Barking is the single biggest reason a dog and a shared wall fall out, and it is almost entirely a breed trait. A hound was built to bay across a valley; a lapdog was built to sit quietly on one. We scored 41 breeds on the things a neighbour actually notices, how often a dog barks, how easily it sets off, how piercing the sound is, and how quickly it can be taught to stop, and turned it into one Quiet Score out of 100. Sort it from silent to relentless, and read the bark tag to hear what each one sounds like before you commit.
| # | Breed | Quiet Score | Barks rarely | Ignores triggers | Soft voice | Easy to hush | Low alarm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greyhound Large · Almost silent The quietest big dog there is. It sleeps most of the day and rarely finds a reason to speak. | 91 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 2 | Borzoi Large · Almost silent An aristocratic sighthound that treats barking as beneath it. Neighbours forget it exists. | 91 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 3 | Basenji Small · Yodels, no bark The "barkless dog." Its larynx makes a yodel it calls a baroo instead of a bark, so it is genuinely quiet, though busy and into everything. | 87 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 |
| 4 | Scottish Deerhound Large · Almost silent Gentle and quiet to a fault. It may let out one deep woof a week, if that. | 86 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 5 | Whippet Medium · Rarely a peep A smaller greyhound in every way, including the silence. Sprints, then sleeps, and says nothing. | 86 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 6 | French Bulldog Small · Low grumble More likely to snort or grumble than bark. One of the best small breeds for thin apartment walls. | 80 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 7 | Bulldog Medium · Occasional low woof Too laid-back to bother barking most of the time. Expect a slow, deep woof, not a yappy alarm. | 80 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 8 | Clumber Spaniel Medium · Low-key The mellowest of the spaniels. It ambles through life and rarely raises its voice. | 78 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| 9 | Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Small · Soft and occasional A lapdog bred purely for company. It barks a little at the door, then forgets why. | 75 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 10 | Newfoundland Large · A gentle rumble A calm giant that would rather lean on you than warn you. Barking is not really its language. | 74 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| 11 | Bernese Mountain Dog Large · Big but relaxed Placid farm dog with a deep voice it uses sparingly. Content and quiet when it has company. | 74 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| 12 | Akita Large · Quiet and reserved Famously silent and dignified for a big spitz. It watches everything and comments on almost none of it. | 71 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| 13 | Bullmastiff Large · A rare deep boom A silent guardian by design: it watches, it rarely barks, but when it does the whole building hears it. | 70 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| 14 | Mastiff Large · A rare, huge bark A watchful, dignified breed that almost never barks without cause. When it does, it is unmissable. | 70 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| 15 | Pug Small · Snorts over barks Spends more effort wheezing and snorting than barking. A genuinely low-noise companion for a flat. | 70 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| 16 | Saint Bernard Large · Deep, infrequent A slow, kind mountain of a dog. The bark is enormous but it takes a lot to draw it out. | 67 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| 17 | Shiba Inu Medium · Quiet, then a scream Cat-clean and usually silent, until something offends it and the famous "Shiba scream" arrives. | 66 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| 18 | Golden Retriever Large · Excited barker Barks when thrilled, at the door or the ball, but is so trainable that a "quiet" cue sticks fast. | 66 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 3 |
| 19 | Labrador Retriever Large · Excited barker A friendly noise when people arrive, easily hushed. Boredom, not temperament, makes a Lab loud. | 66 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 3 |
| 20 | Great Dane Large · Deep but seldom Quiet for its size, but the bark is a cannon. It saves it for genuine surprises, which is rarely. | 65 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| 21 | Boston Terrier Small · Chatty, not shrill A talkative little dog with a soft voice. It comments on the day but rarely pierces your ears. | 64 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| 22 | Siberian Husky Medium · Howls, not barks It barely barks, but it howls, whines and talks in a way that carries. Quiet is not the right word. | 62 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| 23 | Poodle (Standard or Mini) Medium · Smart, easily hushed Sharp enough to alert-bark, sharp enough to learn "enough" in a day. Boredom turns the volume up. | 61 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 3 |
| 24 | Boxer Large · Woofs at play More likely to "woo-woo" in excitement than bark in warning. Loud when playing, quiet when tired. | 60 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| 25 | Rottweiler Large · Alerts, then stops A confident guardian that barks with purpose, not habit. Easy to teach when the job is done. | 59 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| 26 | Bloodhound Large · Deep, mournful bay Does not so much bark as bay, a long low howl bred to carry across fields. Beautiful, and very audible. | 56 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| 27 | Doberman Pinscher Large · Sharp alarm bark An alert protector that speaks up at the door. Highly trainable, so the barking is controllable. | 52 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| 28 | Australian Shepherd Large · Herding-alert bark Barks to herd, to alert, to burn energy. Give it work or it invents noisy jobs of its own. | 50 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| 29 | Border Collie Medium · Herding-alert bark The smartest breed and one of the busiest mouths. Without a task, the barking fills the silence. | 50 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| 30 | Bichon Frise Small · Alert yaps A happy dog that greets every hallway sound. Trainable, but it likes to announce visitors. | 47 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 31 | Havanese Small · Watchful yaps A velcro companion that alerts to comings and goings. Soft-hearted and a little vocal. | 47 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 32 | Pembroke Welsh Corgi Medium · Big bark, small dog A herder in a low body, and it herds with its voice. Expect alarm barking at the window. | 47 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 33 | German Shepherd Large · Herding-alert bark A working brain that barks to do a job. Trainable, but an under-worked Shepherd in a flat gets loud. | 46 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| 34 | Miniature Schnauzer Small · Opinionated A sturdy little watchdog with a lot to say about the doorbell, the mailman and the neighbour's cat. | 43 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| 35 | Shetland Sheepdog Small · Barks at everything The classic "barks at leaves" breed. Bright and trainable, but its default setting is alarm. | 30 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 36 | Beagle Medium · Bays across the block That howl-bark was bred to carry across open fields. Lovely dog, but the neighbours will know its name. | 29 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 37 | Chihuahua Small · Sharp, frequent yap Bonds to one person and guards them loudly. Quick to alarm-bark at anything that moves. | 27 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 38 | Yorkshire Terrier Small · Bold terrier yap A big bark in a small dog. Terrier wiring means it announces every sound in the hallway. | 27 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 39 | Jack Russell Terrier Small · Relentless Bred to bark underground at foxes, and it never got the memo to stop. Needs a real outlet or it never quiets. | 27 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 40 | Dachshund Small · Loud for its size A hound bark in a low body, deeper than you expect and used often. A determined watchdog. | 27 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 41 | Pomeranian Small · High, frequent A tiny spark plug with a piercing voice it loves to use. One of the barkiest breeds pound for pound. | 23 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
No breed matches that filter. Clear the search to see all 41.
