# How vocal is your GSD?



## CertainlySpoiled (Dec 2, 2007)

Just curious to see how many GSD's are vocal...

Emma, loves to talk, not just barking, but lets out odd sounds and trys her best to talk. She also enjoys, the usual barking, and sometimes not out of aggression, but she enjoys hearing herself growl...not a real threatening growl, just oh look what kind of sound I can make.

Elle does the same, but not as much, she makes cow sounds when she stretches, so, that's cute too.


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## jsmurray31 (Oct 28, 2007)

Lexi does this all the time - but, always quiets when I tell her to. According to my mom (who sits with the dogs when I work) she reserves this behavior just for me. She really is my girl and I LOVE her to pieces.


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## Wolfie (Jan 20, 2006)

Yukon is fairly vocal.

He whines when he is lonely, bored or he is tired (he cries himself to sleep, so cute lol) moans and groans when he feels we're not moving fast enough, does a roo roo/howl sound when he is happy and excited.

He only barks when he feels something is not right outside.


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## BlackGSD (Jan 4, 2005)

Does the fact that I named her "Siren" give you a hint?


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

Gia only barks when I ask her to "speak".

Tilden barks a couple times a week (lol, he's barking at something now) if he's in the yard and someone passes.

They are both the quietest dogs I've had and/or met. I've been very lucky (especially back in my apartment days).


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

our boy was 1 year old as 6/04/08 and he's not very vocal. when our neighbors Shep barks for him to come out he does that whinny sound and paces back and forth. he doesn't bark when some one comes to the door. sometimes in the middle of the night he'll come to either my side of the bed or the GF's side of the bed and give a whimper/whine to go out. sometimes when he yawns or stretches he'll make that noise that goes from low to high pitched. as of now he's not very vocal.


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

Morgan is a talker, talks so much I've learned to tell what she's barking at by how she's talking. She also makes moany noises when she's snuggling and howls on command. Nothing says obnoxious like a good family howl!


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## chevysmom (Feb 15, 2008)

Chevy is verrrrry vocal. Always making some sort of sounds


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## Karin (Jan 4, 2008)

Heidi has a whole repertoire of sounds. She grumbles when I try to get her to do something and she doesn't feel like it. She whines when she gets impatient or wants to go up to another dog. She sometimes groans with happiness when she is laying down with her cuz. She growls and barks with excitement when I hold on to the cuz for too long before throwing it or when going after squirrels. She has a really funny long howl that she does when an ambulance or fire truck goes by. And she also has a kind of "hmmmmm" sound that goes from high to low, which I don't know what the heck means!

Our previous dog, Sheba, was part malemute, so she was very vocal too. In addition to the whining and grumbling, she also howled and yodeled to get our attention. I like having dogs that are vocal. It's fun!


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## Sean Rescue Mom (Jan 24, 2004)

Sean is definitely a talker but living in a house with 3 women what else would you expect?







He has his whine when we are leaving the house and his chomping sounds when he is playing with our cat, Neely. He even has a unique half-growl, half-howl that he makes when he's trying to get his point across. DH always remarks that he didn't make a sound when we first adopted him for at least a month but over the yrs. he has more than made up for it.


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## CindyM (Mar 20, 2007)

Many of your posts make me giggle. Sometimes I would swear that Pepsi is the noisiest dog in the whole world. Everytime she lays down, or shifts, she lets out a groan. She whines sooo much, especially at bed time, and in the morning. She will also whine herself to sleep. She barks, "talks", and occasionally will howl at a siren. Sometimes she'll lay on her back and "roar" - LOL. When she's not making noises of her own, she's playing with her "talking" or squeaky toys.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I have eight. Arwen, used to be a sweet quiet thing, but then somewhere along the line she started "talking." Now, occasionally, she even "talks back" to me. So then I have to tell her who's house it is. 

Dubya is only vocal when he sees Rushie or when he sees kitties or when there is a stranger. When he sees a stranger he barks a few times and is done as soon as he knows I am ok with the stranger. When he sees Rushie or the cat (now the cats) he won't stop until I threaten him with the hose. I have to remind him whose house it is too. 

