# Whining drives me crazy



## luke4275 (May 23, 2011)

My male pup is almost 9 months old.. neutered 3 months ago. It seems that I got stuck with a vocal dog. I didnt know vocal sheps exist, but yes they do. Is there ever a fix? Here is wht happens. I put him in his crate at 11-12at nite and he is fine in there. Sometimes, he'll go in the crate just because,, not often but enought so I know he's crate cool. Every morning, like clockwork, he starts to whine, stretch and sigh, just make a so much noise, that it wakes me and I cannot sleep. So, I get up and take him out, feed him and off to doggy day care, and once in a while, back into the crate after potty and eat and drink. He also makes a ton of noise when he chases the cat around the house.. when the cat climbs onto the cattree, he whines in frustration, as he will also do if he wants to get into a room that is closed. the only time he is quiet is when he is sleeping. I love this dog and hate him as well. I dont think there is any fix. I was told to just get up before he starts to make his noises, etc, But I won't do that. The cat is a bit of a tease as well. he loves the dog, but will tease him as well. My dog trainer calls the cat stressor. This pup is also high energy. Even after 6 months of going in the car every day to doggy day care, he drools and vomits once in a while. He isnt a nervous type dog, except for rides in the car. I did intro the car well, with treats etc, but what can I say. The car is not a big deal. I just wish he would let me sleep for a few more hours. My house is small enough where I can hear him in any room. And he cannot be left out of the crate at nite. Left alone, he'll counter surf, garbage surf, chew on the wall edges, etc, so he is never left out of my sight for more that a minute or less. Any ideas? He is a very sweet dog, and gets along very well with other dogs so this is a big plus.


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## Narny (Sep 8, 2010)

Maybe move the crate into your room. If its a proximity thing it could help.

As far as the doors go, from what I read he will figure that out in short time. He will be able to open any door in the house he wants to... probably including his crate.

The others, well... you have a puppy. Hes just doing what puppies do. It wont last forever though, around 18 months to two years he will be all DOG. 

HTH


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## luke4275 (May 23, 2011)

*whining*

I forgot to ad, that I always wanted to keep him in his crate in my bedroom. but that would require locking the cat out of the room bec the cat would just stress the dog and want to play. If I kept the cat out of the room , he;d just try to slip his paws under the door to enter and if I put him in another room, he;d cry. I know he'd settle, but the cat , a bengal, was here first and I;m not locking the cat up . I'm pretty sure the whining in the crate , even if in the bedroom, would continue. I tried a few days of out of crate in my bedroom, but he;d whine to get out and scratch at the door. so no go.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

So he's just whining in the mornings? What time?


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## luke4275 (May 23, 2011)

*whining*

He is a vocal whiner when he's not eating, sleeping or playing.. What disturbs me is his 7am-7:30 am crate whining. I know that being in the crate overnight from 11-11:30pm to 7-7:30 is a decent amount of time, I know that he can hold it without a problem bec he;s never had an accident. Many months ago, when he had diarrhea for a week or two, he'd paw at the crate so I knew there was a problem. this is just vocal to get out.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

If it makes you feel better, 11-7 or so is about as long as my 15-month old can be quiet. He sleeps loose in the bedroom but around 7, 7:30 am he gets up, heaves a deep sigh, FLOPS on the bed, heaves another deep dramatic sigh, goes and gets himself a drink, snuffles my face, sticks his nose under the covers, and generally makes himself a nuisance. 

The adolescent dogs I've fostered were the same way. They can hold their bladders that long, I just think it's the longest they can sit still. 

It's like when you were a kid, or at least I did this, I'd get up before my parents and go watch Saturday morning cartoons at like 6 or 7am. 

I just get up and then take a nap later in the day. Sorry I don't know how to fix it, but I wanted you to know it's not uncommon.


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## Verivus (Nov 7, 2010)

Does he have to be crated while he sleeps? Mine slept outside of his crate since 5 months old and he does fine; no whining whatsoever during the night.


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## atoz (Feb 26, 2012)

would beating the dog would help?


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## jakes mom (Feb 29, 2012)

How would beating the dog help?


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

the dog is whining in am because he needs to go
out. get up, take him out, train, feed, crate, go
back to bed. your dog is tearing things up in the
house and garage because he's not house broken.
you have to watch them closely when they're not
crated. when he's out of the crate take that time
to teach him how to behave when in the house.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

no, you beat yourself for not taking proper care of the dog.



atoz said:


> would beating the dog would help?