How we scored it
Every breed is rated 1 to 5 on five things a noise-sensitive household actually lives with: how rarely it barks (30%), how little it reacts to doorbells, footsteps and passers-by (25%), how soft rather than piercing the sound is (20%), how easily it can be taught to stop on cue (15%), and how low its built-in watchdog drive runs (10%). Frequency and reactivity carry the most weight because a rare deep woof from a Great Dane bothers neighbours far less than a small dog that fires at every noise in the hall.
Two honest caveats. A quiet breed left alone and bored will still bark, so the score assumes a dog whose exercise and company are met. And a high "easy to hush" number is doing a lot of work: a Labrador or a Poodle can be loud by default and near-silent once trained, while a Beagle will always have more to say. Use the score to shortlist, then commit to the training the breed needs.
Why dogs bark, and how to turn the volume down
A breed sets the baseline, but the barking you actually get depends on why the dog is doing it. Nearly all of it falls into five buckets, and each has a different fix.
Alarm and territory
The doorbell, the mail carrier, a dog across the street. The dog is reporting news. Manage the triggers first, with film on the window or white noise, then reward the quiet that follows the first bark rather than shouting over it.
Boredom and pent-up energy
The most common cause in a flat, and the easiest to miss. A dog with nothing to do barks to fill the day. A real walk, a puzzle feeder and a chew usually cut it more than any training drill.
Separation and anxiety
Barking that starts the moment you leave is distress, not defiance. Punishment makes it worse. Build up alone time in small steps, and for a true separation problem, get a trainer or vet involved early.
Attention and demand
The dog learned that barking makes you look, talk or feed. The cure is unglamorous: give it nothing, not even eye contact, until it is quiet, then reward the silence. Consistency from everyone in the home is the whole game.
Excitement and greeting
The happy racket at the door or the leash. It fades as the dog matures and as you teach a calm ritual, like sitting for the leash, so the excitement has somewhere to go that isn't its voice.
Common questions
What is the quietest dog breed?
On our score the sighthounds lead: the Greyhound, Borzoi, Scottish Deerhound and Whippet barely make a sound. The Basenji is the famous outlier because it physically cannot bark, though it yodels instead. If you want quiet in a big calm dog, a Greyhound is hard to beat.
Which small dogs bark the least?
Small and quiet is a shorter list, because most tiny breeds are alert barkers. The best bets are the French Bulldog, Pug, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and Boston Terrier, companion breeds built to sit quietly rather than guard. Avoid the small terriers, the Chihuahua and the Pomeranian if noise is your worry.
What dog breeds bark the most?
Herding and terrier breeds top the loud end: the Shetland Sheepdog, Beagle, Jack Russell, Yorkshire Terrier, Chihuahua and Pomeranian all bark often and easily. It is not a flaw, it is the job they were bred for, but it is a hard fit for an apartment with thin walls.
Do big dogs bark more than small dogs?
Usually less. Many of the quietest breeds on this list are large, calm dogs like the Greyhound, Great Dane and Mastiff, while some of the loudest are the smallest. Size decides how deep the bark sounds, not how often you hear it. A big dog barks rarely but loudly; a small watchdog barks often.
Can you train a dog to stop barking?
You can manage it, rarely erase it. Reward the quiet after the first bark, remove the trigger where you can, and above all meet the dog's need for exercise and company, because a tired, settled dog has little to bark about. What you cannot do is train a Beagle into a Greyhound, so choosing the right breed matters more than any technique.
What is the best quiet dog for an apartment?
Pair quiet with the other things a flat needs, low energy and a small footprint, and the French Bulldog, Cavalier, Pug and Greyhound come out on top. The Greyhound surprises people: it is big, but it is silent and sleeps most of the day, which is exactly what a shared building wants.