What are the most important factors to you when you’re deciding on your next dog? Do you look for a certain size? Is shedding a concern? For many pet owners, selecting a dog breed that doesn’t tend to make a lot of noise is of the utmost importance — and that makes sense to us. After all, if you live in an apartment with thin walls or plan to travel with your pup (or, heck, just don’t want a pooch yapping at you all day long!), choosing a dog breed that doesn’t tend to bark much is certainly an understandable choice.
But which dog breeds are most likely to fit the bill? We asked veterinary professionals for their top hush puppy picks a while ago, and our readers were quick to speak up in the comments with their own opinions. So we recently asked 793 of our readers to vote on the quietest dog breeds. We’ve noted their answers below and have compared them to what the veterinary pros had to say to see how they line up.
No. 10 (Three-Way Tie): Bernese Mountain Dog, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and Whippet
Our readers landed on a trio of breeds for No. 10: the Bernese Mountain Dog, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and Whippet. While the Whippet and Cavalier are both on the smaller end of the size spectrum, Berners are quite large. And they're not the only big dogs on the list!
No. 9: Great Pyrenees
As promised, here's another big guy! Readers chose the Great Pyrenees as No. 9. It's not only readers who place both giant and toy breeds on the list, though. Veterinary professionals voted the Saint Bernard and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel into a tie for ninth place.
No. 8: Mastiff
Although the Mastiff is known to be protective of his family, he doesn't tend to bark much, earning him a No. 8 slot. Veterinary professionals placed a related breed — the Bullmastiff — into this spot.
No. 7: Newfoundland
We promised you plenty of giant but quiet breeds, and we're certainly delivering: The Newfoundland was our readers' No. 7 quietest breed, while vets placed the Bernese Mountain Dog in this position.
No. 6: Afghan Hound
The Afghan Hound might have a strong instinct to run and chase (not to mention one of the most glamorous coats in caninedom), but she's not much of a talker, which explains why readers named her the No. 6 quietest breed. The Mastiff earned this spot with our veterinary professionals.
No. 5: Saint Bernard
The typically calm, patient and very droolySaint Bernard hit No. 5 with our readers; veterinarians chose the Whippet for this spot.
No. 4: Golden Retriever
Readers named one of the most popular breeds in America, the generally gentle Golden Retriever, as their No. 4 pick. This doesn't shock us too much, as we even mention in our breed profile that Goldens are more likely to befriend burglars and lead them to the treats than protect your home. Veterinary professionals put the Italian Greyhound at fourth place.
No. 3: Great Dane
No. 3 was full of "great" dogs! While readers named the Great Dane for this spot, veterinary professionals went with the Great Pyrenees. It should be noted that the Great Dane, like many other large breeds, does have quite a big voice when he barks — it's just that, normally, he chooses to use it pretty infrequently.
No. 2: Basenji
It's not terribly surprising that the Basenji claimed No. 2 on this list according to our readers; after all, it is known as the "barkless dog." However, his barkless reputation doesn't actually mean he's always the silent type — he can actually be a rather good watchdog, alerting his people to potential danger when he crows, growls, screams, chortles and yodels.
No. 1: Greyhound
The Greyhound isn't known only as the 45-mph couch potato — the breed also has a reputation for being quiet, as evidenced by the fact that it claimed the top spot on our quietest dog breeds list with our readers, even though veterinary professionals didn't place the breed anywhere in their top 15. So which breed did veterinary professionals name No. 1? It was a tie: the Great Dane and Newfoundland.
Think another breed should’ve made the list? Let’s hear it in the comments!
