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Whining when I'm there

3K views 8 replies 6 participants last post by  Zoe093014 
#1 ·
Tully is almost 6 months old. He stays in a crate at night and basically never whines; I can get a full night's sleep. He also goes pretty easily into the crate if I leave during the day. He has a special treat that he only gets when he is going into the crate. The problem is that he whines a lot during the day, seemingly for no reason. Today I had him on the couch in the living room while I was cleaning. (He can't get down from the couch.) He has toys and a chew there. He had eaten an hour before, gone for a walk, peed and pooped recently. I can't think of anything that he needed. Yet, he was whining the whole time I was trying to clean. (I have had some construction lately, so everything was covered with dust.) I was 6-12 feet away from him the whole time, but he just wouldn't stop. I ignored him, but that didn't work. When I got to the point where I was going to start yelling, I just took him and plunked him in the crate (no treat.) Maybe that was wrong, but the constant whining is driving me crazy. I don't mind when he indicates by whining that he has to go out or that he is hungry, but I can't stand the whining for no reason. He will do the same thing when I am on the computer in my study. I put him on a chair with toys and a chew, but he will still whine - and although my back is turned, I am 3 feet away from him! Is this separation anxiety - when I'm in the same room?
 
#2 ·
It sounds like he is whining when you have him up on a chair or couch where he can't get down. He seems to be unhappy when he is put in that situation. Is there any way you can confine him at ground level in an expen. Maybe he would feel more secure and would not whine. I would say that you need to be careful how you respond to this so it doesn't seem like he is getting attention for whining. It can become a habit. My last dog would whine A LOT when she wanted something and it will get on your last nerve! Molly is super quiet so thankfully I don't have that problem with her.
 
#3 ·
I was thinking the same thing as Diane. It sounds like he may be whining because he is stuck where he is. Have you tried having him be on the floor loose with you while you are doing something (cleaning etc)? Just to test if that's the problem or not. I wouldn't put him up and wait for him to whine before putting him down as then he is getting rewarded for whining but just have him loose with you on the floor in the room and get busy with something to see what he does. Once you have the issue pin pointed you will know better how to address it.
 
#4 ·
He is not whining "for no reason", He is just whining for a reason you don't want to acknowledge. If he can't get down from the couch or chair by himself, he is confined as effectively as if he were in a crate. (at least for now... this stage won't last long ;)) And if your back is turned, whether you are near him or not, you are not interacting with him. Now, I am NOT saying that you need to interact with him every moment... he needs to learn to be self-sufficient some of the time. But that's why he's whining.

Personally, I would not use a couch or chair as "confinement". It's only a matter of time before he gets his courage up to jump down, and that's the end of it. Once is all it takes. My 6 month old has been getting off (and on) the couches independently for weeks now. She JUST started jumping down off our (relatively high) bed. I would either set up an ex-pen for him, or use a good-sized rate for confinement. Both feel more "homey" to a dog than being up on something they can't get down from. Then, you just let them whine, and COMPLETELY, 100 PERCENT ignore him until YOU are ready to engage with him again. He has to learn that whining is not going to get him what he wants. This is exactly the same as demand barking'... just usig a different voice.
 
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#5 ·
I agree with Karen. And I would be careful not to let him jump down more than a foot or two at most at most until his growth plates close which is usually around 12-18 months. You don't want to deal with a growth plate injury. Sophie has been sleeping on the bed with me since about 8 months and I have trained her to only jump off one side (which is lower than the other by about 8 inches which she reliably does, )it's a kids bed I shoved up next to my bed and against wall on other 2 sides for my blind girl to have a safe but roomy place next to me.). I also have cushions that she jumps down onto that are foam and about 10 inches high that line the floor around the bed. At 15 months her growth plates may be closed, if not won't be long but I'll probably always be too chicken to take the cushions away :)

I would add that Sophie has separation anxiety we've been working on and is getting much better. When I paint in my studio she is in a crate where she can look out a window next to me and she used to whine and cry if I moved even a few feet from her. I totally ignored her while she fussed and as soon as she quieted I would say good quiet and calmly give her a treat. She has caught on to that pretty fast. Never yell as that will get you no where and upset them more. At this point I can now go downstairs, and come back up with no fussing.

