Well, it's been a couple of weeks since i posted anything. Things have been going fairly well. for those that can't remember, i now have a 11 week old german shorthair pointer, female, that is growing like a weed. I am having two problems at the moment.

the first and most irritating is whining. I am crate training my dog...eventhough come spring she will primarily be an outside dog. she is much improved on whining in crate, however she continues to whine out of the crate and in the crate as well. she does seem to whine a bit more while out of crate and try to chew through the baby gate i have set up for her. I ignore it, but i am wondering if i am giving her enough attention and it could just be pure boredom. during the day, she is normally alone for about 8 to 10 hours, she does get let out of the crate a couple of times a day to use bathroom, etc. on weekends, she is in crate or away from me less of the time. My goal here is to try and get her used to me not constantly being around. This weekend, i let her out in the back yard while I ran some errands. this goes well for about an hour or so, then she starts whining non-stop. to me, it just seems like it kills her when i am not around her. i am fine with continuing to ignore, but just want to make sure it isn't something I am actually causing.

2nd question: she has started the irritating hobby of chewing and wrapping up in the leash whenever i put it on her. i try to yank it out of her mouth continually, but don't wanna jerk to hard OR make it seem like a game. now...once again, she is only 11 weeks, so should i just put up with it for a while?

that being said...should i just put up with EVERYTHING for a while and not worry about it?

 Quote: Mark Surgenor

that being said...should i just put up with EVERYTHING for a while and not worry about it?

Yes.

She is getting something out of the whining. Do you finally give in and pay attention to her after the whining drives you out of your mind?

I don't know if she is a little young for this (puppy folks?), but I like to mark and reward wanted behaviors, such as quiet in the crate. Looking for a wanted behavior to mark and reward is something you probably have to remind yourself; we just naturally tend to do nothing when there is wanted behavior going on and then paying attention only to unwanted behavior.

I have heard puppy folks say that chewing on the leash comes with the territory.

 Quote: Mark Surgenor

during the day, she is normally alone for about 8 to 10 hours, she does get let out of the crate a couple of times a day to use bathroom, etc.

Is she getting playtime with you too?

she is getting playing time primarily in the evening. There isn't a lot I can do during the day. I or a buddy take her out and let her use bathroom. tonight for instance, i played with her for about an hour, she was obviously tired, so i put her back in the kitchen, not in her crate, just blocked off from me and for about 30 minutes she whines. I understand the concept of marker training on this, but its a matter of when to mark it. She may whine for a couple of seconds, stop, couple of seconds, stop. And she stops immediately if i walk near her, etc. So the confusion for me is, if i reward when she stops for a couple of minutes, is that not the same as giving in? and also, if she always quits whining when i move towards her or she sees me, then how do you reward that? I have no problem ignoring her, i just want to make sure that her staying in the crate too much isn't the problem or being in the kitchen is not a problem. a typical day consists of 1. up at about 630am, she gets fed, taken outside and played with for about 20 minutes. 2. at around 11, a buddy comes by to let her out for about 15 minutes or so to go to bathroom. she is back in crate until about 2, buddy comes back by to let her out, then back in crate till 5. 3. i get home around 515, and let her out for about 30 minutes of play, then i usually go to the gym for an hour, she goes back in crate before gym. when i get home, around 645, she is out of crate until about 10 or so, but i am not constantly with her. there are some 20 minute play periods scattered out until 10. At 10 she goes in crate and she doesn't whine at all. I don't hear anything out of her until about 630 when she needs to be taken out. What are your thoughts on this schedule? when spring gets here, she will be outside pretty much all the time, which i hope will make things better. but i need to be rid of the whining and i don't know how the reward for being quiet process works.

Do you give her anything to shew on or keep her busy in the crate at all?

I am not big on rewarding for being quiet for a couple minutes. But I am a meanie.

Ember barks in her crate right now (ah the joy of crate training) so I cover it with a blanket. She barks some more and then settles.

I have only had her home one day but I do that with all the noisy pups.

She gets rewarded for going in the crate and she gets rewarded when it is potty break time. I do not bother her when she is quiet and it is not time to go out, as that just makes the next barking fit worse.

Maybe you just have a vocal pup. Our short hairs were like that and they just kind of stopped doing it one day.

After watching what Cindy has done with Swift, I would say that 11 weeks is fine for marking wanted behaviors.

You just need to be patient. I know it seems hard, but that is what you have to do. And, if you have her out, I would tether her to you and not let her free roam, even if it is just in the kitchen. Keep some small treats in your pocket and reward when she is doing something you want. Ignore anything else.

Try some mental games for her in the house as well.

When we get puppies and then have to leave them home for so many hours during the day (I am lucky, my pups and dogs all get to go with me several times a week), sometimes the process takes longer.
But, the reward we get for having a well behaved dog makes it all worth while.

the good news is..she absolutely amazes me with intelligence. We have 'sit', 'down', and 'crate' down very well with no correction whatsoever for mistakes. which also blows my mind...if she hates the crate or not being around me that bad, why does she literally bolt into the crate when i ask her to? obviously because she gets rewarded, but she has to know she will be in there for a while. 'come' is a different story, but with some more work i think she will get it down. also gonna start using the 20' lead to help her out with this.

 Quote: mark surgenor

but i need to be rid of the whining and i don't know how the reward for being quiet process works.

I can only tell you a typical method I would use with a dog who is older than yours, and then maybe the puppy experts can come in with comments or suggestions.

I want to teach quiet (or whatever word you choose), so I have to associate the command with the action in the dog's mind. What's the point of saying "quiet" if "quiet" doesn't mean anything to the dog (and it doesn't).

So I might stand a few feet from the crate but with my back to it, paying zero attention to the dog. The first time there was silence, I might turn around and give my INSTANT "yes!" marker and then reward, saying something like "good quiet!" I might have to do this many times, but it's pretty easy.

Now the word "quiet" starts to mean something as a command.

You know how you say "good potty!" when you are training the dog to go outside? Same idea.

Also, if the dog associates the car keys with a ride, or the leash with a walk, I might stand near the crate like a statue, not even looking at the dog, holding the keys or the leash, and leap into action and marker/reward the second calm silence happens.

Only after a while of this would I extend the quiet time before rewarding, because for now, I need to be sure the marker is instant so the dog gets it. Whine = ignoring; quiet = attention, "yes," walks, and so on.

And like any other command, I gradually delete the rewards until I'm down to random rewards, and finally to occasional rewards.

yes, she always has a couple of toys in crate. right now, for instance, she doesn't make a sound, she realizes it's bed time and eventhough i am up, she is quiet. she doesn't get up during morning or anything. It's just the whining during the day that is the problem. the reason I don't tether her to me when she is out, is I can't be around her all the time. I am usually having to work on something off an on around the house.

i know, gotta be patient, it just drives me up the wall that she can be so peaceful one minute and then cry for no reason. and honestly, i can't wait until spring so she can be outside more. of course, she whines outside immediately when i turn a corner.

another funny thing, which is odd. she has barked ONE time in 3 weeks, one time. she cries and moans but the actual bark happened one time. the very first time the vet walked through the door in the waiting room he got a kick out of it as well. hasn't barked before or since.

 Quote: carol boche

Try some mental games for her in the house as well.

Oh, good; I wasn't sure about the age.

Mental games tire out the dog differently but just as effectively as the walk around the neighborhood. (Whining is probably related to boredon, frustrated energy, etc.)

You can even mark and reward for eye contact! You can even set that one up by holding a high-value treat up near your face while you say "look."