Ah, I hope this is ok here. I’m not looking for prefessional opinion, just experiences.
I foster rescue dogs and we recently decided to keep one of the male puppies. He’s about 14 weeks, and he and his sister came to us very skinny (he probably wouldn’t have lasted another week), but in general good spirits. As far as we have been told and can tell, he’s part Husky, part mutt. Very cute, all white, with one brown and one blue eye.
His sister was adopted out on Monday, but this whining thing has been going on since he arrived. It occurs 95% of the time during off-leash walks, and happened when his sister was here, and now when we walk with our 6 year old Husky hybrid. We go to the off-leash park, and as soon as he’s off-leash, he seems to run up ahead a bit (trying to follow the Husky, but still a little timid to go in the tall grass) the start whining. At first, I thought he just wanted to play, but he does it all the time. He can’t see her, and he stops walking and whines. She’s not with us, and he whines. I wouldn’t think he’s tired out (this is within 10 minutes of the walk that he goes off-leash), he doesn’t beg to be picked up (we disourage this anyhow), and he’s not lost, missing a toy, lonely, anything that usually causes puppy whining.
Anyone have any insight or experience with odd puppy whining? Otherwise, he’s quiet, except for the occasional Husky talk, which I love anyhow.
It sounds to me as though he insecure when off leash.
Maybe you could get an extra long training leash so he can wonder but still be on leash or get a short leash, or even cut an old one down so he “thinks” he still on leash even though he is not but the security is there.
I came in here thinking you might have the same doggie whining problem that I have but no. I agree that it sounds like this dog isn’t secure or ready to be off by himself in the big bad world. Keep him on the leash and trot around with him maybe? IANA dog trainer and my pets are notoriously spoiled and badly behaved.
I feel like off leash whining is different than my dog who will whine…increasingly louder and louder until its a shrill bark when he wants attention or to play. And its not like he’s lacking in playtime or attention. He literally wants it every single second [thats what she said] Everything I read says to ignore it because rewarding crying with attention just promotes the behavior but seriously yall its like drilling a hole in my brain sometimes when i’m headachey already
That’s what I thought of too. He’s awfully little still, and seems to be acting like many human toddlers - some want to hold mommy or daddy’s hand instead of walking by themselves too. Keep him on a leash and he might feel safer until he’s ready to run off on his own.
Have you tried separating him from you when he whines? He whines, you move him into another non-fun area, like a crate or the bathroom. When he stops whining for 15-20 seconds, let him out and go back about your business. Increase the time he has to stop whining before being let out.
Or, he whines, you leave the area. Something to step up the ignoring him business.
This dog’s probably too old for this, but I’ve put a wind up clock in w/ whining pups at night and it shuts them up like magic. It supposedly sounds like their mother’s beating heart. I don’t know if that’s true, but I know it works.
