Alice, are you really looking for suggestions, or do you just like to say "no that won't work" to everything suggested? It's beginning to look that way. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

When I said to cover the windows so he couldn't see out, I obviously did not mean to cover the windshield so you couldn't see out to drive, or to cover your front side windows so you couldn't see your mirrors. I meant to cover the side windows in the back so he could not look out of them, since you said he was looking out the windows when he started his whining.

A bark collar and a "shock collar" are basically the same thing. Bark collars automatically emit a static correction (or a loud shrill beep, or a stream of citronella into the dog's face) when they sense the vibration of the dog's throat when he barks (when he whines, there is no detectable vibration - my GSD pup whines when he's wearing his collar and it doesn't go off). "Shock collars" emit a static correction, but you are in control of the remote that causes the collar to 'go off.' Bark collars will run you anywhere from $20 to more than $100. "Shock collars" run anywhere from around $100 to more than $500, but the better ones are at least $200.

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Alice, are you really looking for suggestions, or do you just like to say "no that won't work" to everything suggested? It's beginning to look that way. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

nope. it's just that i'm looking for a *training* solution. i realize you meant just the back windows, but he can still see out the other windows. he's 30" tall at the shoulder, and he can easily see out the front windows even if the back ones are blocked.

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"Shock collars" emit a static correction, but you are in control of the remote that causes the collar to 'go off.'

i'd like to know what the trainers here think of this as a method to control my dog's whining. i thought i had read somewhere that this would not be a good solution for this kind of thing, but admittedly, my recollection is vague.

are there any other methods that people would recommend trying? positive reinforcement (praising and petting for silence) definitely hasn't worked. ignoring him hasn't worked. commanding him to be quiet hasn't worked, though i had not thought of using a leash correction in the car.

i would like lots of opinions before i try something that could make the problem worse.

I have a dog that whines when we approach the training field and other places he associates with a good time. I essentially do what Scott stated above. I tell the dog to platz and that seems to take care of the problem.

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positive reinforcement (praising and petting for silence) definitely hasn't worked.

Alice,
"Positive Reinforcement" will work. The problem is...people often think " X is a positive reinforcer", when the dog may not see it that way. The dog obviously doesn't find praise and petting to be a worthy pursuit in this situation...whining is more fun, and is giving him some sort of positive feeling.

If you have the luxury of driving in the car with two people, just up the ante a bit. Go for a drive toward the mountain when he's really hungry. When he is quiet, give him bits of something yummy. Keep the rate of reinforcement high.

If the road is not highly travelled and has a shoulder, mark the undesireable behavior and pull over if he makes a peep.

Basically, find a way to make it clear to him....if he is good, he gets hotdog (or whatever he likes a lot), if he whines he gets nadda.

Most people teach their dogs to whine in the car when approaching a favorite destination. They don't *mean* to, but they do. The dog shows any sign of excitement and the owner says "yep! we are going to the mountain! isn't that fun? yay! You are such a smart boy!" (I exaggerate, but I am sure you know what I mean).

This isn't accusatory, just a statement of fact...many people delight in how their dogs seem to *know* where they are. Understanding the cause of the whining will help you come up with a way to "untrain" it.

I am sure an e-collar used in some way could put a dent in the behavior, but I like to try to train a dog what I want it TO DO before starting in with the P+.

T

Alice, my female did the same thing in the car, she still does it(outside the car) when she sees something she really wants to get to, but can't. As far as the car goes, the only thing that worked for me was, ( this is assuming you taught your dog a quiet command) my wife's driving, the dog has on a short leash and a prong, and soon as the screaming starts, give the quiet command, when the dog ignores you, give a high level correction, i know what you're talking about, it's a pain in the a$$, it took a couple of rides to fix it, now she's pretty good in the car, it worked for me, good luck, AL

I just read tracys post and i would try those methods first, but nothing worked for me but well timed, heavy handed corrections, she would scream if i put a blinker on , if i hit the breaks , shut the ignition off, anticipating getting in or out of the car, etc. it was a annoying behaviour and that's the only thing that finally worked, AL

What I would do, seeing that I know personally of a dog who does this <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> is to observe when the dog starts getting antsy, before the whining starts. As soon as the antsy behaviour begins, stop the car, have the dog do a down stay. Only start going again when he is in a down stay. Then, the key is to break the pattern. Head out to the forest, and he starts to whine. Stop the car, down him, and when you get going again, turn around, and go away from the forest. Do this in slot machine fashion (that is, once every other time, then every time, then once every 3 times etc). The dog will gradually realize that maybe the fun place isn't ahead, and it won't be should he whine.
Julie

Alice,

Looks like you've gotten many good suggestions. Surely something will work!!! Whining is a most annoying habit for a dog to have for me, gets on my last nerve!!

Regards,
Debbie

I have the same problem with one of my dogs. I have tried everything to stop this annoying habit and only two things have worked.
1) As soon as the dog starts whining; go home; drop dog off. This is a tough one cause it wrecks the plans of a good hike. But with my dog as soon as he knew where we were going (a fun place) he would start with the whining. I would then drive past the place we were to go, and go home. Dog soon learns that the whining ends the trip.
Unfortunalely my dog also whines when the signal lights go on so this solution does not always work for me.
2) Spray bottle. If you command a quiet and the dog does not respond spay him/her. If your dog loves to be sprayed put a tiny bit of vinager in it. A lot of people will say this is no good as it will make your dog afraid of the hose...etc. but it the ONLY solution that has worked for me, plus its easy.

some good ideas. tracy's suggestion makes me wonder if this could begin as clicker training? basically, use the principle of teaching the dog the meaning of the word "quiet" (which he doesn't really know) through positive reinforcement a la clicker/treats. then, later, prong collar corrections if he doesn't obey the command?

would this be the correct way to do this? as follows:

go off to the forest, ignore dog when he's whining, mark his quiet behavior with the clicker, feed a treat while saying "quiet." repeat at all opportunities, heavy reinforcement for the first few rides.

after he's demonstrated that he responds to "quiet" and has gotten reliable with it using intermittent rewards, use prong correction as needed for disobedience?

am i getting that right?

i'd be really surprised if pulling off the road or going home taught him not to do this. i don't think he is that smart! also, he is already in a down, so putting him in a down to stop it obviously won't work.

one concern i have is that it is impossible to do this unless someone else is driving. dogs, being the literalists that they are, may think that it's OK to whine when there is only one human in the car! but i guess i can cross that bridge if i get to it....

now, one other little problem trying to do it this way... he has never been very good at learning something using treats when he's worked up. he'll spit them out or turn his head away. i am going to try it, but i would also like to know of a non-treat way to accomplish this.

do you think if i charge the clicker really heavily in the house, before he gets worked up about our trip, that i might have more success using this method in the car?