Dog Whining

Wexy86

Hi All

Looking for some help on trying to reduce/stop my dog whining. When he(terrier cross) wants to go for a walk be whines and stares at me. After a few mins then he jumps up on me and starts grabbing at my hands.

I've allowed this routine to happen for over a year and within 5 mins of the whine up we get and go for a walk regardless of time/weather. He gets walked a minimum two/three times a day and usually one of those is a beach run so i think it's more habit than a need for the walk. It's all well and good now as I can jump up and go but with a baby on the way it won't be so easy when the baby arrives if hubby isn't here.

Said I'd start the ignore method this morn and when he stops he will get good treats then we can go for a walk as his other reward - an hour later he was still going and it broke my heart so off to the beach we went. Any other suggestions or should I keep going with the ignore method?

muddypaws

Do you ever decide when you go for a walk, or is always only when he indicates he wants to go? If you go out for a walk before he starts the whining, then hopefully he won't feel the need to ask to go. I would do that, and then ignore the whining if he does it in between the walks that you take him on.

Wexy86

muddypaws wrote: »

Do you ever decide when you go for a walk, or is always only when he indicates he wants to go?.

Majority of the time I decide and as per our routine. I walk him before I go to work and then he's at my sisters with her dog and her for the day, normally they go on a walk/beach run after lunch. Then when he's home in the evening it was around half 7 but with the change it the .venings more 8/8.30 now. I follow the same times when not in work.

Latatian

How about whenever he whines you talk normally to him and put him in another room?

Or else you just sternly tell him 'no' and ignore him. When he gets fed up and goes and lies down, go over and praise him and give him attention. Pick a signal that means 'walk' and do it once the dog is lying down, fed up, not paying attention, run and grab the lead. So that he cops that when he's quiet, that's when the walk happens. Hopefully.

I have one dog who I let away with murder on this and she will stare and growl or bark at you- while wagging her whole body and making happy faces (she's about 15, gentlest soul alive, and falls over when she barks), much like your whining.

The other will sit and be quiet because she knows that's how she gets a walk. If you don't notice how quietly she's sitting she will stand up and do it again, very deliberately. If that doesn't work she'll 'flop' so that you notice she's lying down quietly. Hey, better than whining, right, which is what she used to do? But it really outlined for me how much they were responding to what 'worked'. They will do what gets them what they want.

You have to make it so that when the dog does what you want it to do- whatever that is, pick something to replace 'whining', some kind of behaviour it will do so that you can reward it- it gets the walk and attention then.

Prinks

I have two (large) chihuahas, and one of them is very bossy. She used to drive me crazy when I'd take them for a walk - when I got out of the car, before I could open the door to let them out she'd bark and shriek non-stop. A tip I saw on some dog-programme has finally worked - the second she'd start barking I'd turn my back and fold my arms, not turn around until it was about 10 seconds since she'd barked. She's gradually improved.

She was troublesome when I'd let them into the garden as well - instead of running around sniffing and peeing, she'd just stand and shriek at the windows of the house next door, where there's a dog. As soon as she'd start to bark I'd bring her in, and keep her inside for 20 to 30 seconds. It's important to never relent and just let the barking continue.

At the moment you're rewarding the whining, by doing what he wants.

Hoboo

Sounds to me he needs to go for a wee, not a walk!

Prinks

That's a good point, Hoboo. Hadn't occurred to me. How often is he being let out to pee I wonder? I rarely let more than two hours go by without letting them into the garden to pee.

Wexy86

Thanks guys - going to try your way Latatian and see what happens. The whining wouldn't be daily or anything so it'll be a while before I know the success rate

Oh I know Prinks about rewarding him, it's a bad little habit that I encouraged by jumping up when the noise started!

I have a dog door/plexin glass thing that leads into the back garden which he uses so I don't think it's for toilet needs.