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

My dog is very vocal also but I've learned to get used to it because its what she does. She is most vocal during play time and if one of the other dogs has a toy she wants. I find it kind of cute that she is smart enough to "talk" If she's whining in her crate(which is not often because she's out most of the time) it means either she has to go out or she is bored. I have 5 cats that have free roam of the house and for the first week that the dog slept in my room(without a crate) it was a free for all. I also have a rabbit in a cage in my room I'm watching which adds to the excitement. She chewed a small piece of under the bed because after the first day I put her toys away because she chose to play with all the squeaky ones at night, my fault and the toys came back out--now she has nyla bones to chew at night. I put up a gate and the cats leave if they feel uncomfortable. Its been about two months now and I've woken up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and I catch them sleeping with her. They just have to learn and as the humans we have to teach them. Yes you might lose some sleep, but it always gets better. Once my alarm goes off there is no hitting the snooze, I have a german shepherd on the bed, staring at me, and pawing me if I don't move fast enough..Yes that is the start of my day


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Item 1-I would never have allowed the cat chasing game to get started. House Rules / Outside Rules. It is likely one day you will have a dead cat - dog not being mean just getting ramped up - plus he should learn to be calm inside the house.

Item 2- It actually *does* work to ignore the whining and reward the good behavior. Honest I did not believe it but it takes patience and time. All my dogs KNOW that until I slug down a cup of coffee nothing is going to happen. But my cup of coffee is at 630 am, even though I go to bed about 11-1130....however they know the ritual well enough that I can go over, but it is not fair to them to do that often.

Item 3-I have never done doggie day care. Do they run around and play all day? Obedience? What things are you doing with him to keep him calm and focused in the house? What things do you do with him in general? Rituals etc.


I have an 8 month old who is still a bit wild in the house. I could have done better but had two others getting much more of my attention at the time (surgeries, sickness) and he got shortchanged on manners training inside as we were focusing on play and training outside......so now ......I have to invest time every day in house manners. Mine is a high drive working dog with an abundance of energy but they can learn where to place their antsy ness. I imagine he is just ramped up about the day and his routine.

------

FWIW paying ANY attention to the whining, Even reprimanding the dog is only reinforcing it. You must IGNORE it and pay attention to him, have fun only when he is good!


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## Jo_in_TX (Feb 14, 2012)

You know, just because he can "hold it" until 7:30 or later doesn't mean that it's comfortable to do so.

Kinda' like me in the car on a road trip - when I gotta' go I gotta' go, and hubby is going to hear about it. 

Good luck!


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## Sevastra (Mar 19, 2012)

My pup is very vocal as well during play and talking back to me when I'm talking to him. He goes in his crate anywhere from 11 to 11:30 at night sometimes though its rare at 12:00. But hes out by 6:30 in the morning, the lastest maybe 7:00. He's almost 6 months now but I can't expect him to stay in there any longer though he does excellent in his crate, like i said he is very vocal but no whinning when he goes in and no whinning in the morning, but i know he is up cause i can hear him playing with his toys in there. Is your pup getting enough excerise so that he's tired by the time he is ready for bed? Maybe you just have a dog that can't be still for that long of a time.


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## PupperLove (Apr 10, 2010)

Jackson is very vocal too. It is very annoying- at times it just makes me cringe. There's really not much you can do about it other than NOT giving into the whine. It's really hard and sometimes you need to let it go on for a while. If he whines and you give him what he wants, he now knows how to get your attention...by making lots of noise.

Jackson used to sit at the door and scream and whine like he wsa in pain because he was excited to go outside. I make him sit and DO NOT open the door until he is quiet. He has gotten much better but it takes a very long time- at least it has for us. 

He whines when I prepare his meals, he whines when he knows I am letting him out of his crate. I pause midway until he stops and sometimes we are sitting there for 5 minutes. Sometimes it takes a half hour to get him out of his crate. When he whines as I'm approaching I tell him quiet, and if he makes noise I turn around and try again in 30 seconds. And repeat, and repeat, and repeat. What's funny is he is now pretty much quiet for me, and when my husband is home on the weekends, he's making all sorts of screaming/whining noises because he knows 'dad' gives in right away. They're smart animals.


