We just adopted a Hound dog (not kidding that's the breed) and she is as sweet as a lamb. 2 yrs old and healthy. Obvious signs of abuse so we are taking it very slow with her lots of love and assurance. She gets along with our cat and they are making their way as to who gets what room - peaceful though.

The problem is she doesn't bark at all!
She let out one bark and hasn't done it since. She is not deaf because she responds to her name and noises by looking but she won't bark - not even if the doorbell rings. What can we do. We really wanted her to bark, not all the time just enough to let a stranger know she is here in the house with us.

Please help because we really like her temprament and want to find a solution.

THanks

I know dogs that don't bark. If the dog was abused it could be that they were beating her for barking.

Time and patience, a loving hand. Like NoHelp said, she may have been hit or beaten when she barked, it may take some time for her to feel confident enough to try again.

An abused dog needs a gentle hand, every dog does, but an abused dog even more so. Patience pays off.

Good luck. :)

Heck, our lab was about 3 years old before we found out that he actually had a voice. Barking can be a good or bad thing. Personally if she is happy, has her needs met and is not being abused why should she bark? You will probably find after a while in your home that she might let our a bark or two when a stranger comes to the door or something like that. Even with encouragement our Lab only barked when he hears a strange noise at the door. He knew the kids cars and their sounds and never made any noise for them.

Better to have this problem than the opposite! Don't worry!