I have been working on giving him the "Shush" command when he barks and rewarding him with a treat when he stops barking. That used to work.

Over the last week, he has seriously increased his barking.

When I am there (people w/ a dog walking by, other dogs, a siren, a squirrel in the front yard), he barks a lot. The only thing that has changed is that my neighbor in the apartment adopted a big dog. The big dog doesn't bark much, but does bark.

Any suggestions?

I can't put him in a quiet place because my building lets outdoor noise in. He is kennel-trained, goes in there at night, and he can hear me tiptoeing to the bathroom. He isn't bored (I am home much of the time) and gets at least a mile of walking daily, plus a 5-hour trip to doggy daycare 2 times a week.

Our guy insists on sunbathing whenever he sees the sun out.

It’s possible she might prefer to be left alone…😜

I found this channel on YouTube and he is just adorable. I don’t know if they’re part of either one of the groups I belong to Reddit but worth a few minutes of your time.

I am planning on getting a Cavalier puppy in February. Before then, I thought I'd see what kinds of supplies I might get. What size harness, crate, etc. fits your cav? What toys do they like best?

Hi! I am looking to get a new cav, and the breeder of my two previous Cavs— who I met randomly by chance— is no longer breeding. What are some resources for finding an ethical breeder who prioritizes keeping the breed as healthy as possible (especially with the heart issues)?

Best friends always, and forever littermates can go together to the same home. Many people have this conflict. Can you get a brother and sister or littermates together and be OK the answer is yes I’ve been with Cavaliers for over two decades and paired mini brothers and sister sisters and brothers together to the same home and have successfully had wonderful luck with it. I think it truly depends on the pedigree, the bloodline and the effort of the person that has them but yes, you can get litter mates and have a great pair.

Let me tell you something: I have a bit too much free time. Also, how much maintenance do they require, and what are the financial costs?

I’m not really looking for advice, just sharing this weird little thing Louis has been doing in the last month. When I’m at my desk and he’s wanting my attention, instead of just coming up to me, he will hide under my bed and let out little cries until I get down onto the floor with him, then he happily comes running out. He’s so dramatic. Anyone else’s Cavaliers little attention gremlins?

Also no pic of him doing it, but a cute photo nevertheless.

Editing to add: I’m not complaining about this behaviour. I find it amusing and it’s become a fun little game for him now. He also doesn’t beg in general.

Hello,

Here's a little background . We have a 14 month old male Cavalier, Henry, and he's a little bundle of anxiety. We rescued him from the Amish so I guess that's our bad there as many on here will say. However, our previous Cavalier was also a rescue and we mutually gave each other 15 years of happiness and great memories.

Sorry to digress though. He's house trained to ring a bell and brought up using a crate successfully. He sleeps in it with no issues from day 1 and he also uses one downstairs for when we are out. My wife works from home upstairs and I'm usually home most days by 2pm. I take him potty before work at 6am and she checks on him briefly between zoom meetings and customer calls. I walk him in the late afternoon and or evening after supper.

She can't have him upstairs while working and we've been leaving him outside his crate downstairs in the family room. Most days, he's fine and just chills with the cat and all his chew toys that he does like to use. He'll have 1-2 days a week where he will chew same 2-3 spots on the couch or grab a decoration off coffee table. Sprays haven't worked, covering spots with a throw blanket don't help either. Again, he'll have great days where he behaves but still can't be trusted fully. It is obvious , I believe, that it is boredom, separation anxiety and or now a bad habit.

We don't want to leave him in his crate all day for 6-7 hours but is that ok to do if he's still chewing?? How do we curb this and or progress from here?? The Vet prescribed medication for anxiety and mild protective aggression towards strangers and neighbors when he is around us. When he is removed from us such as the daycare place or boarding he is good with the people and the pack. The medication is only to be used for occasional events where he might be super anxious though so don't want to medicate him daily when he is home downstairs?

Any advice or suggestions is appreciated?

Hi everyone! I’m looking for some advice on helping my dog feel more comfortable and confident around visitors, particularly in our home.

Some background:

I have a female Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who is approximately 5 years old. We adopted her about a year and a half ago when she was 4. Unfortunately, she came from an abusive/neglectful background, so she has always been a fairly timid and anxious dog.

