Cockapoo Barking – How to deal with it and stop it

It’s unreasonable to expect your Cockapoo not to bark; after all, barking is a dog’s primary communication method. However, we’re not talking about an average barking level; we’re discussing constant barking that annoys many cockapoo owners and is seen as a nuisance barking by your close neighbours.

You can train your Cockapoo to stop barking by giving them plenty of exercise, attention, and fun, as well as a toy or treat to keep them distracted. It’s critical to discover the causes of your cockapoo barking if it’s becoming troublesome and then try to remove them from the source of the problem barking. If it’s not immediately obvious what’s causing the situation, wait until the dog has calmed down and stopped barking before rewarding them with a treat.

Cockapoos may bark a lot for various reasons, which we will cover in this article. We will offer a few recommendations to assist you in dealing with some reasons for excessive barking and how you might get control of the situation.

Why Might Cockapoos Bark Excessively?

The Cockapoo is a dog breed that’s not typically considered a barker. Even so, that doesn’t entirely rule out the possibility that your Cockapoo will be prone to excessive cockapoo barking.

Genetic and environmental factors are at play regarding how frequently your cockapoo barks. Dogs who bark a lot may have picked up the trait from their parents and siblings. There might be several reasons your Cockapoo is barking more than the average.

Ideally, before solving any issue with your dog, you need to examine and identify what’s causing such behaviour.

Dogs, in general, bark for several reasons, including your Cockapoo; these reasons can include:

Warn Of Impending Danger

Loyalty and protectiveness are traits shared by nearly every dog in the world; Cockapoos are no exception. When your dog perceives danger, it’s rare for them to keep quiet; dogs don’t typically like strangers encroaching on their territory. Of course, some dogs are very territorial, and while a Cockapoo isn’t in that league, it would be unusual for them to be quiet with a stranger hanging around. 

They tend to be braver when you’re in the house rather than when they are alone, though.

In addition, what your Cockapoo sees as a danger isn’t necessarily what you know to be dangerous. A dog barks to alert you whether there’s a real danger. 

You probably want to reward your Cockapoo if their barking scares away a would-be trespasser, but you won’t be so enamoured if they threaten the life of friends or family coming around for a visit.

Attention Seeking

Cockapoos are among the most attention-seeking breeds and want you to lavish attention on them constantly. Barking is one way your Cockapoo tells you that you’re possibly not paying enough attention. While this can get frustrating, it is part and parcel of being a Cockapoo owner. 

Cockapoos, like any dog breed, bark when lonely, bored or neglected. What else can a dog do to bring attention to its situation? Are you giving your Cockapoo plenty of attention, or have you been too busy to notice your attention span isn’t what it should be or what your Cockapoo has become accustomed to; they will let you know.

Barking: A Means Of Intimidation

Cockapoos are not renowned for their watchdog abilities; I don’t think being a good watchdog is at the top of any owner’s wish list when they choose a Cockapoo. Experienced dog trainers give Cockapoos only a three out of five rating regarding their watch or guard dog capabilities.

That’s not to say a Cockapoo can’t be protective of its family because they are a dog well aware of its surroundings and can be a little territorial. A Cockapoo will do its best to sound intimidating. You have to give them credit for that, but if you’re looking for serious intimidation, forget a Cockapoo and get a Doberman or Rottweiler.

A Bored Cockapoo

Bored Cockapoos use barking to communicate with and stimulate themselves. When people are bored, they pick up a book, watch TV, visit family or go out and see friends down the pub, whatever. Dogs have no such outlets. We touched on boredom barking earlier when we said if your Cockapoo doesn’t get enough physical and mental exercise and stimulation, it will quickly become bored. 

A bored Cockapoo will naturally do something to try and entertain itself. It quite frequently manifests in excess and endless cockapoo barking. It can also spill over into more destructive behaviour, such as gnawing the corners of your dining room table or shredding anything they get their paws on. This type of cockapoo boredom barking is almost a plea for you to take control of this barking situation and give your Cockapoo some quality time and exercise. 

