Thread: I can't get my dog to stop whining?

I have a yr old shih tzu who when i pin him up in the kitchen whines the whole time. I will stop when I am in eye sight but as soon as i walk away starts up again. I just bought a new puppy and do not want her learning this same habit, although she has yet to whine today and has been pinned up longer than he has.

No matter what. Ignore him. Eventually this behavior will quit. If you go to him at all when he's crying he is associate that with you. He, just like a baby will think, all I have to do is cry and they will come. No matter what just completely ignore him. It will eventually stop

Your dog might have seperation anxiety since he panics when he doesn't see you. But one thing I've figured out to help with whinning is covering the crate with a blanket that worked for my sisters dog when she brought it over for a week and would whine and howl non stop

Separation anxiety.

It's a good idea to try and build up the time your dog has away from you rather than try to fix the problem all at once.
Do you know if he is whining when you are out of the house??
Set up a tape recorder, or keep the phone line open for a little while. If he is still whining more than 10 mins later he has real separation anxiety, if he stops fairly soon after you leave the house he is only whining to be near you when he knows you are there.

Put him in the kitchen and walk away.
come back within a few seconds and give him a treat and let him out. You need to praise and rewards him for being quiet, so only leave him in there for a few seconds to start.
Once he gets the idea that being quiet is rewarded you can start to increase the time he spends away from you.
Have you tried using a Kong with food in? You can give hm this (maybe instead of a meal
if you are worried about weight gain, so he can learn to entertain himself.

Also leaving a radio on can comfort some dogs.
Do not let hm out of the Kitchen while he is making noise, this rewards him for the noise. Wait until he has been quiet for a few mins before coming back and letting him out and then rewarding him.

Good luck, spend a few days really working on this and you will crack it!