Babs and Jenna are sweet three year olds. Babs is very quiet. Jenna is a PITA, talking back, especially when she sees Arwen or smells Arwen, or remembers that Arwen exists. She KNOWS whose house it is, SHE DOES. 

Rushie never barks, growls, or carries on at all. Occasionally he will grunt at Dubya, and he will whine if a girl is ready to be bred. 

Which leaves the three stooges: Barky, Whiney, and Screamer. Tori will bark quite a bit, but also quiets when I tell her too. She barks when I pay attention to my other dogs, but I tell her that I am the boss and she shuts up. Heidi was that whiney pup you wanted to strangle. She is the one in the litter I chose. But she used to whine something terrible. Now she carries on a bit when I am talking to the others, and does not shut up until I reach for the hose. Then everyone makes a bee-line for their houses and you can hear a pin drop. Which leaves Whitney. Whitney screams. I think it is a medical condition. I WANT to KILL her. Anyone want a nice titled GSD bitch who will be two in August? My only requirement for an owner is that they have NO OTHER DOGS. She is not dog-aggressive. She is JEALOUS. She would be fine as an only. In fact, the only time she SCREAMS is when I am paying attention to one of the others. And then I worry what the neighbors are thinking. They probably think I have her wired to my electric fence wire and am slowly torturing her. She respects me when I have the hose in hand. I do not HAVE to spray anyone, just pick the thing up, and everyone HIDES.


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## CertainlySpoiled (Dec 2, 2007)

It's kind of funny, because when we first got Emma at 8 weeks old, and brought her home, we didn't hear anything from her, not a whine, a bark, whimper or anything, and I even had mentioned it to DF that I thought she might be mute, but after 3 days of pure silence, it was all heck after that, now she makes all kinds of sounds.....I forgot to add this in my 1st post.


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## Kayos and Havoc (Oct 17, 2002)

Max is very quiet. He will bark at the window tho.

Kayos is a screamer. Her litter name was the screamin' demon. She screams at cats, she screams at birds, and squirrels. She talks to me all the time and always attempts to get the last word. She grumbles under her breath. She is the worst fence fighter in history. Thankfully she calls off well too!

Havoc is a whiner and cryer. He is very emotional. He runs in circles around the island in the kitchen whining and crying when we all get up in the morning. His pack has re-assembeld and he is happy!

I think vocal is somewhere in the breed standard?????


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

> Originally Posted By: KathyWI think vocal is somewhere in the breed standard?????










If not, it should be! Dena has this LOUD moany groany thing she does that can be quite annoying. If we're walking the dogs somewhere and I have both leashes while Tom goes into a store she goes nuts until he comes back. It's very embarrassing! 

If Keefer is in the garage when I get home from work he cries like a little baby. If he's already in the house it's not a big deal, he's excited to see me, but not that vocal. But out there he can hear my car pull up and it's like he can't wait another second to see mama!!! 

Dena is a much better alert barker, she always barks at the doorbell, Keefer almost never does. He barks at other stuff.







He has this high-pitched yippy bark for cats or squirrels in the yard, or little ankle biter dogs, but only on leash. He also gets excited and yippy sometimes when we first get to the park. He's getting much better about not barking out the car window at other dogs, he used to be really bad about that too. 

Dena NEVER barks at other dogs. But if I'm getting ready to leave in the morning and holler "bye!" she'll do her best "hurry, little Timmy is stuck in the well" bark until Tom comes out to kiss me goodbye. She just stands there calmly if he's already nearby, or if I go kiss him goodbye while he's in the shower. Apparently that's her job, to make sure that proper leaving rituals are adhered to.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Kenya is not vocal at all. The only time she barks is when someone comes to the door, and she backs off as soon as the door open. I've never heard her bark on a walk, in the yard, in public...


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## Rügen (Mar 19, 2008)

Rugen tells stories. He doesn't bark at just anything. 