Anxious Barking

It’s highly feasible for your Cockapoo to bark out of fear, anxiety, or distress. This can cover a whole range of emotions and situations. Dogs are different; what one dog sees as fearful other dogs treat with nonchalance.

Loud and irritating noises are one example. My Cockapoo is irritated beyond belief by the sound of motorbikes. Why? I have no idea because she’s never been physically scared by a motorbike. 

Anxiety is another cause of incessant barking. One obvious sign of anxiety is separation anxiety. Most Cockapoos don’t do well being left alone for long periods. Once again, this will depend on the particular dog and how severe it becomes, but Cockapoos generally don’t enjoy being alone. 

Barking In Excitement

We all experience this barking whenever we get home from work or have been out of the house. Cockapoos love to bark out of excitement when you return home. 

In addition, all dogs bark out of sheer joy and excitement when they play with other dogs. 

There’s no disguising when your dog is happy, all the tail and bottom wagging, doggy kisses, and bounding about; barking seems overkill, but your dog wants to impress you with how much they miss you. 

Nothing can beat your dog’s unadulterated love and excitement when you come home. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been gone 30 minutes or half a day; the same level of excitement always greets you. This incredible enthusiasm and love is reason enough to own a dog. 

How To Stop Your Cockapoo From Barking?

It can pose a severe challenge getting your Cockapoo to quit barking. Dogs mostly communicate and express themselves through barking. However, constant barking can be a nuisance. Your aim is not to stop barking altogether because even if that were possible, how would your Cockapoo communicate with you? 

Try these solutions and see if it helps you control your Cockapoo’s barking:

Identify The Cause Of Barking

Your Cockapoo’s over-the-top barking may have an obvious explanation in most cases, which makes dealing with the problem a little easier. Is your dog barking when you come home? If so, it’s a sure sign that they’re excited to see you. Dogs may be protective or territorial if they howl and growl at passing neighbours.

When your Cockapoo starts barking, it’s not always easy to figure out the exact problem. Your Cockapoo may be anxious about something in the house; perhaps they are just lonely or bored, all of these reasons we have mentioned earlier. But determining the real cause is essential if you want the dog to stop barking. You might even need to bring in a behavioural expert if the reason is not apparent.

Remove What Triggers The Barking

Once you’ve nailed down the root reason, the next step is to lower the stressor. Close the blinds, for example, if your Cockapoo is barking at people passing dogs. Turn down the volume on the television or radio if that induces barking.

You can either divert your Cockapoo’s attention or ignore their barking, depending on the cause or underlying issues before the barking begins. If the dog is barking at the neighbours outside, distracting them may immediately bring relief because your dog will likely be more interested in what you’re doing and forget about what’s happening across the street. 

If barking is a means to get your attention, it’s best not to give in to that. If you do, you reinforce that behaviour and inadvertently teach your Cockapoo that it can get what they want by barking, which is the opposite of what you’re trying to achieve. When you ignore your dog, then eventually, they can see barking at you isn’t going to get them what they want. If you have to, leave the room and your Cockapoo behind. 

You don’t need to eliminate barking triggers forever; it’s a stopgap until you teach your dog to behave calmly.

Reinforcing Calmer Behaviour

The technique to convince your to stop your cockapoo barking is to reward the desired behaviour. It would help if you offered treats, pets, cuddling, loving words, and praise to your dog whenever they peacefully convey their wants or refrain from barking.

A dog’s fear of you will only increase if you use negative reinforcement. The more you reward your Cockapoo for being calmer and barking less, the will become relaxed.

Cockapoos are lovely companions who genuinely care about making their people happy. To keep you happy, your Cockapoo will repeat the behaviour that makes you happy. You can teach your Cockapoo to be peaceful and quiet by showing them how happy you are by offering positive reinforcement.

