Serious Barking Problems
With Our Cocker Spaniel

by Danny
(Ireland)

We got our cocker spaniel when he was 8 weeks old and apart from the usual eating, demolishing everything in sight, and grooming a lot, etc., our main problem is that he's a right old barker - mostly when he is on his own or out of your eye shot.

Any tips how to stop this?

Reply from Pauline (Web Owner)

Hello Danny,

Before you start working on your puppy's barking problem, it's best if you work out what's causing him to bark in the first place.

Just think of a baby crying because he's hungry - changing his nappy probably won't stop him from crying because he'll still be hungry. The same will apply to your puppy (although, not the nappy changing!).

Find out why your puppy is barking and then you'll be in a better position to address his needs and stop him.

If you'd like to understand more about the reasons dogs bark, why not read this article entitled, Why Do Dogs Bark? It not only covers the reasons for dog barking but also gives some helpful hints on how to remedy various barking problems.

If your Spaniel is barking in the garden, he may be developing territorial tendencies, in which case I recommend you read this article about dog barking in the garden as it will give you some helpful tips and advice to follow.

I don't know your dog, or your circumstances, so it's very difficult for me to help you any further. All I can suggest is that you read this page on How To Stop Your Dog Barking as a starting point. Follow and read all the links and it will help you to determine exactly why your Cocker barks so much and what you can do about it.

If your dog is simply looking for attention, that may be one of his reasons for barking. If that's the case, you can follow the above link to understand more about attention seeking behaviour in dogs and how to deal with their behaviour.

Consistency, patience and determination are what's needed to deal with a barking dog.

Read the above-mentioned articles a couple of times, and then once you've worked out what's causing your dog to bark you'll be in a much better position to work on the problem - good luck!