Encouraging Barking?

[AshersMom]

We have a 12 week old GSD named Asher, we've had him a little over a week. So far he has been a GREAT puppy. He sleeps great in his crate at night and actually seems to like being in there! He isn't overly nippy or hyper, he mostly just plays with is own toys with an occasional "no, leave it!" LOL, and he is very attentive. I would like to encourage him to bark when there is "danger" but I don't want to turn him into an nuisance barker. So far he does bark occasionally when he hears or sees something he is not used to but he doesn't bark at every little thing. Is it even possible to encourage this without it turning into a problem? Right now what i'm doing with him is, if he barks I get up and see what he is barking at, tell him good boy then walk away and get him to follow me. I try to act like it's no big deal and not excite him. I just have no idea if this is the right thing to do to get the results I'm hoping for. Thanks!

I know everyone loves pics...so here is a pic of the day we got him.

[I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO]

There's no need to encourage him. He's just a baby now, and it's good he's not barking at anything and everything- that would be an indication that he is scared of whatever he is barking at. When he's older and learns what is normal and what is not normal through lots of socializing, he will bark on his own when something is not right to him.

[AshersMom]

Thanks for the advice! So should I just completely ignore him now when he does bark?

[Freestep]

Don't worry about barking--believe me, he'll start barking soon enough! It's actually a good sign when a young pup doesn't bark at much; at this age, barking usually means he's afraid of something. It sounds like you have a very stable, well-adjusted pup! Most people would kill to have a dog that doesn't bark at every little thing. My pup is very vocal, she barks when she's excited, barks when she's mad, barks when she wants something, barks when she hears something, barks when she's... oh you get the picture.

Let your puppy grow up a little and don't worry about encouraging barking. Later on, if you want to train him to bark on command, there are ways you can train for it.

[Lilie]

I'm going to keep my eye out for you, AshersMom! Sooner or later there will be a thread where you'll say, "My dog Asher won't stop barking!" He'll find his voice and start experimenting. Then he'll want you to know how excited he is that you've come home! Then he'll notice the squirrel running in the back yard! Then there's that awesome moth flying around the lamp! Ect.....

It'll come..some bark more than others. My male GSD isn't all that vocal. But when he barks, I take notice! He does 'talk' alot though.

[jocoyn]

Listen listen listen. Enjoy the silence.

[AshersMom]

I know Lilie! I'm waiting for the day he becomes a terror! I know it's coming! Thanks everyone for the replies! I'm sure you'll be hearing from me more in the coming weeks! LOL

[ken k]

carful what you wish for, like it has been said "enjoy the silence"

[hunterisgreat]

Barking because of a threat comes with maturity and the expression of defense drive. He's way too young to express defense drives.

[zyppi]

yeah, don't expect his barks to be 'meaningful' until he's more than a 18 months old. Some mature even later.

By the time he's a year, just the sight of him will make bad guys think twice.