Stopping Your Cockapoo Barking At Your Doorbell

It can be very stressful if your cockapoo barks at your doorbell. You may be worried that they will run off as soon as you open the door or do something worse. As cockapoos are very intelligent dogs, it is not too difficult to teach some manners regarding the doorbell. However, it does take considerable patience and perseverance. You may even want to rope in your friends and family members to help.

One of the most effective ways to train your dog not to bark when the doorbell sounds are to teach them to go to a specific place. This is a great method for various reasons, primarily as it allows you to keep your pooch away from the door as you deal with whoever is behind it. It also reduces the chance of your cockapoo escaping through the open door.

While you can work on stopping them from barking, it may be more effective and easier to direct their energy to something else. Cockapoos see barking as their job, so you need to give them another job to have a better chance of them stopping. Their new job is going to a safe spot. Use the same place every time, like a mat in the kitchen away from the front door.

Make sure you give it a name you can use as a verbal command word. For example, “on the mat”. Then guide them to the place you want them to sit. If and when they do this, give them a high-value treat. They will eventually pick up the association between going to the safe spot and getting a yummy treat when the doorbell sounds.

Then use the doorbell; this is the part you could need help with. You want to tell your cockapoo to go to their safe spot, or mat in this case. Press the doorbell once, give your dog a chance to release their barking energy and then once they can listen to you, say the verbal command and consider it a success if they go to the mat. Even if they bark, it is still working. Ignore the doorbell until your dog stops barking, reward them, and let the guests come in or deal with whoever is at the door. Making sure it is ingrained in their brains takes patience and repetition.

Stopping Your Cockapoo Barking at Others

Even after you have successfully trained your dog not to bark excessively when the doorbell sounds, they might still bark when visitors come into your home. If you have been using the above method, you can extend the same technique to cover unwanted barks at guests and non-household members. You can even get the guests to help by giving your cockapoo a treat once they get into their safe spot and are quiet. This will build up an association between the guests being invited and no threat and your dog getting a nice treat.

Stopping Your Dog Bark When They Are Alone

Trying to stop your dog’s bark at night or when they are all alone can be very challenging. Some of the most common reasons they may do this include:

• They are lonely or bored
• They were startled by an unexpected sight or sound

Signs of a bored cockapoo include destructive behaviours like chewing and barking. They do this because there is nothing else they can do.

If it’s not because they are bored, some signs that unexpected sights or sounds cause it is that they bark in reaction to things they see outside. This is part of their protective nature.

The solution to both of these issues is very similar. Create a cockapoo-safe zone. This is somewhere where your cockapoo does not have access to anything they could chew that you don’t want them to. Put lots of interesting toys and treats in there.

It may also be a good idea to make this safe zone up in a part of the house without windows.

Consistency Is Crucial

Consistency with training methods is crucial to raising a Cockapoo or any dog. Don’t just give your dog a treat now and then for being calm. Every time they behave calmly in the face of a previous trigger, reward.  Training is key.

Don’t just deal with the causes of excessive barking when you feel like it; train your dog consistently so that you can permanently erase this tendency.

Another crucial element of this type of training is getting other family members on board. There’s little point if all your good work is undone by another family letting your Cockapoo get away with barking excessively. A specific training regimen is meant to incorporate the whole family, or your Cockapoo will gravitate to the person that offers the least level of resistance. Dogs are much the same as children in this behaviour. 

Final Thoughts – Don’t Raise Your Voice

While we all agree that over-the-top barking is pretty annoying, the answer is not to scream and shout at your Cockapoo; it isn’t solve the problem, and in all likelihood, it will make matters worse. 

In addition, you’re going to frighten your dog and make them afraid of you. So on top of a dog that won’t stop barking, it will cringe away from you and not trust you anymore.

As with all dog training, positive reinforcement is the way forward. Rewarding a dog for behaving the way you want is much more potent than disciplining the dog for what you consider bad behaviour. Remember, the dog doesn’t understand that barking is irritating. It’s like your partner telling you to be quiet every time you speak because your voice is annoying. How would that make you feel?