Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2011 8:02 am Post subject: Whining in the mornings for attention
Hello
This is my first ever post on here. I have a lovely black lab called Bella. She's nearly 9 months and overall doing very well. Not that destructive, good at obedience, eating well and getting plenty of exercise. The only issue that we have, and it started a month ago, and that is her constant whining for attention in the mornings.
Every morning she will wake up at 5.30am and whine. I know not to go to her until she is quiet so I wait. When she quiet I go downstairs and let her out to do her business. She goes back into her room until I'm ready to wake up properly. The problem is though she will continue to whine when back in her room. Maybe I'm being selfish but I don't want to be getting up at that time but at the moment I have no choice.
Weekends are the same. I want to be at a point where she is happy to be in her room until I'm ready to take her for walks and play by how do I stop the whining??
Would a Crate help? She is not crate trained but has her own room and stair gate. She often whines during the day for my attention if I put her in her room to clean or go upstairs. Please help.
A crate might help as I think some dogs get restless if they have too much space to roam in. It obviously depends on how big the room is...
Could she be hungry? Maybe give her a bonio / filled kong to settle her until it's breakfast time. Also, if she needs to go to the toilet at 5.30 am do you need to restrict access to water a bit earlier in the evening or make sure that she empties her bladder just before you go to bed? Do you keep the lights dim and noise to a minimum?
I've never restricted water personally but then Molly isn't a big drinker - we have to mix her food with water to ensure she has enough hydration.
Sorry I'm not much help! Hopefully someone who's been in your situation will come along shortly!
Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 4:56 pm Post subject: Whining continuing....
Hello,
The room is quite small to be honest. It only has a desk and her bed in and its pretty much full. She can roam in the hall though so maybe restricting that may help. Would it matter that it is away from the main living room? We expanded her space so she could see us when we are in the living room. Sometime we like to have her confined because as puppies do they run around causing havoc. A lot of the time she is tethered to the living room radiator just chilling with us.
I do not think she is hungry as I give her a bone or a small Kong and she often leaves it.
Also, the last couple of days she has been given a kong whilst I am at work and she hasn't touched it. This is unusual for her.
My partner works from home and said she has been whining whilst I am away for an hour at a time. He doesn't go to her as he wants to make sure he doesn't reinforce her whining.
I am really at a lost as to what to do. I spend time with her in the mornings and evening, we walk and train so I don't think its because of lack of company. We have a dog walker to mid day who takes her for a long walk........
I think the big problem is, she knows you're there, so wants to be with you. Labs have been bred for years to work in close proximity to their person...to be right next to them, which is why they make such wonderfully attentive and devoted companions now. Which I guess is also why, wherever I move to, my Labs move with me, often with me tripping over them, as they are so close to me...whereas other breeds are happy to rest on the sofa or in their bed on their own.
I don't find most Labs to be independent like many other breeds are, they truely do want company most of the time and obviously if they hear and smell you nearby, then they can't understand why you don't want them next to you and this must be confusing and frustrating for them.
It's different if you go out, as they know you're not there, so they hunker down and wait until you're back. And it's different if you have other dogs, as they will snuggle up with them, but your girl is on her own and so her only source of companionship is you, her owners.
Also, at 9 months old, she is just hitting that most demanding stage, where they get easily bored and need something to do, preferably with someone. So while your husband is working, could he not have her sat with him, perhaps with a stuffed kong to keep her occupied?
I personally don't think ignoring the whining will do anything other than make her try harder to get your attention. So I'd try to think of ways to allow her to be close to you, while you are at home instead.
Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2011 5:59 pm Post subject: Re: Whining continuing....
HawaiianSong wrote:
Hello,
Sometime we like to have her confined because as puppies do they run around causing havoc. A lot of the time she is tethered to the living room radiator just chilling with us.
.
I am sorry but that has shocked me. I just dont understand why she is tied to the radiator when you are all relaxing together. She has to learn what she can and cannot touch in the living room and she wont learn that tied to the radiator.
I think that sounded worse than what it is. We have another lab and they both get on very well sometimes too well so we have to separate them. They play fight constantly and it gets quite rough. Lui is now 10 and suffering with arthritis so we tether her to try and control the play fighting the other option is to put her in her room which is not in the living room.
She gets a bone and has her blanket so seems happy. But I understand your point regarding learning. It just how do we stop the constant play fighting?
I only have one dog so am not experienced to suggest ways of stopping the play-fighting; however, my instinct says that training could be the key!
Luna likes to play-fight me - I play all companion roles to her at the moment so I have had to teach her when is and when isn't appropriate to instigate play with me. I will say 'no' and tell her what I want her to do instead eg, lie down, go shut some cupboard doors, fetch the mail, give her paw etc etc. A bit of gentle direction of the 'play' energy is all Luna often needs.
She will often demand play when she is tired/needs loo/is hungry/has missed me cos I was out so like you have to with a baby I figure out what she needs from me and decide whether to give it! Toilet demands are an easy decision!
Could she be coming into season if her behaviour has changed recently?
I think Jules comment is very useful - Luna got very demanding at the 9-12month ish age! She's much more settled with routines now!
Just read your original post again about the 530am morning call - have you tried letting her toilet and then feeding her at this time? Luna will curl up back to sleep if I feed her on her please wake up paw!!
As I get her up early on weekdays at weekends she can sleep in until 7-8 even 9am sometimes!! AND then go back to bed after toilet and food!
I'm not sure a crate would help as she is wanting to be with you to 'help'.
Posted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 4:05 pm Post subject: Play fighting...how to control in a two dog house
Hello Laura,
Thank you for the tips. I will try that.
The play goes both ways for them so I will need to get both of them to do something. Hard to teach an old dog new tricks especially when my partner hasn't done much obedience with Lui before we met.
Bella is definately going through the teenage years. Stealing, demanding play at every opportunity she is released from her den. She is also pretending to not listen and gives me that 'blank' look when I command her. Feeling a little deshevilled at the moment and hard not to get angry
Looks like I need to go back to square one with the obedience in the house. Its sometimes hard though in a busy house ... She is so good in classes but then I come home and its like I have a different dog.
Would you consider having Bella in your bedroom? This is what we finally did with Willow when she was about six months old and I was fed up with broken sleep every night. Never looked back - she settles down happily for the night now
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Whining in the mornings for attention
Whining continuing....
