Quietest dog breeds: low-barking dogs
57 breeds that are unlikely to bark — not breeds that "can be trained to be quiet", but breeds whose baseline tendency is low. Ideal for flats, terraces, and tight-knit neighbourhoods.
What "low barking" means. And doesn't mean
No dog is bark-free. Every dog will vocalise under some circumstances. Fear, genuine threat, pain, or extreme excitement. "Quiet breed" doesn't mean silent; it means the dog's baseline tendency is to stay quiet rather than to commentate on everything happening within earshot.
Barking is fundamentally about instinct, not personality. Breeds were developed for specific jobs, and whether or not vocalisation helped with that job shaped how vocal they became over generations. Sighthounds. Greyhounds, Whippets, Salukis. Were bred to chase silently. Making noise while pursuing prey would alert it and ruin the hunt. That instinct runs deep, and it's why these breeds are among the most reliably quiet dogs you'll find today. Gun dogs like Retrievers needed to work alongside humans without spooking game. Terriers needed to sound off when they found quarry underground. Guard breeds were selected for alerting to intruders. The heritage explains the behaviour.
This matters because it means breed selection does more for barking than training does. You can train any dog to bark less than it naturally would, but there's a ceiling set by genetics. Getting a Beagle to approximate the quiet of a Basenji through training alone is possible in theory and exhausting in practice. Starting with a naturally quiet breed and applying consistent management is a far more sensible strategy.
In the UK, this is more than a comfort issue. Noise complaints between neighbours are common, and in flats and terraced housing with thin walls, a habitually barking dog can make a household miserable. For the owner, the neighbours, and the dog. Council tenancies can include clauses about pet noise. Leasehold flats sometimes do too. If you're in dense housing, a dog's barking tendency is a practical concern, not a preference.
The Basenji deserves a specific mention: it's the only breed that doesn't bark in the traditional sense. It produces a distinctive sound called a barroo. A sort of yodel. But it can't sustain the repetitive bark that causes neighbour complaints. Whippets and Greyhounds are quiet in the house day-to-day. Both make excellent flat dogs for that reason.
Dog breeds with the lowest barking tendency
57 low-barking breeds
The UK's most Instagrammed breed. Compact, comical, and surprisingly stubborn for their size.
8–13kg · 10–12yr · £1500–3500
Often misunderstood. The Staffy is one of the most affectionate breeds with people, especially children.
11–17kg · 12–14yr · £500–1500
The UK's favourite small crossbreed. Combines the Cavalier's softness with the Poodle's cleverness.
5–10kg · 13–15yr · £1200–3000
A natural guardian with a calm confidence. Devoted to family, but requires early socialisation and firm handling.
35–60kg · 8–11yr · £800–2000
The ultimate lapdog. Endlessly loving, but the breed carries serious inherited heart conditions to know about.
5–8kg · 10–14yr · £1000–2500
Beautiful, wilful, and exhausting in the best way. The Husky needs serious exercise or it dismantles your home.
16–27kg · 12–15yr · £700–1800
The underrated gem of British dog breeds. Fast as lightning outdoors, perfectly calm and affectionate at home.
12–18kg · 12–15yr · £700–1800
The world's fastest dog that spends 18 hours a day asleep. Ex-racers make the most gentle and grateful pets.
27–40kg · 10–14yr · £200–500
Unmistakable egg-shaped head, unstoppable personality. The Bull Terrier is a clown who requires firm boundaries.
20–35kg · 11–13yr · £800–2000
Gorgeous, gentle, and heartbreakingly short-lived. The Berner gives you a decade of devotion then bills you heavily.
36–50kg · 7–10yr · £1200–3000
A bear-sized dog with the temperament of a saint. Devoted to children, drools on everything, and sheds like a winter storm.
45–70kg · 8–10yr · £1200–2500
The Swiss rescue dog turned house pet. Impossibly large, impossibly gentle, and a drool machine of epic proportions.
64–120kg · 8–10yr · £900–2000
Bred to resemble a lion, acts like a giant lap dog. The Leo is affectionate, majestic, and costs a fortune to own.
40–75kg · 8–9yr · £1500–3000
Ancient, massive, and surprisingly gentle. The Mastiff barely moves but its sheer presence is enough to deter anyone.
54–100kg · 6–10yr · £1000–2500
Like a Husky but larger, louder, and even more stubborn. Built for endurance, not obedience.
34–43kg · 10–14yr · £800–2000
The American gentleman. Dapper, compact, and brilliantly sociable, though prone to breathing problems like Frenchies.
