Cavapoos are crossbreed dogs created by mixing the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and the Poodle.
They are a small dog breed that grows to be 7 to 18 pounds and stands about 9” to 14” at the shoulder.
What these little dogs lack in size they more than makes up for in personality, love, and intelligence. They can also be big on making noise if the desire so hits them.
It doesn’t take much to get these enthusiastic little dogs all excited, and barking is one of several ways they demonstrate happiness, excitement, and a range of other emotions.
Small dogs are often infamous for their almost endless barking.
Many potential Cavapoo owners are concerned about this when they’re considering a Cavapoo for their next family pet.
They’ve heard the stories about little dogs being called “yappers” and wonder if their Cavapoo will have the same tendencies.
Do Cavapoos bark a lot? Although not known to bark excessively, Cavapoos may bark under certain circumstances. For example, they may bark to alert their family if a stranger is approaching the house (as most dogs would). Without proper upbringing and training, Cavapoos are susceptible to separation anxiety, which may cause unnecessary barking when left alone.
Many people fail to understand that all dogs, even those within the same breed, are not created equal.
They each have their own personalities and potential for negative habits. That’s why good training and proper socialization are so important.
Wonder what actual owners have to say about their Cavapoo barking? Check out the quotes we’ve included at the end!
Cavapoo Barking Tendencies
Unnecessary or excessive barking can be a real problem, especially if you live in an apartment or a house with close neighbors.
If it seems like your Cavapoo is barking more than he should be, you might need to initiate some corrective measures.
Before you can fix the problem, it’s important that you know what triggers the barking and what’s making them feel as though it’s necessary to bark.
If you are away from home for portions of the day, having a camera to livestream your dog’s behavior can be a huge help.
Many owners swear by pricier versions, like this popular camera that allow you to remotely toss your pup a treat as a reward for good behavior.
However, I’ve found that less expensive models can be just as effective.
I’ve used this affordable Wi-Fi camera for a couple of years now and couldn’t be happier. For the price, it has the best pan, tilt, and zoom capabilities of any I’ve run across.
Even if you believe the dog has no reason to bark, he must feel it’s necessary or he wouldn’t be barking.
Cavapoos, or any dog for that matter, generally bark for the following reasons.
- Happiness or excitement at seeing you.
- Defensive or territorial barking.
- To get your attention (needs to go outside or is in discomfort).
- Exercise and playtime.
- Aggravation or frustration at not being able to reach something he wants.
- Social barking in response to another dog’s barking or presence.
- Separation anxiety.
- Compulsive behavior.
As important as it is to understand your dog’s reason for barking, it’s still not a guarantee that you’ll be able to cure the dog of barking.
With consistent training, you may be able to curb the barking to only when necessary.
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Training To Avoid a Yappy Dog
Early and consistent training is the best way to avoid having a yappy dog on your hands.
It’s much easier to prevent unnecessary barking before it becomes a problem than it is to stop it after it’s a problem.
Cavapoos are very intelligent dogs who catch on quickly to what is expected of them and what you want them to do.
One of the main reasons a puppy barks is out of excitement and to get attention.
They’re cute and adorable, and your first instinct is probably to bend down to pet and/or pick them up and cuddle them.
This is probably the worst thing you can do because you’re giving them exactly what they want: attention.
Because they’re such intelligent dogs, they’ll quickly realize that barking gets them attention, and you’ll soon have an excessive barker on your hands.
Remember, the behaviors we acknowledge, we reinforce.
Ignoring barking is often the best way to avoid barking.
The best way to ensure you don’t end up with an adult yapper is to nip the behavior in the bud when they’re young puppies.
If ignoring and correcting the barking doesn’t work, remove the dog from the situation.
Puppies are easily distracted, so by moving the dog to another room or some other activity, he’ll generally forget about the need or desire to bark, unless the dog had a really good reason for barking.
Having a good variety of toys on hand will greatly aid in distracting your Cavapoo. I personally recommend this 12-pack of toys for small dogs.
You’d be hard pressed to find a bundle of goodies with this amount of variety for a better price.
Your dog can enjoy several different rope toys, squeaky toys, and balls, including an IQ treat ball (my dog’s favorite).