We are working on it in the car also she would scream like a baboon ("ape in the jungle" voice) :D if she were in her crate and could see me. So I've been doing it a lot, at nosework class for instance if we are doing outside searches I have her parked close with window down where she can see us from her crate. She REALLY wants to be part of the party so voiced her displeasure quiet loudly, class is awesome and we all just ignore her until she is quiet. As soon as she is I go over and give her a treat. Now she may fuss a little at first but will sit quietly the rest of the time. It all takes time though and consistency.
 
#6 ·
Kylie is the same age as Tully and I'm having the same issue :frown2: I think they get upset if they can see you but can't get 100% of your attention. At night they're sleeping so it doesn't seem to bother them as much and during the day if you're gone they know it's a lost cause… I think everybody's right about ignoring them but it's really hard when the high pitch ear piercing screeching goes on and on and on!! I really get concerned about my poor neighbors!!
 
#7 ·
Kylie is the same age as Tully and I'm having the same issue :frown2: I think they get upset if they can see you but can't get 100% of your attention. At night they're sleeping so it doesn't seem to bother them as much and during the day if you're gone they know it's a lost cause… I think everybody's right about ignoring them but it's really hard when the high pitch ear piercing screeching goes on and on and on!! I really get concerned about my poor neighbors!!
I agree, and I learned the hard way with Kodi. He's 7 now, and crates beautifully in the car, at trials, at lessons and at night. But heaven help us if he's stuck on the wrong side of a baby gate (for the puppies) away from us in the house. He becomes the world's saddest dog, and lets EVERYONE know how much he is suffering. :)

I really DID try when he was a puppy, but Tom King is absolutely right that you have to TOTALLY convince them that it's not bothering you in the least, and that you are totally calm and relaxed about the whole thing. ...Easier to say than do, when you are a first-time puppy raiser! ;)

It's sort of like when you have toddlers. When your first one has a temper tantrum in the grocery store, you are totally mortified. When your younger ones do the same thing, it's like, "Yup! He's a two year old. This is what two year olds do!" ;)

Both of my younger ones are fine with confinement, even if I'm home. There may be a bit of (quiet) grumbling at first, but within a few minutes, they have settled, and will just hang. And it's not that they are "easier" or more laid-back temperamentally... The youngest is a little spitfire. But This isn't my first rodeo anymore, and I've been a lot more confident about the way I handle them.

I wish there was a magic bullet for first time puppy owners, but just do your best NOT to let them know it's bothering you. Use your noise-cancelling earphones if you have to! ;)
 
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#8 ·
I haven't been putting him up on the couch as confinement for several weeks now, and its working well. He does sometimes ask to sit (and nap) on the couch with me, which is fine, but I put him down on the floor if he whines at all or if I'm no longer going to sit there. He has not started jumping down, and I don't want to encourage that at this point, as he is still just 7 months old. So mostly, he is just around the house, usually just following me around. Tully whines if I disappear for too long or if the cat is somewhere he can't get to (he wants to play with her, which sometimes works, but sometimes he is just too much for her - and I can't blame her.) But generally, his whining is much reduced. The puppy stuff in general has been really difficult for me, as I am a puppy novice, but I can see that it is gradually dissipating, and he is becoming more of a dog.
 
#9 ·
Zoe was very daring and athletic when she was really young. I put a thick sofa cushion in front of the sofa which she used to get up and down. We've kept it there so it minimizes the distance and provides a cushioned landing. I puppy- proofed early on as I had to go outside freuently to take care of my horses. She watches me from her perch on top of the sofa. I repeat every time, "I have to do the horses". She's fine with it and never got into trouble with the run of the first floor. I use an exercise pen outside my deck slider just in case of her slipping out.
 
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