5–11kg · 11–14yr · £800–2000
A dog that acts remarkably like a cat. Climbs furniture, jumps to high spots, and grooms itself fastidiously.
2–7kg · 10–12yr · £700–2000
A lion-like dog with a blue-black tongue and the personality of a cat. Loyal to one person, aloof with everyone else.
20–32kg · 11–13yr · £1000–2500
The wrinkled Chinese guardian. Devoted to family but deeply suspicious of strangers and prone to costly skin problems.
18–29kg · 8–12yr · £800–2000
Japan's national monument. Intensely loyal to family, deeply suspicious of strangers, and not suitable for novices.
32–59kg · 10–13yr · £800–2500
The original internet dog. Beautiful, incredibly clean, and a complete nightmare to recall thanks to its foxy independence.
8–11kg · 13–16yr · £1200–3000
The Russian aristocrat of the dog world. Elegantly aloof, blindingly fast, and deeply unsuited to off-lead parks.
27–48kg · 9–14yr · £800–2000
One of the most ancient breeds in existence. Exquisitely beautiful, notoriously hard to train, and utterly magnificent.
23–27kg · 12–14yr · £700–2000
The Persian greyhound. One of the oldest domesticated dog breeds, deeply sensitive and utterly impossible to recall.
16–29kg · 12–14yr · £700–1800
The lion hunter. A muscular, independently-minded dog that needs confident handling and serious exercise.
29–41kg · 10–12yr · £1000–2500
The tallest dog breed in the world with the gentlest soul. But their lifespan of 6-8 years means heartbreak is guaranteed.
48–70kg · 6–8yr · £1500–3000
The barkless dog from Central Africa. Doesn't bark but howls, yodels, and screams. Genuinely cat-like in personality.
9–11kg · 13–14yr · £800–2500
The symbol of British stubbornness. Adorably wrinkly, perpetually snoring, and carrying significant health burdens.
18–25kg · 8–10yr · £2000–4000
The original British crossbreed. Typically sighthound crossed with working dog, gentle at home and lethal at speed.
18–32kg · 12–15yr · £300–1000
The Bull Terrier's smaller sibling. Same absurd egg head, same boundless energy, same stubborn streak.
9–16kg · 11–14yr · £1000–2500
The gentle giant of the gundog world. Slow, methodical, and one of the most easygoing large breeds you'll find.
29–39kg · 10–12yr · £800–2000
The Cavachon (Cavalier King Charles Spaniel × Bichon Frise) is a sweet-natured, low-shedding companion that inherits the Cavalier's gentle charm and the Bichon's cheerful resilience.
5–9kg · 12–15yr · £1000–2500
The Bernedoodle (Bernese Mountain Dog × Poodle) blends the Bernese's calm, devoted nature with the Poodle's intelligence and low-shedding coat. A gentle giant ideal for families with children.
22–36kg · 12–15yr · £1500–3500
The Cockachon (Cocker Spaniel × Bichon Frise) is an endearing, low-shedding small hybrid that blends the Cocker's warm, spaniel devotion with the Bichon's buoyant, people-loving personality.
5–10kg · 12–15yr · £1000–2500
A powerful guard breed with a gentle family side. The Bullmastiff is fearless with strangers but deeply affectionate with those it loves.
41–59kg · 7–9yr · £1000–2500
An Italian mastiff of immense power and loyalty. The Cane Corso is a serious guardian breed that demands an experienced, committed owner.
40–50kg · 9–12yr · £1500–3000
A shaggy, towering sighthound once reserved for Scottish nobility. Gentle as a lamb indoors, blindingly fast when it spots movement outdoors.
36–50kg · 8–11yr · £1000–2500
An ancient Roman guard dog draped in loose, wrinkled skin. The Neapolitan Mastiff is a loyal, immovable giant whose appearance alone deters intruders.
50–70kg · 7–9yr · £1500–3500
An ancient Italian toy breed gifted between Renaissance nobles. The Bolognese is a devoted, low-energy companion wrapped in fluffy white locks.
2–4kg · 12–14yr · £1000–2500
An ancient Egyptian-type sighthound from the Balearic Islands. Athletic, independent, and possesses extraordinary jumping ability that makes secure fencing essential.
19–29kg · 11–14yr · £800–2000
A sturdy Irish mountain terrier that is notably quieter than most of its kin. Calm and affectionate with family, yet retaining plenty of the terrier tenacity.
