I’ve never heard of anyone who likes a dog that barks all day. Just having to listen to constant noise is annoying. So, a logical question you’d ask is, “Do Cavalier King Charles Spaniels bark a lot?”
Cavaliers King Charles Spaniels aren’t generally excessive barkers, though they won’t hesitate to bark if they want something or think something comes across as a threat. If your Cav starts to bark all of a sudden, it’s important that you understand why so you can deal with the source appropriately.
So, why is my Cavalier barking? Let’s find out!
Why Does My Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Bark?
So, why does your Cavalier King Charles Spaniel bark? Well, typically speaking, your Cav is likely barking for one of five reasons: they see a car, a person, or a dog; they have separation anxiety; or they are in pain.
They See A Car, Person, A Cat, Or Another Dog
First off, your dog may see a car, a person, a cat, or another dog.
The fact is, dogs tend to bark at people, cats, cars, and other dogs. It’s in their nature.
Why? Well, they probably think that it’s a threat (and sometimes it is a threat) and are trying to alert you.
They Want Your Attention
Another reason that they may be barking is that they want something like food or water.
It’s also possible that they just want a treat. I know my dogs love treats and will beg for them, and I’m sure your Cavalier does too.
They Are In Pain
There is also a possibility that your dog is in pain.
This is likely the case if your dog is on the ground, barking and howling. While dogs don’t always express pain or discomfort, they will if it’s bad enough.
There are a number of reasons why he may be in pain. They may have a broken bone, an illness, or an internal or external injury.
They Have Separation Anxiety
Another reason why they are barking is that they have separation anxiety.
If you don’t know what separation anxiety is exactly, it’s what it says; it’s a behavior disorder when they get anxious when they are separated from their owners.
All dogs are capable of getting this. If you believe your dog has this, don’t worry. It’s very common.
How To Help A Cavalier Puppy With Separation Anxiety
So, if you think your dog has separation anxiety, a logical question that comes to mind is, “How do I help my Cavalier feel safe and comfortable?”
Before we talk about how to help a dog with separation anxiety, let’s look at the signs according to the AKC first. They are …
- Your dog whines, paces, or whimpers when you are gone or preparing to leave.
- Excessive barking or howling when you are gone.
- destructive when left alone and tears apart shoes and digs into couches, especially around windows.
- Potty accidents in the house (urinating and defecating on the ground)
- Excessive drooling, panting, and salivating
- Desperate and prolonged attempts to escape confinement
So, how can you help your Cavalier with separation anxiety? Let’s find out.
Exercise Your Dog
Exercising your dog won’t cure separation anxiety (SA), though it can help treat and prevent it in the first place. This includes both physical and mental exercise.
This is even more important for larger dogs that require more exercise, but even though your Cav is a small dog, that doesn’t mean exercise won’t help.
Crate Train Your Dog
Crate training is a good way to help treat SA. When your Cavalier is crate trained, it can be properly trained in the crate and will feel safe and calm in it.
The way to do this is to associate his crate with toys and fun so that he won’t feel confined or scared when he’s in his crate.
Play It Cool & Promote Independent Behavior
Another way to help SA is to play it cool and promote independent behavior.
The trick here is to train your dog so that they can sit and stay. These two commands will help a lot when you’re training your dog to be more independent.
While you’re home, get your dog being used to being in a room alone. After your dog has been trained to sit and stay, go to a room and tell him to stay and wait for a few minutes, then slowly lengthen the time he stays and begin to move farer away from your dog just a little every time you do this exercise.
Medication & Natural Supplements
Unfortunately, sometimes counter-condition just won’t do the trick and medication or natural supplements are necessary.
Some vets recommend amitriptyline, an anti-depressant used for dogs. A natural supplement you may consider giving your dog is CBD or valerian though always contact your vet when you’re considering medication or natural supplements.
How To Stop Your Cavalier From Barking
So, we now know why your dog is barking. what do we do when we want to stop our dog?
There are a lot of ways you can do this. Let’s look at a few.
Gently Telling Them To Stop
While this may be obvious, sometimes you can simply tell your dog to stop.
Just make sure you aren’t too stern, as it may scare your dog. Just gently tell them to stop. If they are really troubled, you may have to tell them to stop a few times.
Stopping The Source
If telling them to stop doesn’t help, then find out what the source is and deal with it appropriately.
If it’s a cat or perhaps another dog outside, wait for it to leave, though if it doesn’t leave, consider talking to their owner if they know them and ask them to take their dog out of your yard.
If it’s a passing car, truck, or person, they should leave soon. Simply wait for them to leave and the barking should stop.
Distract Them From The Source
If there is a car, truck, or person outside, but they aren’t leaving, find out what they are doing. But, if you find out what they’re doing and they don’t have to be worried about, distract your dog from the source.
You may have to just hold them or perhaps you will have have to get their favorite toy or a treat box and rattle it. Just find whatever you can that they like and will distract them.
Provide Them With What They Want
If they are simply barking because they want attention or something (like food, water, or a treat), then give them what they are wanting.
It’s likely that they just want attention, as these dogs love attention and always need it, but it’s also likely that they want food, water, or perhaps a treat.
Check their food and water bowl and see if they are full. If they are, they likely just want attention or treats.
Speak Quietly And Act Calm
If your dog is getting excited because they heard a dog howl or bark or a siren, for an example, then try to be as calm and quiet as you can.
When you are quiet, it shows them that they don’t have anything to worry about and that they should calm down.
Crate Train Your Dog
Something you might not have thought about is crate training your dog so that, when they are barking a lot, you can send them to their crate.
If you trained your dog properly, you probably already crate trained your dog. If you still need to crate train your dog, I recommend checking out this article from PetMD.
Take Them Outside
While this won’t stop your dog from barking, it can take them away from the source (for example, if it’s on TV) or will help them get their barking out of their system if it’s outside.
Should I Use A Muzzle?
If you just tried everything and your dog still is barking, or if your dog is barking often, a question you may ask is “should I use a muzzle?”
Many dog owners don’t like the idea of putting a muzzle on their dog, and while I don’t recommend it, I don’t see any harm in it.
Just note that you may have a hard time putting the muzzle on your Cavalier. The fact is, dogs just don’t like having muzzles on their snouts!
Conclusion
So, do Cavaliers bark a lot? Cavaliers do like to bark, though they aren’t always excessive barkers.
Do you have a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel? If so, do they bark a lot? Let us know in the comment section below!
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