Please help. My 1 year old cavalier won't stop barking at birds and is becoming a pain. She goes mad if she sees them in the garden and now reacts the same when on walks. I don't want to resort to these special collars so can anyone offer some advice on what to do or a possible solution!?!
Thanks Marie

What are you currently doing when she barks, and how long have you been using this method?

It's part of her being a flustrated gundog-Cavaliers were for 100's of years used to retrieve woodcock & the hunting instinct is still there

You need to distract her & then reward when she stops-you could try training discs depending on her temperament or a drinks can with pebbles in it thrown without her seeing you & when she stops call her to you & reward for the silence

Is she 'into' squeaky toys? I had a dog who did this and I kept a  special squeaky just for this purpose...not her usual one, I did not want her to think she was being rewarded with play for barking. When she ran up the garden barking at birds/cat (legs stiff grass flying) I went to the door and squeaked the toy, she rushed in to look for it totally forgeting what was outside. I encouraged her to search for it..Where is it?? (as we do in hide and seek games in the house with usual toy) then after a while produced usual toy for a play. When on walks I hid toy in my pocket and squeezed it when she barked at birds.. then pretended I knew nothing about it (looks at me ..there is is again..what is that animal?) She grew out of chasing when she got older. :-)