She has become incredibly comfortable with my husband and me, and she’s very affectionate, silly, and relaxed around us. However, she is still quite fearful of other people, especially when they come into our home.

When visitors arrive, she will often bark or growl at them from the couch, especially initially, but if they stay put in the entrance area, she makes no effort to leave the couch. Once they actually come into the house, she will increase her barking and growling, and usually will retreat to somewhere else in the room if they try to approach her or just enter the area she is in, and continue to bark and growl. I was quite ignorant in terms of what I should and shouldn’t be doing, so I would typically try and just deter her from growling and barking by just say “no!” repeatedly.

Interestingly, her behaviour seems dependent on the environment and situation. For example:

• One weekend every 2 months she does a full weekend visit alone with my mom and brother at my mom’s house and doesn’t typically bark or growl at them there at all, and ends up sleeping in my moms bed with her and sitting on her lap halfway through.
• When my brother occasionally stays at our house for several days, she usually barks and sometimes growls initially, but gradually becomes more comfortable. She has never gotten aggressive when he has been over before. Eventually, she has even went and voluntarily sat on the couch with him and allowed him to pet her.
• Earlier this year, we brought her to a family gathering at someone else’s house with approximately 5 people. She wasn’t particularly social, but she was fairly relaxed and didn’t display any aggression, and I don’t recall her growling or barking at all.
• She is able to walk past strangers on sidewalks without too much reaction. I notice that sometimes, after passing them, she will stop and turn to watch them walk away and then turns and continues walking. A handful of times a stranger on our walk has attempted to reach down and pet her and she immediately seems to either cower or try to scurry away, but has shown zero aggression in this regard.
• She also seems to enjoy being around other dogs, particularly confident, friendly dogs.
• In the general public (dog park, pet stores, my office) she is not the most social and will not approach people but has never barked, growled, or shown aggression. She has even been able to take treats directly from the hands of strangers in the last 6 months, which was not possible before.

What happened tonight:

We hosted a gathering at our house with approximately 10 people, which is the largest group of visitors she’s ever experienced in our home.

Unfortunately, she became quite overwhelmed and displayed aggressive physical behaviour on three separate occasions to the same two men within approximately an hour. This was the first time her behaviour had escalated beyond barking, growling, or retreating, to physically lunging/attempting to bite someone.

Thankfully, nobody was hurt, but it was upsetting to see her react this way, and I recognize that we need to make changes.

I suspect her behaviour is rooted in fear rather than a desire to be aggressive. She seems to feel particularly threatened when people enter her home and her space, and I now see that having so many visitors at once pushed her beyond what she could comfortably handle. After some reading, I also recognize I failed at recognizing her warnings and protecting her space in this moment and past moments.

What I’m hoping to get advice on:

I really want to help her build confidence and I want her to feel safer around people. I understand that growling and barking are important warning signals and don’t want to punish her for communicating discomfort.

Ideally, I’d love for her to eventually feel comfortable relaxing in the same room as visitors and seeing them walk into our door without feeling the need to bark, growl, hide, or defend herself. I’m not expecting her to become a super social dog who loves everyone. I just want her to feel safe and content.

I’m particularly interested in hearing from people who have worked with fearful cavalier dogs or dogs with visitor-related reactivity.

-What training methods helped your dog become more comfortable with visitors?
-How do you work on desensitization and counterconditioning when you don’t have regular access to people willing to participate? We typically only have visitors approximately twice a month. Is this something we would have to work to expand?
-How do you manage visitors in the home without having to keep your dog separated for the entire visit?
-How can I work on her reaction to people entering the house, especially when she starts barking and growling before they even approach her?
-Would working with a positive-reinforcement trainer or veterinary behaviourist be beneficial? I am located rurally, so i don’t know how feasible this is in my area but I am open to exploring.

My brother is actually coming to stay with us for several days next week, so I’m especially interested in advice for managing longer visits safely while helping her build positive associations.

I love this little girl so much, and I want to do right by her. I know she has had a difficult past, and my biggest priority is helping her feel safe and preventing anyone from getting hurt.

I’d really appreciate any experiences, advice, or resources! ❤️