Hello,
My "Bella" is almost 11mos old (June 16th), we got her from a breeder when she was 8mos old, so we've had her for almost 3 months. She has adjusted very well to our home, just my husband and I, and our 3 cats. When we first met her she wasn't shy with us at all, she, along with about 5 other cavaliers (some puppies some adults), all came up to my husband and I licking our faces and just being very friendly....after awhile they all kind of wandered off..all except for Bella, she stayed right with us throughout the whole time we were visiting with the breeder....we chose her, she was such a sweetheart!!
About a month after we brought her home, we signed up for some basic training classes..she did really good, although according to the trainer who has trained cavaliers before, she is very shy, and "needs to build up her confidence".....an example of her shyness: when taking her out to the pet store or just walking in the park, if anyone would want to pet her she would pull back and pretty much hide behind me or my husband..well we've been working with her on this and she is doing much, much better! She is actually going to people sometimes, not always, but it's a definite improvement..Ok, so here's our issue now..she barks and growls at some people..this hasn't happened in the park or at the pet store, it mainly happens when we're at our home and we have visitors..she seems very uneasy around kids...my niece is 6 and she barks at her alot. We also took her with us on a trip where we stayed at a hotel and when we were checking out she was growling and barking at people...I'm sorry, I know this is long...We really love her and want her to be well adjusted....what is the best method for teaching her not to bark and growl? ( I did contact the breeder and she let me know that she had never been around kids, she told us to have lots of treats when she's around people/kids, not to baby her..just tell her that "she's fine" and that growling is not acceptable)....We're afraid of being too stern with her, we don't want to create a bigger problem..we want to help her build her confidence. Thanks everyone, and I'm sorry this is so long...Kristen
My "Bella" is almost 11mos old (June 16th), we got her from a breeder when she was 8mos old, so we've had her for almost 3 months. She has adjusted very well to our home, just my husband and I, and our 3 cats. When we first met her she wasn't shy with us at all, she, along with about 5 other cavaliers (some puppies some adults), all came up to my husband and I licking our faces and just being very friendly....after awhile they all kind of wandered off..all except for Bella, she stayed right with us throughout the whole time we were visiting with the breeder....we chose her, she was such a sweetheart!!
About a month after we brought her home, we signed up for some basic training classes..she did really good, although according to the trainer who has trained cavaliers before, she is very shy, and "needs to build up her confidence".....an example of her shyness: when taking her out to the pet store or just walking in the park, if anyone would want to pet her she would pull back and pretty much hide behind me or my husband..well we've been working with her on this and she is doing much, much better! She is actually going to people sometimes, not always, but it's a definite improvement..Ok, so here's our issue now..she barks and growls at some people..this hasn't happened in the park or at the pet store, it mainly happens when we're at our home and we have visitors..she seems very uneasy around kids...my niece is 6 and she barks at her alot. We also took her with us on a trip where we stayed at a hotel and when we were checking out she was growling and barking at people...I'm sorry, I know this is long...We really love her and want her to be well adjusted....what is the best method for teaching her not to bark and growl? ( I did contact the breeder and she let me know that she had never been around kids, she told us to have lots of treats when she's around people/kids, not to baby her..just tell her that "she's fine" and that growling is not acceptable)....We're afraid of being too stern with her, we don't want to create a bigger problem..we want to help her build her confidence. Thanks everyone, and I'm sorry this is so long...Kristen