Everyday when I get home from work he has to tell me this loooong story, he walks around me and goes through my legs talking up a storm! 

He also chases my golden around the couch letting out *3* sharp barks at a time- I think he is saying "YOU BETTER RUN" lap 1, "GONNA GET YOU" lap 2... He is so funny!

He also lets out tired moans and an occasional exhaused "Hummp"


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## lcht2 (Jan 8, 2008)

hmm this is a good one. lets put it this way, he lets me know what kind of mood he's in. lmao!


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## Kayos and Havoc (Oct 17, 2002)

[/quote]
Dena NEVER barks at other dogs. But if I'm getting ready to leave in the morning and holler "bye!" she'll do her best "hurry, little Timmy is stuck in the well" bark until Tom comes out to kiss me goodbye. She just stands there calmly if he's already nearby, or if I go kiss him goodbye while he's in the shower. Apparently that's her job, to make sure that proper leaving rituals are adhered to.







[/quote]

Every GSD needs a job!!!







Sounds like she does a great job at hers!


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I forgot to mention, at night, after dinner, when everyone is having quiet time, all is quiet, unless I am on the phone. 

If I have the bad manners to try to talk on the phone, first Jenna starts talking, then Tori chimes in. Arwen starts going. Then Whitney starts Screaming!!! 

This does not happen when I am NOT on the phone. They know I can't scream "PRONG COLLAR!!!" "APL!" "EUTHANASIA!!!" "DON'T MAKE ME GO AND GET THE HOSE!" "WHUPPINS!"


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## JasperLoki (Sep 25, 2005)

Jasper is not that bad, however when the little 8 year olds pass by on their F-16 dirt bikes he feels like he has to protect the house









I stop it immidietely, and follow through like I would with every command.

He does make this really weird noise that sounds like chewbaccca, weird.


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## chuckstar158 (Sep 8, 2004)

Katie's not terribly vocal though she has her moments... though Otto has never had a thought he didn't express aloud.


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## CertainlySpoiled (Dec 2, 2007)

Oh and Emma and Elle both love to 'back talk', when you tell them to "sit" they sit alright, but making sure they stomp a paw, and let out some grumbles under their breath...it's so funny. Emma is a screamer of a morning when I let her out of her crate, she has to run to the livingroom screaming, then to the door screaming to be let out. She also lets me know whwen DF comes in from work before he even gets down the drive, with her whinning and pacing the livingroom door, I'm not sure how she knows it's him, but she always gets it right, not a mistake about it yet.


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## shadow mum (Apr 8, 2008)

Shadow is a talker. Every time it's quiet, he decides to chat. My hubby gets a bit annoyed when I get home from work at 2am, and Shadow and have have a 30 minute conversation. I have found that if I try ignoring him, he just gets louder, but if I talk back to him, it's almost like whispering.


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## littledmc17 (Apr 9, 2008)

HAHA
Yup Brady is a talker too. I personally think he likes to hear himself bark, whine and whatever. He makes us laugh. My all time favorite is when its bed time and he lets out this huge sigh to let us know he is relaxed and happy. 
Listening to him breathe puts me to sleep


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## Helly (Mar 31, 2008)

Jackson barks at his "brother" Ozzie and at the cats...its a all "y'all better play with me bark"

When we are training and I have him go into a down he always throws a paw at me and does a little grumble while hits the floor...kind of a "I'll do it, but I don't want to"


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## sprzybyl (May 15, 2008)

My mother's Naomi (13 yo GSD) is definitely a talker. She barks at everything outside, talks back to you if you yell at her, whinnies, "hummph"s, grunts, lol you name it...

My new 17 week Puppy Riley is actually pretty quiet! She barks at other dogs and people sometimes, (which is greatly improving, btw, with some socialization) but i was expecting more barking out of her (from my experience with naomi). She does make what I call "piggy noises" when you rub her belly and she will grunt when we are playing, but that's about it!


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## Shugmort (Aug 8, 2006)

Roxie has a lot to say about everything! She barks or growls at her toys and all the critters that come up to her pen to tease her! She moans and groans when she's laying down and sighs when there's no one to play with!


