Help with Buffy's whining, and whining, and whining ...

[Miss Meow]

Hello

Buffy thinks that whining, interspersed with the occasional bark, is the way to get attention when she wants to come in from outside, when she wants to be let out of their room, when she's not getting enough attention etc.

We have never given in to this, and have ignored the whining, but now she's up to half an hour and it's about to drive me mad! Any advice?

With the 'let me out of my room' whining in the mornings, we have been getting up quietly and calling the dogs, so she doesn't have a chance to whine, but the 'I want to come inside now' whine is a little tougher to crack :) She's a very strong willed young lady, just like her mother (except for the young bit ;))

Thanks :)

[lizbud]

Hummm, sounds like a case for Carrie to me. :)

Really, she's the one who can tell you not only the reasons
why dogs do what they do, she can also tell you how to modify
behavior in the pooch. In other words, I havent a clue, but agree
it must be maddening. I never had a dog that whined ,unless in
obvious pain. Good luck with this.

[Cincy'sMom]

I think you re doing right by ignoring the whining.


Does she do this mostly at bedtime, or during the day?

If it is daytime, the only thing I can think to try is when she stops and is quiet, go in praise her, giver her treats/attention whatever. Start slow...like when she has been quiet for 5 minutes. Increase the time she has to be quiet before she gets rewarded.

Also, make sure they have something to keep them occupied. Kong with Peanut Butter are great for this!

Sadie was a real whiner at night time...It took quite some time before she would sleep all night without attention when we first got her and were house breaking her (course I didn't help by always checking on her, seeing if she had to go potty. :) )

Good luck!

[Miss Meow]

Thank you :) I completely forgot to check this thread!

I think the whining started as a pup as she was tiny and not strong enough to compete for milk. She was bottle fed for a while, and I think her whine was the call to her human to warm up some formula and give her a cuddle :)

Amy, they are great at night. They jump right into their bed and we don't hear them until morning. It starts as soon as they hear us getting up, so we will try the treats and start slowly again like you suggested :) Apart from that, they're great little things (apart from raiding the litter box for kitty nuggets when we're not watching - EWWWW! )

[jenfer]

Nicole, I can feel your pain about the whining. I think ignoring her is a good thing, how about her brother? Sounds like he is doing great. ;) Now I have my own problem, go see it (http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=41646) ... sigh... :(

[petlover]

I don't have any advice really...:( But I do have something to say that you already know:p .. Just don't give in, it will only get worse if you do.:)