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## chelle (Feb 1, 2009)

luke4275 said:


> My male pup is almost 9 months old.. neutered 3 months ago. It seems that I got stuck with a vocal dog. I didnt know vocal sheps exist, but yes they do. Is there ever a fix? Here is wht happens. I put him in his crate at 11-12at nite and he is fine in there. Sometimes, he'll go in the crate just because,, not often but enought so I know he's crate cool. Every morning, like clockwork, he starts to whine, stretch and sigh, just make a so much noise, that it wakes me and I cannot sleep. So, I get up and take him out, feed him and *off to doggy day care*, and once in a while, back into the crate after potty and eat and drink. He also makes a ton of noise when he chases the cat around the house.. when the cat climbs onto the cattree, he whines in frustration, as he will also do if he wants to get into a room that is closed. the only time he is quiet is when he is sleeping. *I love this dog and hate him as well*. *I dont think there is any fix*. I was told to just get up before he starts to make his noises, etc, But I won't do that. The cat is a bit of a tease as well. he loves the dog, but will tease him as well. My dog trainer calls the cat stressor. This pup is also high energy. Even after 6 months of going in the car every day to doggy day care, he drools and vomits once in a while. He isnt a nervous type dog, except for rides in the car. I did intro the car well, with treats etc, but what can I say. The car is not a big deal. I just wish he would let me sleep for a few more hours. My house is small enough where I can hear him in any room. And he cannot be left out of the crate at nite. Left alone, he'll counter surf, garbage surf, chew on the wall edges, etc, so he is never left out of my sight for more that a minute or less. Any ideas? He is a very sweet dog, and gets along very well with other dogs so this is a big plus.


Bailey is whiny and demanding when he hasn't gotten enough mental and physical exercise. You didn't say what you're doing on those accounts and it might be a big reason why the pup is behaving this way. Boredom, lack of stimulation, lack of exercise. If doggy daycare is the only outlet for him, it is no wonder he is behaving this way. 

I'm so very sorry you are feeling hatred for your dog. Also very sorry you think there is no fix. There is a fix for everything, and what you can't fix, you can manage if you try hard enough.


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## GSDMUM (Aug 18, 2011)

Mine wakes me up with heavy sighs and some small moans just telling me she has to go out. I do that, feed them, let them out again, play a while and go back for a nap later on.
My other GSD, who passed last year, was a whiner but it only started when she was getting old and was probably feeling uncomfortable. She would whine and and be horrible in a car. My pup, Cheyenne is doing well in a car, so far no whining.


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## Holmeshx2 (Apr 25, 2010)

Honestly it's been like 8 hours I'm pretty sure he's just ready to wake up... no different then a kid. I know when Jinx used to be in a crate she would whine and after she was quiet I would open it to let her out and she would just go to the living room and grab a toy she was just ready to wake up and start her day. Even now that she is out of her crate she does the same thing. She will not leave the room without us even though she has full access to the house. She will wake me up so we can go out to the living room where her toys are and allow her to start her day (toys are not allowed in the bedroom) I don't mean to sound rude at all but you're getting 8 hours I honestly think you should just get up and start the day spend time bonding with your dog. I feel really bad you have hatred towards your dog maybe spending time training, playing and just bonding will allow you to enjoy him and learn to love him for him. My girl is very vocal, throws temper tantrums etc... and while I may sigh during those moments and wait for her to finish before doing anything I have never had a moment of hatred. When I was beyond swamped with a new job and working almost 24/7 when I wasn't at work I had to do training at home and my husband was deployed I had a few melt downs. Jinx was pushing me to play with her and while I knew I should I just didn't have a spare moment until finally I snapped and yelled at her then felt awful so got on the floor held her for a few minutes just loving on her then grabbed her back pack, loaded her in the car and took her to the woods to hike off leash. I was hiking in the woods as it was getting dark with flash light in hand and my 9 pages of material I needed to learn word for word by the next day tripped a few times but it gave her an outlet and while I wasn't 100% focused on my work or her it was enough of a compromise to make the situation work.

When your dog wants in a room he can't be in and starts whining call him to you.. throw a ball, play tug do something to side track him. Have you done any "leave it" work with him? Perfect thing for this situation.

As for the morning thing start getting up with him and spend time with him, play, train something just get up and spend some bonding time then on days where you really need that extra hour or 2 wake up let him out to potty then give him something like a bone or frozen Kong stuffed with something extra yummy and put him back in his crate with it for a bit of quiet time so you can lay back down. Since it's the same time almost every day I'm sure it's just him being ready to wake up and start his day.

I know you didn't ask but I have a girl who gets super drooly and car sick. As a puppy it's an inner ear thing and takes a few weeks for it to balance out but then the dog gets anxious because he knows every time he gets in the car he doesn't feel good so then their nerves work them up anticipating feeling sick so then they get themselves sick just from being so worked up by the thought of it. For longer car trips Dramamine worked amazing. Ginger capsules help settle their belly along with some ginger snap cookies. It sucked but I even took her crate out and put it in the car at every meal and had her eat in the car trying to get her better. We gave her a small dose of Dramamine for a few short trips and she never got drooly or anything then after a few car trips of her not feeling bad she was calm and no longer needed anything and didn't drool anymore. However a few weeks ago we got her Rabies shot done and she ended up getting sick in the car on the way home and now she's back to getting drooly and the occasional vomiting incident as well. It's a bit of a pain and I feel bad for her but we just need to step back and work her back up to being good. She's not a nervous dog either but the car gets to her and it's just a work in progress because its a mind game.

