My dog is 7 months old and believe it or not he doesn't bark! He doesn't even bark when the doorbell rings. He only barks if something scares him.
If we are talking of a Golden Retriever, they are bred to be quiet in the field. I don't remember any of mine being very guardy. If you want him to give a warning, you could try training a 'speak' on command. If you use that whenever anyone knocks, and reward him for speaking - he should catch on.
There is a saying "be careful what you wish for "! I would be grateful you don`t have a barker, you will find if he does bark he will have a reason for it, plus he is only 8 mths old as yet, you may find when he matures he finds his voice.
Chico has developed a very annoying habit of barking back at dogs on TV - and, for some reason, the theme music of EastEnders gets him started! I now have to put the TV on mute during the opening and closing credits. I think Carole's idea of teaching him to speak on command when there's someone at the door is a good one. Pepe and Bogie aren't noisy dogs, but they do give me warning when anyone approaches down the gravel driveway - no one is able to get as far as the front door before I know about it!
Guarding is not about barking. Guardian breeds, put themselves between what they take as a threat and the person or persons they are bonded with. Alert barking is generally only 1 to 3 barks, after that they will seek out to identify the foreign animal/person or persons. They may also seek out there family and stand/lay between a entrance and there family. The rare times the will continue a ongoing bark is if there family is in distress and they can not get to them, or there is known threat to them that is approaching or attempting to enter. Barking at random foreign sounds or just the random unknown persons outside there house/yard is not really guarding. Sorry but I am one of those people that actually love the fact that if my dog barks, it means get up and see who or what.
Pereg learned quite quickly that barking meant to tell me something important as I am rather hard of hearing. But her different barks meant different things so I knew what she was barking at and why and for what. I did not teach her, she taught herself. Now I have a squeaker and something tells me she will never be a hearing service dog. Just a moaner and complainer!
I can open my back door and say "woof em" (sounds silly) but Breagh, Mij, plus Skye and Fingal before them would charge down the garden barking. It didn't take much training and in some ways it's easier with a pack. One barks and the rest bark because they think the first barker must have something to bark about. Goldie's to be fair aren't the most 'barky' dogs. I just wish I could teach my lot not to bark on command when they're all woofing for what they think is a genuine reason.
Phil, how about "Shut up you buggas" but remembering our beloved Skye and Fingal, I am not sure if that would have worked with them. And I do say "our" for a reason which, I hope you will understand.
M'boi my previous Shar-Pei was a year old the first time I heard her bark. Georgina, also a Shar-Pei used to bark a lot when her sight was poor, but since her sight has been normal she only barks at strangers, barking for any other reason she leaves to Gwylim, my Mini Schnauzer! If there's a strange noise at night Gwylim's awake in an instant but more often or not Georgina will stay asleep (usually snoring her head off) until he stands in front of her and barks in her ear to wake her up. She'll then get up and do a tour of the house and if she decides it's nothing important she'll go back to bed! Sometimes though she'll ask to go out so she can check the perimeter fences which usually ends up with her standing at the front gates, quietly surveying the lane and road. That's when she's at her stubborn Pei best, because wild horses won't persuade her to come back into the house until she's absolutely certain there's no threat! .
Skye was tuned into body language. I never quite figured out just how deaf he was. Didn't need to really as when he was older he always stayed close by on walks so recall was never an issue. I tested him many times when he was just in the house. It usually needed a very loud SKYE to get him to notice so he was pretty much deaf. As I said though. No sounds we're needed. Skye knew all my commands through gesture. Fingal (and to some degree Breagh) picked up on silent commands. I did enjoy Skye's deafness. We could communicate without the others joining in. If anything I'd like to go that way with all my dogs. A point of the finger, a cock of the head, a tap of the leg or the raise of a hand. They all seem to respond once they've an Alpha to follow. Late at night when all the dogs were sleeping, one raised eyebrow was enough for Skye to follow me for a sneaky bedtime biscuit.
7 Months is still very young - Rocky didn't get the confidence to bark (at strange sounds etc) until he was around a year old. Like many have said, be careful what you wish for.
