Hello all,

Looking for a little help with a 2 year old boxer/pointer mix I adopted about a month ago. She is a good dog, sweet, very high energy. Seems like she can never get "enough" exercise, but I try. We've knocked down a lot of the big problems, but a few I'm still working on. I'll start with the major issue - which is whining in her cage - and then I have a couple of smaller ones.

She whines in the crate a lot. But it isn't at night, or when I'm at work. Its first thing in the morning, when my alarm goes off. 20+ minutes or so! I come home from lunch and she starts whining. And when I get home from work at night, its the worst. She goes for 20+ minutes most of the time lately. She doesn't usually bark but if she gets herself really worked up she will.

How do I handle this? I'm ignoring, ignoring, ignoring, all that I can. I can't stay out of the room completely, but I don't even look at her when I have to come in. I try to let her out shortly after she's being good. I never yell at her to be quiet or anything. But SHE JUST KEEPS GETTING WORSE!!! Roommate swears he's not paying her any attention at all and ignoring her too when he's around.

Now some of the other things...

1) The whining has carried over to her whining when she's tethered to me in the house and decides she wants to go somewhere else. Do I correct for this? I've tried giving her something else to do, like asking her to sit or down. Sometimes it works, sometimes not so much.

2) I've been using marker training but I've hit a few snags. She has no interest in food outside of the house. Back yard, front yard, 5am and empty streets or 5pm and busy. Doesn't care. We usually walk around the neighborhood lake, and you could dangle a t-bone in her face out there and she wouldn't care. She'll just keep walking and looking around. At anything but me.

3) Bringing up another point, she doesn't seem to pay attention to me when we walk either. She does fine, but she's on a prong collar. She corrects herself sometimes, and she doesn't seem to have any concept of why this guy at the other end of the leash keeps following her, even when she's walking right next to me (which is about half the time). She runs into me sometimes, too. Luckily, on the bike ride she's pretty focused on the front tire. I don't really care if she walks anywhere in particular, as long as she's not pulling. But maybe she needs to be taught to walk somewhere? Again, she's not interested in food out there so I'm not sure how to go about it.

Thanks for any help. I'm new to this, if it isn't completely obvious!

Hi, Joe, and welcome!

I betcha big money that someone is rewarding the whining. If someone ignores it 99% of the time and gives in only when it's really really bad, the dog learns that "really really bad whining" is required to get her way.

"The whining has carried over to her whining when she's tethered to me in the house and decides she wants to go somewhere else. Do I correct for this? I've tried giving her something else to do, like asking her to sit or down. Sometimes it works, sometimes not so much."

In this case, for example, you are the one rewarding the whining with attention.


In the morning, when your alarm goes off, what happens? What triggers the dog's release to go out and potty? You can stand like a statue and wait for the first silence (which will happen, because the dog will look at you to figure out WTH you are doing there ), which you can mark and reward and open the crate.

"2) I've been using marker training but I've hit a few snags. She has no interest in food outside of the house. Back yard, front yard, 5am and empty streets or 5pm and busy. Doesn't care. We usually walk around the neighborhood lake, and you could dangle a t-bone in her face out there and she wouldn't care. She'll just keep walking and looking around. At anything but me. ... 3) Bringing up another point, she doesn't seem to pay attention to me when we walk either. She does fine, but she's on a prong collar. She corrects herself sometimes, and she doesn't seem to have any concept of why this guy at the other end of the leash keeps following her, even when she's walking right next to me (which is about half the time). She runs into me sometimes, too. Luckily, on the bike ride she's pretty focused on the front tire. I don't really care if she walks anywhere in particular, as long as she's not pulling. But maybe she needs to be taught to walk somewhere? Again, she's not interested in food out there so I'm not sure how to go about it."

For this, we need more info. What kind of marker work are you doing at home, with no distraction? Have you done any focus work? What is it that you are asking for on walks? How does she know you have food? Are you luring with it, or what?

Have you done any "loose-leash" or heel or casual-walk in the house (distraction-free)?

Hi Joe,

Welcome to Leerburg! You've come to a great place to get some help with your new dog.

