# Help Stop Whining



## kdawnk (Mar 26, 2014)

My puppy is generally pretty good in her crate. And she used to occasionally whine when walking around the house because she was bored, but she has mostly stopped that. (unless we are in a new environment).

The main problem is her being entirely over excited to get her breakfast or supper.
She will bark at me, she won't go pee in the morning without me being VERY insistent that we ALWAYS go pee before we eat or do anything else in the morning. It has always been the same. Like it's a 15 minute stand-off while I just wait for her to stop whining and bark-whining at me and keep telling her to go pee. Eventually she will because she can't hold it much longer once she's allowed out of her crate in the morning. And I reward her for doing so.

Then I usually make her sit at the door while I fill her food bowl and make her wait at the door while I carry them into the living room where we eat (because if I don't make her wait she will jump on me and dump the water on herself every time.)
The ENTIRE time I'm preparing her food she's whining. Not soft little whines, like the loud ones puppies use to get out of their cage before they start howling.

I've been trying to hand feed her lately because she eats too fast. But while I'm holding the bowl she will whine and pace do every trick she knows to get the food. I do not like the whining and I don't want to give her food while she whines.
If I pause between feeding her she will whine and cry every time.

If I can focus her on something like sit or down she usually is quiet. But I don't think that fixes the scenario where she cries while I prepare it. She knows she has to work for her food most of the time I just don't know how to make her not whine. I'm 100% positive that if she knew that's what I wanted her to do and she'd get her food after, she would be dead-silent. Very food motivated.
I'm just messing something up in communicating this to her.


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

I stop working, if that doesn't work put the bowl/food/cup down, then back away from the food, then go into another room and shut the door if Max gets too excited about meals. He was so shocked I left the room I had to do that only a couple times but often have to put down whatever is in my hands and wait for silence. Move very quickly to mark the time she starts up and the exact time she stops so she gets the idea. Sort of like penalty yards or red light green light or hot-cold-warm games. 

Do you give her a little treat when she potties? It is possible that will help her focus on pottying THEN breakfast.

All this is going to take time in the beginning. If it takes 15 minutes now it will take 2 minutes in a couple months then when she hits adolescence plan on some back sliding/testing of rules. Max is 14 years old and thinks geriatric dogs should get special privileges so it never really completely goes away if you are a softie like me.


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## PatriciafromCO (Oct 7, 2012)

Guess in my own mind when it comes to the dogs meals I just ignore them and stay with my routine of fixing it and just give it to them "over" can't be barking whining and jumping all around if their mouth is full of food and their head is buried in their bowl ? Just my thoughts... As some dogs are more talky talky then others... Adele my CC her bark is so pierce-ing at times that it's like what happens to a tuning fork when you hit it (the metal tubing on the futon actually vibrates the sound of a tuning fork lol) but that is Adele "it's her lassie bark that something is needed and she is always spot on that she needed to let me know something" Again with the potty thing I'm out there for the potty,, I get the potty yay for me back in lol .... Next.... Lots of my guys start off with a very strong presence I don't think wrong of it.. I stick to my routine,, if the kitten thinks they smarter for jumping in and out and in and out of the cat house running all over the place while I am fixing their food I laugh and know "the kitten will figure out they don't have to work so hard the food comes anyway" and Azamet has learned the one thing I have always asked before I put the cat food down in his house is that the kitten gets on his spot.. just so the kitten didn't have access of grabbing for my hands on the plate as I put it in the house,, I don't care for a claw catch in my skin from an excited kitten.. When it's meal time now as a semi adult cat.. when I am fixing his food he jumps in his house to sit and wait for me... The food comes as it always has and he don't have to work so hard ...


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## Chichan (Apr 1, 2014)

I use most meals as training time with Chico where each kibble is earned for doing a trick, but at least once a day (since he's fed 4 time a day) I use a kong. Chico eats so little that one puppy kong is a full meal. While I'm filling it up he has to wait in a sit in his crate (the door is open so while he watches me he knows if he leaves I put the kong down on the table and turn away until he goes back in). Then I come over with the kong he comes out he does a trick of my choice and I put the kong on the ground. He hits it and such and a few kibbles fall out each time, this doesn't allow for eating too fast and provides mental stimulation too. Give it a try?


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