Whiney Puppy

jenjo23

Hi,

Hope you can help...I have a really whiney puppy.

He cries and whines whenever he doesn't get what he wants.

Was at my puppy class last nite and he was going beserk because other puppies were getting ham when being trained and he wanted more....none of the other puppies reacted as badly as him.

When we went to the vets, he wanted to get down (couldn't cos he was there to vaccs) and wriggled and squirmed and cried to try and get down....it's really embarrassing....because I never see other puppies doing this!!

Is this normal.....how do I stop him doing it....gonna speak to the trainer at next weeks class but was just wondering did anyone have any advice?

Thanks

peasant

Don't give in to it.

You've probalby done it too many times already and he's learned that whingeing gets the result eventually.

I'll be a tough few days ...but just don't give / get him anything as long as he acts up.

Discostuy

I hear that ham is pretty bad for dogs too

jenjo23

The veterinary nurse gave it to them......I'm sure she wouldn't if it was bad for them

jenjo23

Thanks Peasent.....we do ignore him but he is so persistant

We'll just have to keep it up!

The vet told me he is a very confident and dominant dog so this prob has something to do with it, he just wants what he wants.

Pheonix Ski

sounds like a typical male to me

gversey

Discostuy wrote: »

I hear that ham is pretty bad for dogs too

Ham is usually too salty for dogs.

luckat

He has trained you to respond to whining with attention and treats.

The solution is to train an alternative behaviour. If he whines for food, train him to lie quietly by your chair when you're eating. If he whines for petting, train him to sit quietly - and so on.

Ham isn't good for dogs, but if he's crazy about it, it's ok as an *occasional* treat. Dogs don't have sweat glands, so salt isn't good for them - they can't sweat it out, and it goes straight to their poor kidneys.

Whatever you do, don't let him whine and whine until you eventually sigh and give him what he wants. This trains him to whine persistently.

Ruby-J

Pheonix Ski wrote: »

sounds like a typical male to me

lmao!

Lolalane

what food are you feeding him?? certain brands are like fast food and can make your dog hyper.

kerrysgold

Don't reward his whingeing with food or whatever, just ignore him until he is calm. another thing that seems to work is getting them to work for a treat/attention, I've started doing this with my dog who can be a bit hyper sometimes like I'll ignore him until he calms down and sits and then I'll give him plenty of fuss etc.

Agree with Lolalane as well, a lot of foods have additives that aren't healthy and I suppose it's like feeding sweets to a kid it makes them hyper. you should avoid supermarket brands like bakers and pedigree and tinned foods and feed a natural type of food like something from the vets such as hills or maybe food like Husse or you could do home-cooked food for him. (buy your own meat etc for him)

also make sure he gets plenty of exercise when he is old enough, most dogs need at least an hour a day preferably more depending on his activity level.

jenjo23

At the moment I am weaning him of his special diet food the vet put him on (ID) onto Red Mills Leader puppy food.......I knew that about the pedigree etc....I did do my research before I got the puppy.

He doesn't get treats or get picked up when he whines....he gets completely ignored but still does it.

The real problem is when I bring him to the vet for example....he's not allowed on the floor cos he doesn't have all his shots....so he goes nuts crying and squirming and making a show of me.....don't know how to stop him doing it....can't ignore him because I have to hold onto him?

Lauragoesmad

I know this sounds stupid but if you copy him it might make him stop. (Obviously when at home and not in the vets.:D)
If you whine when he whines it might confuse him into stopping. I'm sure he won't want to listen to you whining as much as you don't want to listen to him. Just a thought. Have never tried it before though so I can't guarantee it will work.

jenjo23

Lauragoesmad wrote: »

I know this sounds stupid but if you copy him it might make him stop. (Obviously when at home and not in the vets.:D)
If you whine when he whines it might confuse him into stopping. I'm sure he won't want to listen to you whining as much as you don't want to listen to him. Just a thought. Have never tried it before though so I can't guarantee it will work.

haha....I like this idea! Think I'll try it.

Intothesea

Hello there. It sounds as if you picked the cream
of the litter! First-born (or first incidence of certain
sex) pups tend to have stronger wills, and the result
can be an apparently unresponsive dog (I speak from
weary experience ) You don't say what age your pup
is but generally simple basic and specific training would
be a good idea as early as you can possibly do it
(beyond 10 weeks isn't a bad time to start).

To induce an independently-minded pup to pay heed
to you, a little trick I'd use is to make every meal-time
a learning experience. Feed by hand, a few pieces (if
dry) of food at a time. You can teach a simple command
(i.e. sit), and have the pup sit for you for every handful.
This will set the tone for you. You can hold your hand
closed above his head, and only lower it and open the
hand (under his nose) when all paws are on the ground,
and all eyes are on you. If the food is wet you can use
a similar approach with portions of it placed into the bowl.

Another useful practice is to walk around the house
/garden handing out parts of the feed randomly
calling his name. Food is given when he runs to you,
looking interested. This is great training for adult
'recall' ('come here'), and focuses the stronger pup
mind on following/listening to you.

For the whining I would turn my back directly to the
pup. All dogs fear this (losing positive contact with the
pack), and have no problems understanding this signal.

The advice given already will help you throughout the
interesting puppy months; never giving into whining,
and training for the responses you want to see is
the only way to have it as you want. Best of luck

Sigma Force

Also since you go to puppy classes talk to the person running it you are paying for the class I presume so do talk and ask their advice.

Ham is not going to do any harm in tiny portions when training usually training tidbits are tiny just to encourage the dog. Owners could always take their own food like chicken or whatever if they aren't happy with the ham.