I really look forward to hearing your day with your dog because I think you need more bonding time to get rid of the bad feelings with your dog.


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## Missourigsds (Feb 23, 2012)

I think a lot of others have offered guidance to your concerns but just a few things to keep in mind.

1. Shepherds being vocal- I'm not an expert but based on my experience with my own and some others..umm..yeah. Duke is super vocal. Other shepherds I've met can be vocal. Like all dogs I'm sure there are differences throughout the breed but in my experience shepherds can emit an amazing range of vocalization noises. This includes an incredibly high pitched whine through the nose. How to respond to the vocalization really depends on the circumstances around it. I would ignore many vocalizations so to not reinforce that behavior, but I wouldn't ignore a few. For a 9 month old puppy my guess is there is a strong desire to go potty after 8 hours. That seems pretty reasonable to me.

2. Cat chasing- all things in context but this is something I'd really watch. The cat can be a member of your pack and I'm sure you have a fantastic dog. However, just keep in mind as smart as our wonderful furry friends are that he or she is a dog. Some can get worked up and one day go into overdrive in chasing a smaller animal. This includes other small dogs or cats. If this happens with a family pet you could end up with a very sad situation. 

3. Inappropriate behavior out of the crate- it sounds like you are doing some things to manage this. For example, using the crate to help prevent inappropriate behavior. Also, dog daycare is both good and bad. More good I think as it helps make for a tired dog. However, my experience is after dog day care sometimes my GSD can be more, well, doggy. In other words you have to set boundaries that the behavior at daycare isn't the same behavior we have at home. You mention counter surfing and chewing. Are these the two primary behavior issues? How much have you worked with the cat and the dog in the room at night? Other than dog daycare how much training and exercise is your dog getting? 

Ultimately it sounds like you have a significant issue with a problem called- having a puppy.  Shepherds get so big so fast it is hard to remember sometimes that they are still puppies until the 2 to 2.5 year mark. I know it can be super tough but it does get better over time with proper management.


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## WendyDsMom (Nov 18, 2011)

Funny.... My two previous German Shepherds, Kayla and Trigger were like 2 Chewbakas in the kitchen when I cooked, packed the picnic backpack, loaded the camelbacks with water.. etc etc that meant we were going on a HIKE!

They did the Chewbaka sounds when we pulled up to a hike area, dog park, lake, wooded area or friends house.

Almost every GSD I have owned since I was a little kid has been vocal in some way. You just have to get used to it.

Whining you just have to ignore and it will go away.

Wendy is the most quiet GSD I have ever seen. Unless it's a bark, she is quiet. 

She does chase cats, we are working on it - but if the cats insist on running, she will chase to play, luckily it's only play.


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## TrickyShepherd (Aug 15, 2011)

I've never actually met a non-vocal GSD.....

Both of mine are extremely vocal! But, they know my boundaries. When I say enough... they know I'm over it. Zira whines over everything... letting her out of the crate, in the car, during training, getting attention, inside the house when she hears something or when I'm cooking... etc. She can not hold her excitement in at all! Duke is a little better contained, but still whines up a storm every day. From what I've noticed is, it's a GSD thing, and even more so.. a puppy thing! Some are just more vocal then others. No way to fix that... just ignore it. Calms down a little when they get older.

However, in the crate, mine are well behaved and quiet. I put them to bed around 10:30-12am and we are up (they are let out first once we get up) 7:30-9am depending on my work schedule. Some days I work nights, and I am NOT getting up at 7-8am.... They know this, and sleep nicely until I am up at 9-10am. I've never had an issue with them. So I really doubt your puppy is waking up to go potty, he just wants to get up and out of his crate (like a child would want to get up and out of their room). You gave into that, and now he has you trained. 11-7 shouldn't be a big deal for most healthy dogs... even at 6months Z slept longer then that.

I got the two of them up at 7am this morning because of their vet appointment.... both were still sleeping and actually did NOT want to get up and go outside. They both looked at me like "...do you see the time?!?! No way!". They went to bed at 11:30pm last night.

I think you may need to just ignore him when he whines (and you know there's not reason for it.... potty, been in there too long, or anything else)... then when he's behaving and quiet.. praise him. When Z was a pup, I would put her in her kennel for 5-10 minutes at a time, if she was quiet she got her toy and praise. Maybe try that with him? Start off slow with just a minute or less and work up from there. Soon, he'll learn your routine and settle down. Just keep it the same everyday, and he'll get it.


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