My dog doesn't bark at strangers or other dogs. Is this normal?

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Labrador Retrievers are incredible dogs that sometimes love everybody. They do not always make the best watch dogs. But, he is still very young, & when he matures, he may become more protective of his home & bark more. Otherwise, remember, people can be very wary of large dogs, & this may be enough to keep people out. Take care.

It's normal for puppies this age to be friendly and not bark - if she were barking at people at this young age, I would be very concerned that she would grow up to be fearful and anxious around strangers. She should start to alert bark when she's older, usually around 10-12 months of age.

It sounds like Amos is very comfortable and trusting of other dogs, which is great! :) Some dogs are simply more laid back and easy-going than others, so this isn't necessarily abnormal at all. As long as he is acting normal otherwise and you have no other reasons to believe that something is wrong, this should not be any reason for concern.

Nothings wrong. Some pets just don't bark really. It doesn't mean he is sick or that there is anything medically wrong with him. He is just a really calm dog that doesn't feel the need to bark. And likely as he gets older he will bark every now and again, but it seems this just isn't in his nature and he is content with life.

You really don't want him barking at anyone who comes by, because he may become a nuisance barker. He really only should bark at someone he senses to be a potential danger, and he seems to be doing that already!

It sounds like Noble is not very comfortable interacting with strangers at this stage, so I would stop allowing people to pet him. Instead, you can stand at a distance and just observe people - praise and reward with a treat every time he sees someone walk by. This way, he can learn to associate good things with seeing people, and will also learn that he won't be forced to interact if he doesn't want to. Later on, as he gets more comfortable, he can say hello to certain people if he offers to approach them himself.

German Shepherd Dogs are one of the guarding breeds, but Bruno should only go into protection mode when there is an actual threat to you. A benign stranger passing by is most likely not a threat. He needs some training in leash walking and ignoring non-threats. I would enroll him in a good obedience class as soon as possible. I would not recommend your getting another puppy until you have Bruno under control.