Learned Whine

[Naj]

Just make sure that you never reward it - ie. only send for a retrieve or release him when he is perfectly calm, settled & quiet.

Naj

[James]

Just make sure that you never reward it - ie. only send for a retrieve or release him when he is perfectly calm, settled & quiet.

Naj

This is about as much as you can do IMO, once the whine is there its very difficult to do anything about.

[Rascal]

Just make sure that you never reward it - ie. only send for a retrieve or release him when he is perfectly calm, settled & quiet.

Naj

Would you ever use a NRM in those circumstances Naj or would you rely on P- encouraging the extinction of that behaviour?

Rascal

[LucyLab]

He most definitely doesn't get a retrieve if he's grumbling but whereas before he would squeak and moan when a dummy was thrown, he now only does it occasionally when another dog is out on retrieve. Was extremely frustrating previously when I was all set to send him, only for him to make a noise. I used to do a LOT of walking!

I know that everyone seems to be of the same belief that once a whiner, always a whiner...but I have to stay positive. I know dogs that are born wingers and this is definitely not the same thing. I firmly believe that I inadvertently taught/allowed a puppy whimper to develop into what this is today...and if I taught him to do it, I can and will teach him not to

[Cass]

What about just whining for attention? My cocker pup seems to always be whining. I don't know how to deal with it so I just ignore him because I figured he'd stop if he didn't get anything out of it. However he still does it. I don't know if I should be punishing him or if it's just a stage he'll grow out of. He only does it around the house, not when out in the woods or anything.

[nigelb]

My daughters 13 month old GWP makes one hell of a din when being lead walked if a cyclist or jogger goes by. We sit him, and he doesn't move until he's quiet. There is a small improvement and he doesn't always start off on one, but a cyclist in black starts him off.

[LucyLab]

Cass, clearly I'm not one to advise, given what I've ended up with...but all I can be sure of is that Murphy got thoroughly ignored too and it only got worse. There seem to be two camps on this one - ignore it and don't interact in any way, then it will go away. Or, tell him off from the get go and he will realise it's not allowed. I am still very confused about which of these is the 'right' method! My cocker has the nickname 'the silent avenger', or 'stealth dog' because he is totally silent other than a slight heavy breathing when very upset. A couple of times he has squeaked for various reasons and he gets a serious telling off! I honestly don't know if this is why he is so quiet, or if he is just a quiet dog. I suspect it's the conditioning though, as I have it from several sources that he will absolutely scream if left totally alone....

I would dearly love to know what you're supposed to do if the puppy you bring home whimpers from the off, so I know exactly how to handle the next one...!

Lucy

[Naj]

Just make sure that you never reward it - ie. only send for a retrieve or release him when he is perfectly calm, settled & quiet.

Naj

Would you ever use a NRM in those circumstances Naj or would you rely on P- encouraging the extinction of that behaviour?

Rascal

I don't use many non-reward-markers in any case but definitely wouldn't if faced with a whiner. Any interaction from the handler might be taken by a dog as a reward for the behaviour. 'Interaction' could equally apply to some forms of correction. I've been lucky in only having had a couple of whiners. One, I'm sure, I could have prevented but my old GSP just seems to be inherently whingey & always has been ever since I first got her as a pup. I don't think anything could have prevented it because it isn't triggered by anything in particular. Whether a dog is noisy in kennels or when you aren't there doesn't necessarily have any bearing on it but I agree with James that once it starts in the field then it is very difficult to completely eradicate. I've known handlers get so frustrated that they have used severe punishment to try to stop the behaviour but this has always failed dismally because the dogs in question obviously don't realise they are doing it.

Naj

[Naj]

My daughters 13 month old GWP makes one hell of a din when being lead walked if a cyclist or jogger goes by. We sit him, and he doesn't move until he's quiet. There is a small improvement and he doesn't always start off on one, but a cyclist in black starts him off.

Would this happen if he was off the lead? If he is off the lead, would he chase after a jogger? Presumably, if he will sit on command in the face of such distraction then he can still focus on you, or do you have to enforce a 'sit'? Have you tried distracting him or doesn't this work? If you don't sit him, would he strain after the cyclist/jogger?

Naj

[Naj]

What about just whining for attention? My cocker pup seems to always be whining. I don't know how to deal with it so I just ignore him because I figured he'd stop if he didn't get anything out of it. However he still does it. I don't know if I should be punishing him or if it's just a stage he'll grow out of. He only does it around the house, not when out in the woods or anything.

Did you see him as a pup, Cass? Was he whiney then compared with the rest of the litter? Was the Dam quiet & contented around the pup? Had the litter been well socialised? I sometimes wonder if this type of thing goes back to the breeding establishment. If I had a pup that was prone to whine then I wouldn't make an issue over it. How do you go about correcting a young pup so that it knows that the correction is related to the incessant or random whining, especially when you are trying to build a strong bond with it. With an older dog that yips as it is sent for a retrieve or cast off for a hunt, or yodels at a jogger you have something that you can work with but that's different to a pup that whines quietly to itself for no apparent reason.

Naj