# My baby whines all the time!!!



## nanadoo45 (Oct 24, 2008)

Maybe someone here can help me. I recently got an adorable German Shepard puppy we named Lucy, and when we got her we were told that she was 8 weeks old. We found out later that she was only 5 weeks old and the people just didn't want to deal with the puppys anymore so they sold them early. She's 11 weeks old now, and we love her to death, but she has one problem that we can't seem to find a solution to. She whines ALL the time!!! We feed her, give her water, take her outside for potty and excersise time...and she whines. She sleeps, then wakes up...and whines. For some reason she whines more when I'm around (which I don't understand), and sometimes it's so loud that she sounds like she's in pain. We've had her checked out, and there isn't anything physically wrong with her, so we can't figure out what it is. She wakes up several times during the night and whines, and it's causing us to lose a lot of sleep. We love her to death, and want what's best for her....but we can't figure out how to break her of this. Any suggestions? Is this typical of a Shepard pup? Could it be some kind of seperation thing from being taken away so young? And if so, what can we do to counteract that? We need help!!!!!!!


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## Nikkoli110 (Sep 9, 2008)

Both our dogs do that, the older just has always whined, just sometimes when she wants attention, other times in the night she does, almost seems like she's asking "anyone awake?" We'll "shhh" her and she stops and goes back to sleep. In the night maybe she's trying to get attention? Do you let her out when she whines? Our new pup whines alot, too. Matter of fact, he's whining right now by my desk. He'll do it whenever, usually when he wakes up and whines during the night we'll let him out and he'll go right back to bed. But I've noticed that both whine a real lot. I've just gotten used to it as their normal habits.


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## nanadoo45 (Oct 24, 2008)

oh no...so this is something I just have to learn to live with??? LOL I was hoping that it was something fixable...
We do let her out when she whines...she's real good about whining at the door when she needs to go out. But she'll whine when we are sitting there petting her, so I'm not sure it's a need for attention. She's pretty spoiled already and gets lots of love. Unfortunately, she doesn't "shush" well...might be cuz she's so young. Hopefully that changes with time?


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

What do you do when she whines? Does she get attention? Then she is being rewarded for whining, and it will only make it worse. 

Ignore her whining. Get her on a schedule for eating and going out on potty breaks, so you know that her whinning isn't her being hungry or needing to go out. 

Ignore her COMPLETELY when she whines. Don't look at her, don't talk to her, act like she doesn't exist. 

Now, whenever she is quiet, give her LOTS of attention! She is lying down quietly playing with a toy? Good girl Lucy!!!! Pet her, play with her, give her treats!!! She starts to whine, you suddenly stop and turn away and ignore her. She quiets down in confusion, you turn back to her and continue on playing and talking to her.

At first, the whining will escalate as she will continue to try and get your attention the only way she knows how, but you will have to tough it out and be very consistent to NOT give in to these demands of attention.

Now, given that she is only 11 weeks, she is still a tiny baby that will need a lot of attention from you, so be alert to her "quiet" moments to give her the attention she needs. I wouldn't advocate ignoring a puppy for several days because all she does is whine!


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## nanadoo45 (Oct 24, 2008)

thank you..i will definately try that! i would NEVER ignore her for long...love her too much!!!


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## StephenV (Jan 16, 2006)

Does she have a stuffed toy or some other security blanket she can deflect some of her anxiety on? My adult GSD absolutely loves a particular stuffed toy. She works all of her frustration out on it, and carries it from room to room whining as she goes...
She whines when she is impatient or can't get what she wants. Or when the cat is sleeping in her bed. Or if daddy is putting on his dog walking shoes. So I would say some extra whining is going to be normal because it is a GSD thing. But when she is just being overdramatic and I've had enough I will give her a command to do something - like sit or lay down, and presto, it stops. it seems to help her focus. 
But I do think your problem is a puppy/premature separation thing. I think 5 weeks is too early to separate a pup. Have you tried putting a loud ticking clock beside your pup's bed? The rhythmic sound will sometimes comfort them/keep them quiet (it has worked for me in the past with a nervous pup). Maybe someone can give more specific advice on this.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

http://www.petstages.com/dogs/soothing/heartbeat-pillow.html
I saw this in dog fancy and it is a heartbeat pillow! Your pup may be too old, but it may be just the thing for new puppy owners. Onyx is a whiner too, some dogs just talk more than others and it will develop into actual talk as your pup matures. My other gsd, Kacie only whines very softly when she really wants something.


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## New pup mom (Apr 7, 2020)

Castlemaid said:


> What do you do when she whines? Does she get attention? Then she is being rewarded for whining, and it will only make it worse.
> 
> Ignore her whining. Get her on a schedule for eating and going out on potty breaks, so you know that her whinning isn't her being hungry or needing to go out.
> 
> ...


Thanks mines is 8 weeks and whines, then everyone comes out


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## tim_s_adams (Aug 9, 2017)

Sleep with your puppy. She needs close proximity to feel safe!


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## srfotog (Jun 13, 2012)

Castlemaid said:


> What do you do when she whines? Does she get attention? Then she is being rewarded for whining, and it will only make it worse.
> 
> Ignore her whining. Get her on a schedule for eating and going out on potty breaks, so you know that her whinning isn't her being hungry or needing to go out.
> 
> ...


I think she may be suffering for being taken so early from her mother and littermates. It will probably go away as she matures, but this post about ignoring her during the actual whining is correct. You have to ignore it and give her tons of love and attention when she is quiet.


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