problems. The same goes for some shelter dogs. The best scenario is to rescue a dog that has been well-socialized and trained in a foster home, to rescue a dog whom you are willing to train in a committed way, or to purchase from a breeder who takes the time and effort to properly socialize the puppies in that critical pre-weaning period.


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## camfan (Oct 30, 2006)

QUOTE (lilybell @ Oct 4 2009, 06:54 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=836620


> Hi everyone, I'm new to this board and have a couple questions about this breed in general. I currently live with a 5 year old Pug that is debarked. Not my doing, I adopted him like that. As a result of that he is no problem living in an apartment with me. I want a Maltese now but I keep reading that they're barkers and bark excessively. Is this true? Do you have a barker? I live in an apartment with paper thin walls; the smallest sound can be heard. My neighbor has a lab that rarely barks so no one complains. Additionally I can't really stand the sound of excessive barking at the littlest things. There are people walking outside in the hall often. I would hate to hear barking every time someone walked by. Please tell me the truth so I can make an informed decision. [/B]


Most likely I think any dog would bark if there were people walking the halls often as you said. And other noises, etc. Probably with some training you could minimize it, but you never know. If you lived in an apartment where there weren't so many noise issues I'd say go for it. But in your situation, I'd hesitate. Why risk burdening your neighbors and putting your living situation in jeapordy. Just my 2 cents.


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## makettle29 (Nov 12, 2005)

I don't think you can predict if a particular Maltese will bark, or not. You'd have to wait and see and then train your pup to not bark. My daughter lived with her Malt in a high rise and she received many complaints as her pup barked when she was at work. She even barked when she was taken to work with her!

Maybe you should try to find an older dog whose habits are well known. My two pups don't bark as the usual faire of noises at my home because they are accustomed. However, any unusual sounds and every vehicle that arrives gets a welcome bark.

You are taking a gamble with a puppy.


Good Luck,

Mary Anna Herk and Theena


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## princessre (Dec 23, 2008)

Even a one year-old dog could decide to bark at two years old. If the particular dog has barking tendencies, then you work on it with a trainer and it's a work in progress all the time. It's never 100% solved.


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## iheartbisou (Feb 13, 2007)

QUOTE (princessre @ Oct 5 2009, 09:14 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=836796


> Even a one year-old dog could decide to bark at two years old. If the particular dog has barking tendencies, then you work on it with a trainer and it's a work in progress all the time. It's never 100% solved.[/B]


So True! Even my trainer tells me 'well she is a dog, that's what they do'.


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## Sugarbaby (May 21, 2008)

Yeah my Sugar is a barker when something or someone comes around the house but than when she sees that i think it is ok than she stops barking. I wouldn't want it any other way. I want to know if something is out there. lol even if it is a squirrel. :biggrin:


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## NIMaltese (May 24, 2009)

QUOTE (Sugarbaby @ Oct 5 2009, 04:07 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=836824


> Yeah my Sugar is a barker when something or someone comes around the house but than when she sees that i think it is ok than she stops barking. I wouldn't want it any other way. I want to know if something is out there. lol even if it is a squirrel. :biggrin:[/B]


Tobi will bark if something in the room scares him - like the laundry basket, or my daughters guitar...so fear based barking.
He also barks to get our attention if we aren't in the room with him. Based on how tobi was when we first brought him home - new home anxiety etc - I wouldn't recommend risking it if you have possible issues with neighbours.

I'm lucky with my next door neighbour - she is fantastic and understanding, and whilst he is improving...he still barks enough that I wouldn't have him in an apartment setting.


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## biancasmom (Jun 24, 2008)

When i got bianca, i was really hoping for a non barking dog because my last dog (a pomeranian) barked at everything!..well Bianca is a lot better but she still barks.. She barks when i am eating or cooking.. and I have noisy neighbors above me and she barks whenever they run down the stairs or make a really loud bump on the ceiling. She also barks when i am on the phone.. 

sooooo.. i wouldnt recommend a maltese with your neighbor situation. 

My grandparents had 3 boston terriers(each at different times) and those dogs NEVER barked. I would look into a breed thats none for not barking..


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## LJSquishy (Feb 27, 2008)

London has always been a barker. She will bark if the doorbell rings, if someone walks by our house, if she hears someone talking outside (like a neighbor), and if she thinks she hears/sees something that isn't really there (lol). Thankfully she doesn't bark while we're on walks. We've worked with her some ourselves, but we haven't noticed a huge improvement.

