How to stop a malamute from whinging?

firefly1978

Hi Guys,
I have two alaskan malamutes. The male is 2.5 years and the female is almost 2 years old. They are great dogs in general but they have started to drive us around the bend.
Over the last year they have started to whing all the time. They live in the back garden and Any sound at all from the house sets them off. Even the slightest little thing. This whinging can last for hours on end. It is driving the family nuts at this stage and we have sneak around the house, trying not to set them off.
I cannot for the life of me figure out a way to stop it. It has not always been like this. They don't really howl or bark much, but the high pitched whinging noise is maddening. Even the neighbours are now complaining about it. I need to put a halt to it.
I have had dogs all my life and know how to deal with most doggie problems but this seems to be beyond me. The dogs are treated really well in every regard. They well maintained, well fed, walked for over an hour every single day without fail, they are loved and well groomed. But still there is whinging.
Does anyone know how to stop it? or even tell me a reason why they are doing it?

theonlygirl

Actually i'd be very interested in advice on the exact same thing, my golden cocker and newfie have started to do the same, both very well exercised, allowed in the house for a good few hours morning and evening, loads of kong toys etc. but still whinging everytime they hear anything from inside!

genie_us

Sorry to hijack your thread I would love to know as well we're having similar problems with our Beagle dog, just asked about it in another thread 'Dog Advice' if you want to keep an eye there too in case I get any replies!

Ours whinges the same as yours if he hears any noise or even when he's inside and one of us leaves the room he cries til we return to the room despite the fact there's still someone else in the room with him!

cocker5

you should try the "water " method....

EVERYTIME they whinge through some (small amount like 1/2 a cup) water at them.... not hot water... tap water... if they are outside... ir this is happening inside.. get a coke bottle, wash it out and punch a small hole in the top of it... when they whinge squirt a small amount at them ...

the trick is DONT SAY A WORD to them when they are being sprayed... dont say no.. say nothing... no name...no nothing...

DO THIS EVERYTIME THEY WHINGE.... after a few times they will learn that whinging brings about a negative response... they wont like it and they will stop.... :D:D:D

Hope this helps!!!

For the cocker owner... i feel your pain... my cocker used to be a whinger... personally i think cockers make great whingers... they do enough of it :p:p

Sigma Force

An hour a day isn't enough for a Malamute, not denying they are well looked after but mentally they may be lacking some stimulation and are probably bored.

@cocker5 that may work but it's not a nice way to treat a dog and it isn't dealing with the bones of the problem there are reasons why dogs cry like this and it's usually boredom or lonleyness how would you like someone to chuck water over you everytime you complained about being bored eh.

Dogs react when they hear noises it's normal.

Dogs like beagles and malamutes are howlers it's part of their traits which is something that should be taken in to account before you get a dog like this.

Dogs are pack animals at the end of the day and some just don't like being left outside or alone for long even with another dog for company they just want their humans.

Malamutes need a lot of training and should be going somewhere on a regular bases to work or train to keep them occupied.

You need to get them working and in to cani cross they are a working breed and can become very frustrated if not kept busy.
Check out mushing.ie and sleddogsireland.com
Also check out dog training ireland for advice on humane methods of training, they don't use sprays or choke chains or anything like that.

ISDW

Excellent advice from Guineapigrescue, there is another club in Ireland that works sled dogs, www.tailsandtrails.ie I'm a member, and currently chair of that club and we meet usually twice a month during the season for working the dogs, or hiking with them.

When you walk them, have you ever tried them with backpacks to tire them out even more? Is it just one walk a day they get for a solid hour, or is that broken down into more than 1?

It does sound to me as though they are under-stimulated.

Is there any way that they could live in the house? Maybe they just miss their human family?:D

firefly1978

no, they wont be living in the house. It's not a suitable situation and i also don't want to give in to the dogs demands. ie. if they whinge, let them in them into the house. them if they dont like sleeping in the kitchen, let them in the bedroom. They dont like the bedroom floor, it'll be on the bed itself. I know what dogs are like and if you give into them they will want more.
Apart from that, they tend to chew up cushions and so on, when in the house for long periods.
The hour walk per day is an hour straight at the local park where they get to run.

As for a previous comment about knowing that a malamute howls before you buy one, they don't actually howl very often. They do a lot of "woo-wooing". neither of these sounds is a problem for us. Nor is barking from time to time. we knew this before we even bought our first one.

its the constant whinging. This can be straight after a long walk also.

cocker5

Guineapigrescue wrote: »

An hour a day isn't enough for a Malamute, not denying they are well looked after but mentally they may be lacking some stimulation and are probably bored.

@cocker5 that may work but it's not a nice way to treat a dog and it isn't dealing with the bones of the problem there are reasons why dogs cry like this and it's usually boredom or lonleyness how would you like someone to chuck water over you everytime you complained about being bored eh.

Dogs react when they hear noises it's normal.

Dogs like beagles and malamutes are howlers it's part of their traits which is something that should be taken in to account before you get a dog like this.

Dogs are pack animals at the end of the day and some just don't like being left outside or alone for long even with another dog for company they just want their humans.

