# 2 Q's - Barking & Whining 5 month old GSD



## King1122 (Jun 30, 2014)

Havok is 5 months old. He has learned to bark quite well and also whines at times. First let me clarify that I know he is a GSD and they do these 2 things very well.  

1) Teaching quiet - we struggle oh so badly here. We have tried a few different ways and all have ended up having the same non result. Havok has gotten to the point that he barks more often than needed when he hears or sees anything. We live on a military base and there are always people, kids and pets around also wildlife such as large birds, rabbits and so on. I love his bark and also the fact that he alerts us to things. I just need to teach him to stop after a few barks when I tell him I have the situation under control and no longer need him to bark. 

2) Whining - I'm thinking its a sign of slight separation anxiety? He really only whines when we leave the room (or the house). It doesn't last long maybe 10-30 seconds, but it does occur 95% of the time. For example if I go up stairs (there is a gate blocking the stairway) he will whine at the steps, use the restroom he whines at the door, or leave the house and he will whine when you leave. My husband comes and goes constantly throughout the day, so it occurs often. I don't work outside the home, so he has me home most of the time. He is crate trained and does not whine in his crate. He doesn't freak out when we leave just wishes he was with us I think. 

I consider myself very fortunate that these are my 2 biggest issues at the moment. He was potty trained immediately. He knows sit, down, up, shake, roll over, stay, wait, speak, leave it and touch (his nose to your hand on command). He walks at a heel perfectly. We have spent a good amount of time on training him and spending quality time with him and the results are amazing. He is a great dog at only 5 months old! He loves people and other animals, yet he has protective instincts and is very loyal. He is great at the dog park and dog beach. We continue to train and socialize him. Next stop is finding him a hobby (job). We are leaning toward scent / nose work.

So any advice or tips for us in these 2 small issues for us would be greatly appreciated. TIA!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuVRODZ2_ZM&list=UUd5_HmcbfQFnKDGd1dFi0Nw


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## Lilo_vom_Haus_Weislogel (Oct 26, 2014)

Leave the room for 1 second and come back while gradually increasing your time away. Each time he does good you reward him with a treat until he stops whining when you leave. You'll want to increase the time away from him very slowly. He needs to associate you leaving and him being quite with a positive reward. The other thing you can do is if he knows the 'stay' command you can make him stay in one room, leave and come back while also increase the amount of time he is alone.


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## Moriah (May 20, 2014)

You mentioned nose work as a hobby. Nosework helps boost a dog's confidence, while it is crazy fun for them. 

Dogs with advanced obedience titles will drag their handlers across the parking lot crying and barking to get to class. So my guy whines the most--not at home, but at class--in his crate in the truck waiting for his turn to search. 

So be prepared for whining. The two GSDs give a concert in the parking lot. The princess doberman doesn't whine, she barks when she gets in the building and then beautifully cantors around and around on her first search as she is sooooo glad to be at class!

Anyway, I really recommend nose work--it's a fantastic confidence builder and the handler has so much fun watching the dog work and have fun.


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## King1122 (Jun 30, 2014)

Thank you for your input.

Lilo - I think that is a great idea and we will try as you suggested. He learns quickly and knows the stay command, so I think we will have great success with this method.

Moriah - It is nice to hear that you enjoy nose work so much. We are very interested in finding a place to start nose work. We are just starting to look for some trainers and classes around us. I think Havok would enjoy it so much. I notice as he gets older he is using his nose much more.


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