A dog's bark can be worse than its bite if a pet is too noisy, anxious, or aggressive to be a good companion. These barks communicate a wide variety of information, which may soon become more accessible to pet parents. In June 2024, University of Michigan researchers revealed that artificial intelligence may one day be used to translate dogs' language. That's just as well, since a March 2025 study published by Arizona State University found that most people tend to vastly misinterpret dogs' behavior and body language, including their barks.
Regardless of what our pups are saying, many of us just want our four-legged friends to pipe down a bit. Fortunately, many wonderful dogs are quiet, making the breeds good fits for families who need a calm environment, for close-quarter apartment living, or simply for homes that favor serenity.
Some are immensely popular, like the friendly golden retriever, while others are still quite rare. Dogs that were raised for hunting, like the Rhodesian ridgeback, are among those that tend not to bark. Their breeding called for them to be stealthy and silent as they tracked prey.
Herding dogs, too, are among the quietest. Dogs that rounded up sheep learned over generations to be quiet, as flocks can easily startle: A barking dog could create chaos. They often knew more effective ways to get their way than barking, whether rounding up wayward livestock or nipping them in the heels. Retrievers had little need to bark, following their nose to find and fetch downed prey.
Indoor dog breeds were taught to be quiet and well-behaved for their roles in imperial palaces and aristocratic estate houses. Today, they might be more often found curled on a soft couch or in a comfortable lap. Others could use their might or looks to better effect than a bark. A silent mastiff looks tough enough—a bark might not be needed.
Stacker used data from the American Kennel Club to rank dog breeds categorized as having an "infrequent" or "when necessary" barking level. Each of the 15 dog breeds is ranked by its AKC 2024 popularity rank, released in March 2025. Only dogs registered with and ranked by the AKC are included in the list.
