Incessant Whining

[Simi]

Our dachshund is a just under a year old, and ever since we brought him home at 8 weeks, he's been an continuous whiner. Put him on the porch to use the bathroom, he whines. Leave him alone, he whines. Put him in his crate, he whines. Stop looking at him, he whines. I know dogs need a lot of attention and playtime, and he gets it. He just doesn't get as much as he wants, which is 24/7.

Our dog is a chewer. He'll chew on anything, be it furniture, the walls, people, live cables.. one of these days, he's going to try to chew something that will get him seriously hurt. Because of this, and the fact that we aren't supposed to have him where we're living, he's confined to his crate during the times that he isn't eating (he has a strict dinner time), relieving himself (he's let out four times a day, usually only goes once or twice), or being allowed to play.

We've already gotten complaints from our downstairs neighbor about him, but keeping him quiet is pretty much impossible. We've tried punishing him for his behavior, to discourage it, giving him more exercise, raising -and- cutting back his food, making sure he always had water, that his toys were within his reach, and still nothing works.

The other day, he was barking and whining sharply, much like a dog would do when it's being hurt. My sister in law barged into the room, thinking that I was beating him and to make me stop. When she looked in, she saw that the dog was perfectly fine, and that he obviously wasn't in pain. And that I wasn't even in the room. :/

Today, he waited until after he had his 30 minute potty/play break on the porch to pee in his crate, and then whine in protest when I took his blanket away to wash it for the second time in as many days.

The worst part is, I -know- what it is that he wants. He wants all eyes on him at all times. He wants to be allowed to dominate the other two dogs who live here (we've come to realize that he's gay, and in love with my mother in law's male yorkie). He wants to be allowed to play all day, steal toys, and destroy them. He wants to be allowed to pee and poo wherever he wants. He wants to be allowed to mark his territory, and to chew on whatever he finds to his liking. Problem is, I'm not about to give him what he wants just because he demands it. He is a dog, not a human, and doesn't seem to realize that. But even then, I wouldn't let my own children get away with his behavior, either.

We're really at our wits ends, and we don't know what to do. Any help or suggestions would be great.

 

[Pongo]

Puppies are a lot of work, most dogs don't grow out of the puppy stage completely until they are approximately two years old. He is chewing on everything because puppies learn with their mouths and they can be teething (though if your pup is almost a year old he probably has already done this). You need to reprimand him with a sharp "No!" when he chews on something that isn't a toy and then immediately present him with something he is allowed to chew on and praise him. It will take some time for him to learn he can't chew on anything he wants as well as learning to distinguish what he can and can't chew on. There are some sprays you can buy, apple bitter I think, that are supposed to taste bad and discourage chewing on whatever it has been applied to (I don't know if they work, I've never used it). Everything sounds like separation anxiety. Most puppies have some form of separation anxiety to out grow (in fact it's one of the top reasons dogs end up in kennels and eventually euthanized). It is completely normal (annoying, but normal) for young animals to do this... human babies do this for years! Do some research on puppy separation anxiety and some training should fix all your issues with him. I would highly recommend an obedience training class (it may not directly help with the anxiety, but it will help him learn to understand you and you to understand him, it will teach you the process of training a dog to learn something). You should definitely take him to the vet too and discuss your issues... if you got him when he was eight weeks old and he is almost a year than it is probably time for another check up. Here is a link to a video that outlines what separation anxiety is and what you can do about it:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POg8seJ4rYA]Separation Anxiety in Puppies and Dogs - YouTube[/ame]

Also, the fact that he seems to spend all day in the crate is bad. He is going to be bored and stressed out (especially if he wasn't properly trained on how to be crated). Imagine if you were confined to the limits of your bed all day everyday, that's how he feels. Dogs are social, pack oriented animals, they want to be sleeping in the middle of the living room rug while you watch TV... a dachshund for that matter wants to be in your lap. Confining him in a crate all day, all by himself is punishment to him. I fully believe in crating, but just not all day.
What works for your other dogs may not work for him, they are as individual as you are from me. It is going to take a lot of patience to work through his issues. Please don't give up, but if you don't have the time to work with your dog, give him plenty of exercise and if you're not supposed to have dogs where you live I would recommend not having a dog. They need so much work, time and money... they are pretty much the highest maintenance house pet there is.
I'm so sorry you are having a rough time with your doxie, I hope you guys are able to fix it.

 

[gpmum2]

I think the first thing that should be done is to have a trip to the vet,,,to make sure all is well.

Then join some obedience classes and get some expert advice on anxiety issues.

It does also sound that your daxi is in a crate a lot of the time..Daxi crave human attention and love to be sat on your lap.

As for the toilet training problem that seems quite usual .... a lot of Dachshunds do seem to take longer to get the grips with it than some other breeds.

I think you will have to put in a lot of hard work to undo some of the issues.

Good luck..I hope some of the members can give some better advice for you x

 

[Inkeri]

My dog has ADHD, I think. He wants to play play and play. And i admit that I have encouraged this behaviour... I've played with him when he was a puppy almost everytime he asked. Now, after few months of training and ignoring his pokes and whines and barks he's finally understood that he can also pley alone. So, a lesson to be learnt: don't pay attention to the unwanted behaviour, only the good behaviour. Even the punish is a price for a dog, the worst thing is to be un-noticed. Of course, the chewing you have to say no to. But when he whines, just ignore him and when he shuts up, then give him attention. That's what worked with Manu, at least.
And train his brain. Hide treats in the house, give him a Kong, give him dry food in a milk carton etc... It will make him more tired than exercise. Make him use his nose. Train him tricks.

I hope you can fix things! Your dog is still a puppy, so there's nothing that can't be fixed. But be patient... Dachshunds are stubborn...

And btw, he propably isn't gay. If he's humping other dogs he's being dominant.

 

[vizzla]

To me it sounds like he is bored. He needs stimulation for his braind. Give him problems to solve, hide treats or start bloodtracking with him so he gets tired.

I dont think he wants attention like for you to play, he need something to do.

Go on agility class or obedience class, do something togheter. Our dog loves rally-o and bloodtracking. Then he will sleep for a day after!

Good luck!

 

[Blazer's Mom]

I'm very sorry to hear about this issues you are having with your pup. But instead of asking, "Why is he acting like this?".... You should be asking, "Why wouldn't he be acting like this?".

Living in a place where you can't have dogs must make raising a puppy very difficult. When the dog barks, your first response is probably to quiet him since you have neighbors and you're not supposed to have dogs. This "quieting" is attention, and he teaching you that if he whines or barks you give him attention (even if its negative attention).

I'm guessing that you do not have a yard that he is able to play freely in... if he was able to be in a yard playing freely with other dogs and/or you, then he may not be as frustrated (which can lead to whining, barking, chewing and other negative behavior). Taking him for many (3-5) walks per day may help to relieve some of the pent up energy.

As for chewing, excercise may help this, too. In addition, you'll need to watch your pup like it's a toddler. In other words, you'll need to keep a constant eye on the pup when it is out of it's cage. If you can catch the chewing before it starts and replace it with an appropriate toy/bone, then you can re-train the pup on what to chew and what not to chew.

As for potty training, you may want to start over... go back to the basics. Take the pup out every 30 minutes. Keep him on a leash. Do not walk around, stand in one place and give a command for "go potty"...then praise him with attention as soon as he goes. Immediately take him back inside...this way he realizes that he is out there to do his thing (and it's not play time).

I do agree with the others, a trip to the vet would be first on my list.... that way you can rule out any physical issues...such as diabetes, etc.

I wish you much luck...