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Dealing With a Barking Cavapoo
As surprising as this may be, some Cavapoos grow up seldom barking unless they have a good reason and suddenly become barkers.
The owners are often perplexed as to why the dog has suddenly become an excessive barker and how to deal with the problem.
First, you need to determine when the barking started and why.
A normally quiet dog will often begin barking if another dog is brought into the home, especially if the new dog is a barker.
Seldom will one dog sit there quietly when he’s around another dog who’s barking.
Your only recourse may be to deal with the second dog’s barking and then work on your Cavapoo’s barking.
If you’ve bought an adult Cavapoo into your home and he happens to be a barker, you have your work cut out for you.
The dog is going to need consistent training until he learns when it is and isn’t appropriate to bark.
(Crate training your dog from the day you bring him home can be an enormous help. Find out which crate I personally use and recommend in this article.)
Adult dogs that bark excessively are usually doing it because they’re bored, lonely or want attention. They also bark out of frustration.
It’s up to the owner to determine why the dog is barking and then work on correcting the problem.
Some owners, without realizing it, reward the dog for barking.
For instance, a dog that is left outside all night may begin barking out of boredom.
The owner gets tired of listening to the barking so he lets the dog in. This owner shouldn’t be surprised when the dog begins barking again the next night.
Teach them to bark…to stop their barking! No, really!
Many dog owners believe the best way to eliminate unnecessary barking is to teach the dog to bark on command.
You’re probably wondering why you would want to teach the dog to bark if barking is the problem.
You want to teach the dog first to bark on command, and then teach him to be quiet.
Begin by saying “speak” until the dog barks. When he barks, praise him and give him a treat.
It’s easiest to get him to speak by having a friend do something that you know usually makes him bark such as ringing the doorbell or knocking.
Once the dog has learned to bark on command, you start saying “quiet” when the dog is barking. As soon as the dog stops barking, praise him and give him a treat.
You will now have a Cavapoo that not only does not bark excessively but also knows how to be quiet on command.
Cavapoos are very intelligent dogs, and they really want nothing more than to please you and do what you want them to do.
Consistent training and lots of love will go a long ways towards teaching your Cavapoo appropriate barking.
Providing your Cavapoo with sufficient exercise will also help with the barking problem.
Cavapoos are high-energy dogs that require at least 30 to 60 minutes of exercise every day.
A tired dog is going to be more willing to relax and NOT bark than a dog that has tons of pent-up energy.
Cavapoo Behavior Problems/Quirks
Cavapoos are popular for so many reasons, it’s hard to know where to begin. They’re loving, affectionate, happy-go-lucky, highly trainable, intelligent dogs.
Like most dogs, they may have some behavior problems, some of which are breed related and other dog related.
One of the most common problems of Cavapoos is separation anxiety.
Cavapoos love people, and they particularly love their family members and want to be with them as much as possible.
When they’re left alone, they tend to have separation anxiety and often bark excessively.
You can take comfort knowing that separation anxiety doesn’t have to be a permanent problem and, with preventative measures, may never appear at all.
Both stopping and preventing separation anxiety (we show you exactly what to do) is well worth the effort on your part and will result in a happier, more well-balanced dog.
Other behavior issues found in Cavapoos include:
- Food aggression.
- Jumping on furniture.
- Jumping on people.
- Barking at other animals.
- Destructive behavior such as chewing on furniture or digging holes.
It’s important to realize that although most of the behaviors mentioned above may occur independently, many of them occur due to separation anxiety.
Often, once the separation anxiety is eliminated or reduced, the behavior problems tend to disappear or occur much less frequently.
Let’s see what real owners say about barking…
“Really depends on how you train them. Mine doesn’t bark at all”
“I have two Cavapoos in my life, one only barks when he sees someone out the window, and the other barks when she hears someone close a car door or come through the front door, but neither barks for no reason.”
“Not yappy at all. But she goes mental if she sees a fox in the garden or someone rings the doorbell. Guarding behavior basically. She guards us. Because she’s a good doggo.”
“Mine barks if a mouse sneezes down the street. So..a lot. However, most of her noise comes from wooing/howling/making cow noises”
“Ours doesn’t bark that much honestly, she will if she is playing but she doesn’t bark at people when they come over”
Last update on 2024-04-26 at 14:41 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