Preston is far too lazy and laid back to bark at anything except for his reflection in the glass door of our TV stand. Occasionally he will hear something and do a muffled bark, but other than that, he lets London do all of the guarding and alerting. He's my little angel.  lol

Excessive barking is something that needs to be dealt with, but it IS natural for dogs to bark -- they should be allowed to do a single bark to alert you of what they see/hear in my opinion. Also, I think London barks sometimes out of boredom...she has a lot of energy and rarely can we tire her out fully (even with walks, jogs, games, food toys, etc). I don't think she was socialized well enough before we got her, so loud noises seemed to trigger her barking from a very early age.


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## coco (Sep 20, 2006)

Coco only barks when someone comes to the door. We're on an airplane right now, and she hasn't made a peep. Sorry you have issues with barking.


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## Lacie's Mom (Oct 11, 2006)

I have 2 Maltese. Lacie, who is from a very reputable breeder, is a barker (as Pat said -- with a capital "B"). I live in a patio home and have had problems with my neighbors because of Lacie's barking when I'm at work. We've been working on it with training and she is much better, but still can be a problem.

Tilly, who was rescued from a Pet Store/Puppy Mill situation is not a barker. She will bark if someone rings the doorbell, but that's about it. She never goes outside and barks.

So, it really is the dog and not necessarily the breed.

Two breeds that you might like that seldom bark and are very good living in apartments are Shih Tzus and Lhasa Apsos. I've bred both and have to say that they are not yappy at all and are excellent at knowing the difference from somthing that should be barked at (dangerous) and something that shouldn't (just noise). They are usually extemely quite.

I would look at those 2 breeds before I would take a chance on a Maltese in your current apartment situation.


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## widgeon (Apr 23, 2007)

I agree with everyone here. It is basically up to the individual dog's temperament and the way that they respond to training. I have five Maltese. Widgeon wouldn't stop barking if his life depended on it if someone comes into the yard or up to the door. He guards my home better than any german shepard could. Wexley and Surrey will bark once in a while but they do not initiate it. I have recently adopted two rescues that could break your heart. One had been debarked but when she barks she sounds like a sweet little duck. The other will follow her lead since they have lived together for 13 years in a puppy mill. She will bark too but it sounds a bit like a quack too.

You just need to look at all angles but I can guarantee that you will never get a more loving dog.


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## cleooscar (May 28, 2008)

I've had 5 Malts so far and for most parts they only bark when they hear the door bell or when there's a sudden loud noise. What I mean is that we live in a very quiet neighbourhood. If we're out in the backyard for a while and then out of the blue they hear our neighbours voices pop out of nowhere, they'll bark because they're startled. Once they figure out it's nothing to be concerned of, they stop. The funny thing is if there's a doorbell sound on TV, they'll bark too! :biggrin: When they bark, they'd only bark for may be 10-20 seconds so it hasn't bothered us or anyone else. I used to have a Pomeranian 20 years ago that would bark every time someone walked past our apartment door--he was a Barker!


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## almitra (Apr 24, 2009)

Clearly this varies on an individual basis even though the breed generally does have the rep of being 'yappy'. 
My 9 MO little girl never barks under any circumstances unless we encourage her to do so by having my 10 YO son play chase with her. She LOVES that game and will bark joyfully when he initiates playtime!
I do sometimes wish she were more vociferous (her voice is so precious!!), but then again, I live in an apt also, so I guess I am glad she isn't after all.


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## Boobookit (Dec 3, 2005)

I do agree that it is up to the individual dog but I have 2 Maltese and both are barkers. Pacino will bark and immediately stop when I say "No Bark" but my Ralphie will look at me, stop and then bark all over again. He will bark at a leaf blowing by if he hears it....But...he is food motivated and if I say "no Bark" and reach for the treat he is right there, sitting handsomely and NOT barking...LOL

Good luck.

Marie, Pacino & Ralphie


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## setell (Oct 10, 2009)

I think it depends on the dog. I just got a maltese puppy and I still thank the lucky stars how quiet my little guy is since I live in an apartment with paper thin walls too. He does not bark and to the best of my knowledge he wasn't debarked! His parents are happy barkers but he's just one super quiet guy. If you get him excited and happy enough he will bark but other then that he just wags his tail and stick his tongue out with joy. A woof out of him is so cute and so rare that I have the urge to record it on video! :biggrin:


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