Malamutes need a lot of training and should be going somewhere on a regular bases to work or train to keep them occupied.

You need to get them working and in to cani cross they are a working breed and can become very frustrated if not kept busy.
Check out mushing.ie and sleddogsireland.com
Also check out dog training ireland for advice on humane methods of training, they don't use sprays or choke chains or anything like that.

Firstly....

you need to chill out a tad...

never said anything about chucking water in a dogs face every time its whinges from boredom.... or mistreating a dog.....serious over reaction... my dog TRAINER http://www.tagnrye.com/index.html
recommneded this to me when my dog was young as he whinged constantly ... amognst other issues we had with him...

Secondly...
we did this for about 3 days and it stopped his behaviour... never said anything about constantly squirting water in a dogs face... for the rest of his/her life...

Thirdly...
my dog trainer told us that NOT all dogs whinge for a reason.. alot of the time it can be a learned behaviour - not out of boredom, frustration etc.... just to get their own way....

People ask for advice.. what works for some wont work for others....

Take a chill pill... :eek:

toadfly

cocker5 wrote: »

Firstly....

you need to chill out a tad...

never said anything about chucking water in a dogs face every time its whinges from boredom.... or mistreating a dog.....serious over reaction... my dog TRAINER http://www.tagnrye.com/index.html
recommneded this to me when my dog was young as he whinged constantly ... amognst other issues we had with him...

Secondly...
we did this for about 3 days and it stopped his behaviour... never said anything about constantly squirting water in a dogs face... for the rest of his/her life...

People ask for advice.. what works for some wont work for others....

Take a chill pill... :eek:

Defensive much?!

I think the advice given from Guineapigrescue was spot on.

firefly1978

ill try the water approach. se what happens.

cocker5

firefly1978 wrote: »

ill try the water approach. se what happens.

Hope you have luck with it!
Let me know how you get on!!

moorecaroline

Hi there,

We have an Alaskan Malamute Kodi who howls whenever he knows we are in the house and he is outside, simply because he is a pack animal, the Malamute has always been bred to be part of a pack and so he does not like being on his own!

He was an outside dog when we moved into our new house but then he got hit by a car and was badly hurt, so we kept him in the house until he got better. Now that he has gotten used to being allowed inside, he kicks up a fuss when he knows we are here to get in! We don't allow him outside unless he is on a lead/on a chain/in his pen, if we do, he chases cows and there's no getting his attention once he starts chasing.

He still sleeps outside at night though and used to howl for a long time when we put him out in his pen at night time but now he is getting used to it and goes straight in with the help of a Bonio! We don't hear a peep until morning, but when he gets bored you'll know (hear) all about it.

The Breed is built for strength and agility and they have a lot of energy they need to use up. Kodi is taken for 4-5 mile walks every day and still is full of energy! We have started training him in the sport of Bikejoring.

I started a squidoo page on it as I didn't see much info out there on it. It's a high energy sport for all types of Dog Breed, so it should use up all his excess energy and leave him a bit more subdued afterwards!

If you would like to find out more about this sport, click on this link to learn about Alaskan Malamute Bikejoring and follow Kodi as he learns all about it!

ISDW

moorecaroline wrote: »

Hi there,

We have an Alaskan Malamute Kodi who howls whenever he knows we are in the house and he is outside, simply because he is a pack animal, the Malamute has always been bred to be part of a pack and so he does not like being on his own!

He was an outside dog when we moved into our new house but then he got hit by a car and was badly hurt, so we kept him in the house until he got better. Now that he has gotten used to being allowed inside, he kicks up a fuss when he knows we are here to get in! We don't allow him outside unless he is on a lead/on a chain/in his pen, if we do, he chases cows and there's no getting his attention once he starts chasing.

He still sleeps outside at night though and used to howl for a long time when we put him out in his pen at night time but now he is getting used to it and goes straight in with the help of a Bonio! We don't hear a peep until morning, but when he gets bored you'll know (hear) all about it.

The Breed is built for strength and agility and they have a lot of energy they need to use up. Kodi is taken for 4-5 mile walks every day and still is full of energy! We have started training him in the sport of Bikejoring.

I started a squidoo page on it as I didn't see much info out there on it. It's a high energy sport for all types of Dog Breed, so it should use up all his excess energy and leave him a bit more subdued afterwards!

If you would like to find out more about this sport, click on this link to learn about Alaskan Malamute Bikejoring and follow Kodi as he learns all about it!

There are a couple of clubs in Ireland that do bikejoring, including the one that I'm a member of, Tails 'n' Trails, just google it, you'll find the site and maybe you and Kodi could come along to some meets and go out with other people:D

moorecaroline

Sounds good, it's definitely something we want to do in the future, just have a bit of training to do before hand!

Where do ye meet up?

ISDW

moorecaroline wrote: »

Sounds good, it's definitely something we want to do in the future, just have a bit of training to do before hand!

Where do ye meet up?

All over the country, next meet is in Galway, weekend of 27th/28th November, we try to move it around, as we have members from all over.

moorecaroline

Ok thanks for letting me know, will look into it!