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## arycrest (Feb 28, 2006)

Some of the Hooligans of the past have really been talkative. 

Of the current ones, Honey, Kelly and Mac are very quiet. Slider talks sometimes when he's upset that Mac is playing with a toy, and his evil spawn, Bruiser, has a BIG MOUTH with lots to say about anything and everything.


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## Superpup (Jun 7, 2007)

Cody is pretty vocal, mostly whining, moaning and grunting. He does bark when he gets really excited and if he sees "danger" outside (hardly ever happens) he will let out a growl.. he will bark at people approaching the house when he is on the yard... mostly his "vocabulary" consists of a lot of whining and grunting and moaning.
Brandie will bark and bark and bark out of excitement when I come home or when my DH comes home, she is not a whiner though -thank goodness... one is enough LOL! She will also bark if I "dare" to take Cody out to play and not her...


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## Ewilliams (Oct 17, 2007)

Our new boy, Hans, is a real talker. He doesn't bark, but talks. It is really cool.


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## Eve-Lynn (Apr 28, 2008)

From the very first night we brought Link home (6 months) he lets out this sign before he falls asleep at night. During the day when he is napping he makes alot of hrmpphh noises. He barks at stuff outside through the window and at doorbells on TV (we are working on stopping both). He also whines if you don't notice he is at the back door and has "to go".


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I didn't mention group howls. If their is a long train whistle or a siren (not many come down my road) all eight of them will howl. I like the howl, it is not painful like loud barking. I love hearing them all do it together.


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## Julie'somom (Jun 13, 2004)

Four year old Julie only barks if there is something out of the ordinary going on. I have to say I am very happy with any alerts she gives me. Now my 2 little poodles bark at flies going by but thankfully Julie never picked that up!!!! When Julie barks, Mom listens!!!!!!

jullies'omom


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## Sherush (Jan 12, 2008)

Jesse doesn't bark much unless something worth barking at, or if in extreme play with me, he does make me laugh sometimes because he has some toys that squeek when he chews them and others that don't, when he has one that doesn't he makes the sound himself. He is a bit of a whiner and has been since day 1 but I can usually figure out what is causing it. I wish he would talk to me like Shadow does to Diane.


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## Jennifer McClellan (Mar 7, 2008)

CJ is extremely vocal and I swear that he says mama when he wants something. I have never heard so much vocalization from a dog in my life but he actually talks more than I do and I'm a Therapist (LOL) !!!! I feel bad for Stella our 6 year old furry daughter who usually doesn't get even a second of peace and he is in her ear about something.


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## CertainlySpoiled (Dec 2, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: selzerI didn't mention group howls. If their is a long train whistle or a siren (not many come down my road) all eight of them will howl. I like the howl, it is not painful like loud barking. I love hearing them all do it together.


I love the howling...anytime we hear sirens or anything both of the girls howl...I of course laugh at them







. It's really fun to watch COPS on tv,everytime the sirens go off, there goes the dogs...lol


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## Regen (Mar 8, 2007)

Leica " talks" all the time lol. You can have whole conversations with her, and she always agrees with me


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## CindyM (Mar 20, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: Cassidys Mom
> If we're walking the dogs somewhere and I have both leashes while Tom goes into a store she goes nuts until he comes back. It's very embarrassing!


LOL - I think I know exactly what you mean. If I even walk away for a second while we are on a walk, Pepsi will start screaming!!


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

This is one of the things I love about gsds--all the talking! I don't mean barking I mean all the carrying on they do about every little thing! The whining, the whooing, the moaning and groaning and kvetching...









Massie was such a huge talker. She would tell me when a toy needed rescue and tell other people who thought they were relaxing that it was time to throw a rock or stick or ball for her. If she didn't like what she was told she would sigh loudly multiple times so that everyone new how mean her mom was. And when she got older she just loved to order me around. I once left a note for the dog sitters that went something like this:

If she whines in a high pitched tone it mean she has to go out. 
If it's slower and lower pitched it mean you need to readjust her bed. 
If it's one whine every so often then she's thirsty...

