# Are poodles loud?



## kenzie14 (Feb 18, 2015)

I've been considering getting a second puppy, but then I realized that not all poodle are as quiet as George. 
So I was just wondering if anyone knows a poodle that yaps all the time, and if so, how do I avoid getting a yappy puppy.


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## lisasgirl (May 27, 2010)

Poodles have a reputation for being vocal (or at least, they did when I was researching the breed), but I haven't met many who bark for no reason. Archie has been getting more vocal lately, but even he's not too bad and he's still usually barking _at_ something. Usually it's a noise outside the door or one of the windows. It's a big pain on windy nights, but otherwise pretty manageable.

There are a lot of strategies for dealing with barking, depending on the cause. My other dog is pretty yappy (mostly reactive barking, but she barks for lots of other reasons too), and I can tell you the main keys are 1) Tire out that dog! and 2) Train a quiet command. You'll want a hand signal you can use as well as a verbal cue like "Quiet" or "Hush" or "Enough." If the dog barks, give your quiet cue and then reward for any breaks in the barking at first. Then you work on upping the amount of time they need to stay quiet.

Also, don't try to shout down barking. It tends to just get everyone even more riled up. React calmly, with long, even tones. Sometimes it helps to say things like, "Thank you!" and "I hear you," and things like that that feel conversational and sort of cheery. Puts you in a better frame of mind to respond.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

A trustworthy breeder can tell you if a puppy will be yappy or not.
I didn't know to ask back when I got Teaka, and she is an incorrigible yapper. But I stressed that ?I wanted quiet with Timi, and that is just what I got - she never makes a peep other than when she is playing!
I have the same request in for my next puppy ?


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

Buck is generally quiet, but when he does his "business" bark it is loud and needs to be investigated. One of my books, "When Pigs Fly" said that humans are responsible for breeding barking into domesticated dogs. It can be managed with most dogs, as lisasgirl suggests so it's not the soundtrack of your life, but all dogs bark.


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## nifty (Aug 2, 2013)

As Mfmst said, all dogs bark -- to alert us to things not being "right" as far as the dog is concerned. However, excessive barking can be managed with various strategies as lisasgirl said.

Dulcie is wonderfully quiet. She will bark if there is a very strange noise outside our door -- such as an unfamiliar loud voice. However, she does not bark when neighbors pass by regularly or even the maintanence staff of our building. She is calm and quiet on walks - unless another dog approaches in full on barking mode. She will then raise a paw to try to calm the other dog and may make a little feint in that dog's direction. Rarely will she bark or growl. Never does she attack.

At the dog park, when she was much younger (she is 2 now), she would bark with excitement in play. Now she doesn't even bark in play. She is a refined young lady. 

I do not think poodles are any more likely to bark than other dogs. Good socialization in the early weeks and months will really help make that true of any poodle, I believe.


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## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

There does seem to be a difference in temperament between toys, minis, and standards. However, well-bred dogs should not be "yappy" regardless of size, though there will be some range even among well-bred dogs.


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## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

Jazz limits her barking to alerting when someone or something outside gets her attention. Blue, on the other hand, is the most vocal dog we've ever had, but it isn't mindless yapping. It's more that he...well, talks. He alerts, too, but mostly his vocalizations are aimed at Jazz, when he wants her to play. He's got a whole repertoire of barks, whines, yodels, groans, grumbles, even something like a purr. He's been like that since we brought him home at nine weeks. That's why he's registered as He's Singin' the Blues. :biggrin1:


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## Bluemoon (Dec 30, 2015)

Zoie is a talker. She only barks when something is wrong or if she is playing. 

She is a talker in that she doesn't whine or bark a lot, she just communicates what she wants. Not sure what to call it though. Our late tpoo did the same.


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## TrixieTreasure (May 24, 2015)

kenzie14 said:


> I've been considering getting a second puppy, but then I realized that not all poodle are as quiet as George.
> So I was just wondering if anyone knows a poodle that yaps all the time, and if so, how do I avoid getting a yappy puppy.


You should be able to tell if the puppy barks a lot when you go to do your visits with the breeder, or ask the breeder how much the puppy barks. Ultimately though, It's all in how you train the dog. Poodles are automatically vocal, but if they are barking too much, at every little noise they hear, it's up to the owner to work at keeping the barking to a minimal. I can't say that any of my dogs were real barkers. They barked when the doorbell rang, or when someone they didn't know came through the door. But it usually only took one or two "hushes" from me, and then they stopped. Of course, I've only had Toy Poodles. I don't know about the Standards.


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## Locket (Jun 21, 2009)

One thing to keep in mind, is that your current quiet dog may become a bit noisier when a second dog joins the family. 

Smiley is a very very quiet dog. He only ever barks if someone unfamiliar is at the door, and a simple command like "Okay, be quiet" is enough for him to stop. 

However, when we have foster dogs, or dog sitting clients, he uses his voice to make sure we remember he still exists. He barks like crazy when I'm unlocking the door after being gone, he barks like crazy when anyone is at the door, and he barks at all sounds in the backyard. and he carries on even after the usual "okay, be quiet" command is said. 

Again, it's not barking for no reason thankfully, but it is a big difference from his usual quiet self.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

Locket said:


> One thing to keep in mind, is that your current quiet dog may become a bit noisier when a second dog joins the family.
> 
> Smiley is a very very quiet dog. He only ever barks if someone unfamiliar is at the door, and a simple command like "Okay, be quiet" is enough for him to stop.
> 
> ...



Actually I had the opposite experience - adding quiet Timi made Teaka much quieter. 
I was so used to Teaka's machine gun barking whenever I put my key in the front door that it took me months to adjust to utter silence when I come in - I was sure that the silence meant that something was terribly wrong, but nope, now I come home and find them happily bouncing around to celebrate my arrival, just not making a sound as they do it.
But that just may be the particular dog's personality, Teaka has always been more of a follower than a leader...


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## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

Mia is such a non-barker that people have asked me if she knows how. On the other hand, she snores like a tsunami.


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## hopetocurl (Jan 8, 2014)

ALL.THE.TIME. Willow is vocal, she barks to alert, she barks or makes other noises to tell me what she wants. She yaps and yaps and yaps. When I think she is done she yaps some more. I don't mind it...drives the hubby crazy!


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