Can Anyone Give Me Pointers on How to Get My Dog to Stop Whining ????

Updated on October 06, 2008
R.H. asks from Long Beach, CA
13 answers

Hi! My dog won't stop whining in the middle of the night. To be specific, I am an insomniac.... I wake up every morning between 1:30 and 2:30 to do my chores, have coffee with my Husband and see him off to work, have computer time, and get the kids up and running. My family has learned to sleep through all my hullaballoo. But my dog, as soon as she knows I am up, starts whining incessantly.And, on the off chance that I am fortunate enough to sleep past 2:30, she whines and wakes me up. This is the only thing that drives me crazy about her! Could somebody please help me break her whining habit??
Thanks, and have a great day!
EDIT***** SHE IS A 5 YEAR OLD COCKAPOO AND IS CRATE-TRAINED AND SLEEPS IN AN ENORMOUS CRATE THAT IS ATTACHED TO A DOGGIE DOOR THAT LEADS OUTSIDE SO SHE CAN RELIEVE HERSELF AND GET WATER IF SHE NEEDS TO!!!

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D.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

Dogs are like two year old children. They do best with routine. Dogs are social creatures and when you are up it is very normal for her to want to be with you and interact with you. To try and keep her on a different schedule than yourself will probably require her to be housed in an area where she cannot hear or see you. If not, then she will probably keep the schedule that you have taught (however inadvertently) her so far. Sorry. But if you can teach yourself to sleep then she would learn too.

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E.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

OK, you may think I am nuts, but I once trained a neighbor's dog, who lived downstairs from me, to stop whining without ever even seeing the dog. This is what I did - maybe it will work for you.

I bought a dog whistle. Some people think they are "mean" but they do not hurt the dog, they do get their attention though, and humans are not bothered by the frequency - so it is ideal for use at night (which is when I needed it for my neighbor's dog).

I would blow the dog whistle once, very hard, while standing at the window right above where the dog sat at night, and then would say, "stop," quietly. When the dog whined again, I'd do it again, and again, and again. The first 2 nights, I had to do it about 20 times. The 3rd night, I did it 4 or 5 times, and then every single night after that, I had to do it only one time, when the dog would start whining, for about a month, and then it magically stopped.

This method also worked to quiet the dog during the day as well, when its owners were at work.

This can really work - give it a try and my best to you.

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J.W.

answers from San Diego on

What kind of dog is it? Can you crate it for training purposes? Is she restrained and can't get to you while you are up? Perhaps adding a walk to your routine would give her some attention and tire her a little. The water thing is good, no noise. She is in a routine and expects it to happen so whines when it does not. My dog will whine if I am in bed later than expected also. Change her sleep place or get a crate.

Good luck, I know Fred drives me crazy when he whines!!!

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L.H.

answers from San Diego on

One thing that worked really well for my dog for lots of issuses was to keep him on a leash tied around my waist. That way he had to follow me around like I was the leader and anytime he did something inappropriate like bark or whine for attention I could give him a gentle leash correction. It can get a little cumbersome I suppose but it allows for immediate response on your part. Dogs are usually pretty willing to please if they know what you want and in alot of ways they are like toddlers... they do what works. Obviously whining gets your attention which is what she wants. It also works for the wanting to sleep in. I used to leash my dog to the bed, once I knew he didn't need to go out cause I'd jut taken him, I would give him the leash corrections when he whined. After a while he got it and I was able to sleep until a decent time. Good luck.

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T.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

R H , being I am in the field who researches the paranormal , I can't tell you how many reports we get about animals who at a certain time whine in the middle of the night. Some are pre owned animals which the proir owner had died during the night and each night the animal would whine at the time there masters died. Some say this is non sense but I have proof much of it to back it up. If you raised the dog since birth and the dog has done this since you have had her then might be different story. If she has been doing this for a bit, go back to when it started, where you gone for a trip.. then started doing it, after returning home. Is she getting enough exercise, attention.. or is she seeing a ghost, which usually come around the time of 130 am to 4 am. The whinning she is trying to get your attention on. Humm what happened at 230 one time or do you know anyone who has b-day death anvi ect
feb 30 the 2;30 might mean something other than the time.
And someone is trying to give you a message. Just think about it
good luck

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J.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

One thought is to let her out of the crate while you are up. She figures since you're up, she should be up to.
** To take care of our dog's barking and whining, our friend who works at a vet gave us the best tip. Get a empty soda can and fill it with a few pennies. When the dog does something you don't want her to do, give the can a gentle shake. The noise startles the dog and stops the behavior. It worked like a charm for our dog. I can't recommend it enough.

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R.F.

answers from San Diego on

The only thing my dog fears is water. So when she started the whining (more like ear piercing yelping in our case) early on I filled up a spray bottle and gave her a couple shots every time she would do it. Now two years later she still whines on occasion, but all I do is bring out the water bottle for her to see and she instantly stops. I don't know if the dog whisperer would approve but it works for us.

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D.W.

answers from Los Angeles on

you must be the pack leader :)

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T.K.

answers from Los Angeles on

The only thing that I would change about your routine is maybe when you get up open her door. Once she realizes that you are up she wants to be with you. If you do she should not wine.
Dogs are not only creatures of habit but are very social. Poodles and cockers are usually very social breeds. So that is most likely why she wines she just wants to be with you.
I have 2 dogs myself one being a very whinie lab. He is just a puppy but, if I am not up when he thinks I am supposed to be he lets me know. He is getting better and lets me sleep in about an hour now. If you are patient and work on this with her she will get better.

Good Luck!

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S.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

Well, she obviously wants something. You just need to figure out if it's YOU, food, a walk, etc. Does it help if you sit down and pet her for a few minutes (when you're awake, that is!)? Just try all the things you can think of, and if nothing works, consult a dog trainer. Sorry that's the best I could come up with!!

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A.B.

answers from Las Vegas on

you could get a squirt bottle and squirt the dog every time it whines. I did this to potty train ours and it took about 3 days to work

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E.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

If she has just started doing this it might be that there is an animal outside that she wants to tell you about. Otherwise my advice to you is similar to the one with the whistle. Ignore her as much you can when you are still in bed. Open her door once you get up but give her no attention have her "be quiet" or "sit" or "lay down". Everytime you wake up slowly take longer and longer to open her door. Just counting will work fine. Everyday add maybe 20 counts before you open the door. She will anticipate you opening her door and will learn that if she whines you will turn away from the crate and count some extra moments. This might sound ridiculous but over a couple weeks your dog will be "cured".

1 mom found this helpful

K.L.

answers from Los Angeles on

We got our very darling dog to stop barking or whining by using a spray bottle filled with water. we spray her and say "quiet" very firmly. Only had to spray her a few times and she really got the message. now she responds to "quiet" and a finger that looks like it's about to spray her. We rescued her at about 3-4 years of age.

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