A few thoughts... you've only had this dog a month, right? Sounds like you are working full time but making every effort to get home, let her out, etc... which is perfect. Just keep in mind that her relationship with you is going to be built over time, and at this point, she may still very well be adjusting to this huge new phase of her life. I'm wondering if she may not be paying much attention to you at this point simply because that bond is still "in the works"?

Perhaps using the marker training in the house or less distracting environments right now would be more beneficial, and then after you get the hang of it and she is more attached to you (which will absolutely happen) adding distractions will be less disruptive.

Is she tethered to you as part of a ground work program or because she is being destructive if not tethered?

Do you know anything about this gal's past? We love pictures, by the way!!

 Quote: joe daniel

3) Bringing up another point, she doesn't seem to pay attention to me when we walk either. She does fine, but she's on a prong collar. She corrects herself sometimes, and she doesn't seem to have any concept of why this guy at the other end of the leash keeps following her, even when she's walking right next to me (which is about half the time).

Sounds like she is in her zone and not paying any attention to you. I was taught to change direction and verbally engage them. Do it in a positive way, turn around and go the opposite way while talking to her (it is not a correction, you aren't dragging her) its like "Hey...I am going this way! Come on let's go!" in a happy excited voice that says let's go this way for more fun. By changing direction she has to pay attention and the happy voice helps her realize you are an interesting walking partner and the leader, not just an anchor that is impeding her progress. Do it regularly, several times in a row, if she still has trouble changing direction try to find an area with fewer distractions.

Thanks for all the help!

Connie, I know she's somehow being reinforced on the whining since its getting so much worse, but I just don't know how! If I'm standing there, just to clarify, don't look at her, right? Just stand. I think that will help those times where it takes her forever to stop, like in the morning and at lunch. Sometimes I just go about my business around the house ignoring her, and it doesn't help things!

At home I've been working on just sit, down, and come with her. Haven't done any focus work, I'm not really sure how to do that?

Barbara, she is tethered as part of groundwork - and because she's completely wild off leash in the house. She has also had a couple of accidents in the brief time she has been off leash.

I'm sure she is still forming a bond, and I've considered that. As far as I know, she was with a family for her first two years, and in November was brought in to the SPCA. It was a family with children and as she got older and bigger, she was too wild with the kids. She was adopted again once and brought back after 2 weeks, before I adopted her at the beginning of February. So she certainly has some issues from all of that. She is also somewhat aggressive to other dogs, I think out of fear - never aggressive towards people though.

Sonya, I will give that a try. That is exactly the problem - she does not pull on the leash, she just doesn't pay any attention to where I'm going. If I turn at a spot that we don't usually turn, she doesn't respond. I live in a little townhouse, but have walked around in here and she does very well, though I'm not sure she's paying more attention to me, rather there just aren't too many turns that can happen!

Thanks for all your help everyone!

 Quote: joe daniel

I know she's somehow being reinforced on the whining since its getting so much worse, but I just don't know how! If I'm standing there, just to clarify, don't look at her, right? Just stand. I think that will help those times where it takes her forever to stop, like in the morning and at lunch. Sometimes I just go about my business around the house ignoring her, and it doesn't help things!

I wait until there's silence, not looking at or paying any attention to the dog until then, and then mark it very fast. Do you know what I mean by "mark it"?

What I want is to demonstrate really clearly not only that whining won't get any attention, but also that silence gets immediate results.

 Quote: connie sutherland

I wait until there's silence, not looking at or paying any attention to the dog until then, and then mark it very fast. Do you know what I mean by "mark it"?

Got it. We had a very good morning today, actually no whining at all! I was almost disappointed, I had my "stand like a tree" routine all ready to go, but she was just sitting quietly in her crate, ready to go! I'll be ready tough, I'm sure she hasn't just given it up entirely.

 Quote:

What I want is to demonstrate really clearly not only that whining won't get any attention, but also that silence gets immediate results.

Okay, the immediate marking for silence may be one of the mistakes I've been making. At times I was waiting for her to be silent for extended periods before marking it (not in the mornings, but when I had more time)

How great that your morning went more smoothly! And how funny that you were almost dissapointed that you didn't get to practice your new stance/marking!!