Um, guess who had who had trained?









Basu was a barker but only talked a little bit. And Rafi doesn't bark but does occasionally talk when he's really excited or when he "catches" a new toy that moves (like a basketball).


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## CertainlySpoiled (Dec 2, 2007)

I do enjoy the GSD's vocalization...except the early morning chats when all you want to do is sleep! lol


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## elsie (Aug 22, 2001)

dylan always has something to say...
and he always has to have the last word


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## denwil2007 (Apr 15, 2007)

I stopped taking Chase to obedience classes and shows because he whined the entire time. Imagine 2 hours of whining. I tried everything, excerise, bathroom breaks... He's just whiny. He grumbles and moans whenever I correct him, or take to long to do something.


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## CertainlySpoiled (Dec 2, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: elsiedylan always has something to say...
> and he always has to have the last word


I know how that goes...Both of my girls think they have to have the last word in everything, even if it means they are in trouble with me, they still argue back, sometimes it's frustrating and sometimes it's just too darn cute and all you can do is laugh about it.


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## Bellidansa (Jan 23, 2007)

Tonga isnt much of a talker, but he does whine....and **sighs***

like a "aaaahh uuummmm" It is the funniest noise !!!


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## GunnersMom (Jan 25, 2008)

Gunner is VERY vocal. 
We finally got a handle on his 'demand barking.' He still tries it, but at least now he only gets out one or two barks and stops as soon as he gets "the look" from me. LOL.
If someone comes to the door, he goes absolutely ballistic. Which doesn't bother me one bit. We get a lot of people coming door-to-door around here, so I love it that strangers get a good dose of Gunner when they come to the door. And he's usually good about it and will stop if I tell him 'enough.'

He talks a lot, too. He lets out really loud whining sort of cries every time I answer the phone. I can only imagine what it sounds like on the other end. LOL. 
He'll "go lay down" when he's told to, but he sort of throws himself down in protest and grumbles. (I've come to think that this is one of those "Shepherd things." Every GS I've ever had has done this.) 
The funniest is when he complains about Riley staring at him. Gunner will be on the couch or in the big chair with me, and Riley will come up, stand in front of him and just stare at him. Gunner starts this real high-pitched whining and yapping at him, as if to say "Stop looking at me." He acts so snitty about it that it just cracks me up.


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## Elmo's Mom (May 21, 2007)

I really like reading about the different personalities of everyone's dogs. I'm still laughing about Gunner saying "Stop looking at me." They really are like little kids. 

Elmo is definitely a talker. He moans, groans, grunts, whines, and makes all sorts of other funny noises. I know what each one means. We always seem to have little conversations. He'll be sitting near me and make a very short little whining noise to get my attention. I'll ask him "What happened?" Then, he'll proceed to whine a little more. Then I'll ask "Are you okay?" Then, he'll tell me more. It always ends up with me telling him "I know.... it's hard being you." I don't know who is the bigger goofball, me or him?


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## WinitheGSD (Sep 21, 2008)

wini howls and barks and always growls in her sleep and she snoars! But she whines alot when she is yawning


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## GSDTrain (Apr 21, 2008)

ivy is somewhat vocal


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## lafalce (Jan 16, 2001)

My girl is very, very vocal. It doesn't bother me so much. I know it's part of the breed, but it does bother my neighbors and my sister when I go visit her.

But then again............their dogs are so quiet, you hardly know they are there.


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## Nikkoli110 (Sep 9, 2008)

Katie is extremly vocal. Not really barking though, she'll only bark if someone barks hard on the door or once in a while when she's outside and wants to come in. Otherwise, its the whine and grunt. When we are out, say taking her to DH's softball, she'll almost constantly whine. She whines when I leave, whines when she's hungry, whines when she wants to go out, and whines at the TV when there are dogs or other animals on it.









*and I should add that it doens't bother me, but when I take her to Jim's games, she does seem to annoy other people with the whining! But I think she makes up for it by being well behaved.


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