14–16kg · 12–15yr · £700–1800
A rare Czech terrier deliberately bred to be less feisty than its kin. The Cesky is patient, obedient, and one of the most manageable terrier breeds in existence.
6–10kg · 12–15yr · £800–2000
A striking Dutch duck-decoy dog with orange-and-white markings and black-tipped ears. Once used to lure ducks into traps, now a lively and affectionate companion.
9–11kg · 12–14yr · £1000–2500
A German breed created in the 1960s. The Eurasier is a serene, family-oriented spitz that is calm with its household but reserved with strangers, never aggressive.
18–32kg · 12–14yr · £1000–2500
The Arabian greyhound. An ancient North African sighthound of great elegance and sensitivity, deeply loyal to its family and entirely indifferent to strangers.
20–27kg · 12–16yr · £800–2000
A small American sighthound developed from Borzoi and Whippet lines. Silky-coated, gentle-natured, and one of the longer-lived sighthound breeds.
10–23kg · 14–18yr · £1000–2500
Poland's indigenous greyhound. A powerful, ancient sighthound used to hunt wolves and hares on the Polish plains, lean and swift with a strong independent streak.
20–35kg · 10–12yr · £800–2000
French Bulldog crossed with Pug. A compact, flat-faced companion that doubles down on the brachycephalic charm; potential owners should be aware of associated breathing concerns.
6–9kg · 12–15yr · £1000–2500
Pug crossed with Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. A sociable, gentle companion that softens the Pug's flat face and the Cavalier's heart concerns in one popular hybrid.
6–10kg · 9–14yr · £800–2000
A miniature Bernedoodle. The compact version of the Bernese Mountain Dog × Poodle cross, combining a calm, devoted temperament with a low-shedding wavy coat.
10–18kg · 12–17yr · £1500–3500
Golden Retriever crossed with Bernese Mountain Dog. A breathtakingly beautiful, gentle giant that combines the Golden's warmth with the Berner's majestic calm.
34–50kg · 9–12yr · £1200–3000
Saint Bernard crossed with Poodle. A massive, gentle hybrid that inherits the Saint's devotion and the Poodle's brains in a (relatively) low-shedding enormous package.
40–80kg · 10–12yr · £1500–4000
Newfoundland crossed with Poodle. A gentle giant with a low-shedding, water-resistant coat and the Newfie's legendary patience with children.
36–65kg · 8–12yr · £1500–4000
Mastiff crossed with Poodle. A massive, low-shedding hybrid with the Mastiff's calm protective instincts softened by the Poodle's trainability and sociability.
45–90kg · 8–12yr · £1500–4000
Havanese crossed with Poodle. A cuddly, low-shedding small companion that is gentle, social, and wonderfully adaptable to any living situation.
2–6kg · 12–15yr · £1000–2500
Cocker Spaniel crossed with Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. A wonderfully gentle, people-oriented spaniel hybrid with silky ears and an irresistibly warm temperament.
7–14kg · 12–15yr · £800–2000
Shih Tzu crossed with Bichon Frisé. Also known as the Teddy Bear dog for its stuffed-toy looks, the Zuchon is a sociable, low-shedding companion that loves everyone it meets.
3–6kg · 15–18yr · £800–2200
Why does barking tendency matter so much?
Barking is one of the most common sources of conflict between dog owners and their neighbours — and one of the most cited reasons for dogs being surrendered to rescue. In dense UK housing (flats, terraced housing, semi-detached homes with thin walls) it's particularly significant.
Some breeds were specifically developed to alert — guard dog breeds, herding dogs who bark to control livestock, terriers bred to sound off when they found quarry. Others were bred for quiet work: sight hounds who hunt silently, gun dogs who need to work alongside hunters without spooking game. The breeds on this list skew heavily toward the latter category.
Best quiet breeds for flats and city living
If you're in a flat or a terrace and noise is a genuine concern, the ideal combination is low barking plus low-to-medium energy (since you probably don't have a garden). Some particularly well-suited options from the list above include Greyhounds and Whippets — famously quiet, gentle, and surprisingly well-suited to flat life despite their athletic build.
Can training reduce barking in any breed?
Yes, but with limits. Training can absolutely reduce problematic barking — particularly if it starts early and is consistent. But there's a ceiling determined by genetics: a Beagle trained not to bark is still a Beagle, and it will take considerably more effort to achieve the same result you'd get naturally from a Basenji or a Shih Tzu. Starting with a naturally quiet breed and applying good management gives you the best outcome with the least friction.