# Whining in protest/frustration - any tips for training this out of him?



## Vizsla_Luka (Sep 8, 2015)

Hi everyone,

Our Luka is now just gone 8 months old, and things are going very well in terms of his training and he's now at that point where we can leave him in the house for a few hours and not worry our pants off about if he'll need to go to the toilet, or be crying, etc. He's old enough to enjoy some lovely hikes with us and we're really enjoying having him in our lives!

He's now a real adolescent so we're firming up with our 5 min training sessions a few times a day and it really seems to help whilst out on walks etc.

I have noticed however he is getting more and more vocal. I know V's are a vocal breed, and he's always "communicated" with us by whining or wincing, or he even makes trilling noises which I find incredible! The problem is not his general communication noises but what I can only describe as "frustration" whining. He seems to be very whiney when he's asked to do something he doesn't want to do. 

For example, even when we're stopped at a crossing and waiting for the light to go green, he'll whine until we start crossing the road. I will always wait for a break in his whining before we proceed. 
Recently we had him doing a "stay" in place whilst we were chatting amongst friends at a friends' house and his whining got louder and louder (he stayed the whole time though) until which point we broke and let him come out of his stay and made him go into his kennel instead (from where he also whined but it was in the bedroom so less loud and distracting). I know in that situation we should have persevered until he quietened down but the whining had at this point turned into howling and it was hard even to talk! 
Today we were on the tram for a maximum of 10 minutes, and he whined and howled and it was really embarrassing as it seems even louder when you're in an enclosed carriage (and being in Switzerland, people don't make loud noises whilst on public transport) I tried praise him when he was quiet, and told him to "settle down" which is a command he's not fully got his head round yet, but unless I was distracting him by asking him to do something like "look at me" or "sit", he would start whining again. He's been on the tram plenty of times before and been quiet, though I suppose he's not been on one in about a month or so.

Dogs are welcome in restaurants and bars in Switzerland which is wonderful, but I'm worried about taking him at the moment in case he whines the whole time!

Anyone successfully minimised this type of whining? I normally have bully sticks or pig's ears if I know I'll be going somewhere where he needs to stay still and calm for a period of time, but I'm likely to find myself in a situation throughout his life where I don't come ready armed! Plus, he eats those things pretty quickly these days so not particularly viable if we are eating in a restaurant for example.

Many thanks in advance, and look forward to hearing your pearls of wisdom!


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

How does he react if you tap his leash when whining?
Would it help to quite him, or hype him? Each dog reacts a little differently, depended on training and temperament. Mine know a leash tap means attention back on me, but its a trained response. 
They also know a spray bottle with water, as a correction, but that was learned as a puppy.
He would have to know what the correction is for, or it would be of no use.


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## Vizsla_Luka (Sep 8, 2015)

TexasRed said:


> How does he react if you tap his leash when whining?
> Would it help to quite him, or hype him? Each dog reacts a little differently, depended on training and temperament. Mine know a leash tap means attention back on me, but its a trained response.
> They also know a spray bottle with water, as a correction, but that was learned as a puppy.
> He would have to know what the correction is for, or it would be of no use.


He definitely hasn't been trained to revert attention back to me with a leash tug and so couldn't you tell what his reaction would be. I should maybe try that, combine it with "look at me" which he does know and see if that works! Would be great if that helps ! Such a simple solution ! As for water bottle, I've never tried it, I reckon he'd have the fright of his life !!! Can i buy any bottle with a squeezy nozzle for that ? 

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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

I buy the cheap spray bottles. They are really sold for mixing cleansers, have a adjustable nozzle on them. I can adjust it to spray all the way across my living room. When my pups are small I use it to help enforce Leave It, and Quite. While I'm in the same room with them, and have a short lead on them. The spray bottle is good for timing a correction, if the lead is not in reach.
Two of mine are almost 6 years old, and the other will be 7 this summer. They still respect the spray bottle, but none are scared of it. Its more of a annoyance to them. We have a new dog next door, and they had hopes of barking through the fence. I brought out the trusty spray bottle, and the changed their mines. 
I wouldn't use a water bottle with a squeeze top, as its something we need dogs to drink out of on walks sometime. And the physical movement involved. If you really think he is to soft, and it would frighten him, I would look for a different option.


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## gingerling (Jun 20, 2015)

Before I went to a punishment (like a spray bottle), I'd look a little more closely at the circumstances of the vocalization..why is he doing it? V's are very communicative, but typically they communicate much more than mere' bratty ness'. 

For instance, when he's standing still at a cross walk or on a tram, is he cold? Do you have a coat on him? It's January in Switzerland, and they have virtually no protection against the cold. So, his whining could be a demonstration of his physical discomfort. You don't want to punish him for reaching out to you to protect or care for him, the basis of the relationship with you is understanding and trust.

At your friends house, putting him on a stay while you talk can be uncomfortable, too. Standing there or sitting there and not being able to move or interact isn't natural for them, they know the difference btwn a reasonable command and one that's not. "Stay" for a few moments while you converse is OK, anything longer really isn't. Hence, the whining. Your response to put him in the crate seemed to work, maybe next time you can pre empt his complaints by putting him in a space that's more comfortable and natural for him.

If all those thugs are taken into consideration and you're looking at this from his perspective and he continues to vocalize, then consider training and using using the word "Stop!". Simple, one word commands are always the most effective, and remember to reward the 'Stop' when it occurs so he learns to associate the word with his response.


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## Vizsla_Luka (Sep 8, 2015)

Gingerling said:


> Before I went to a punishment (like a spray bottle), I'd look a little more closely at the circumstances of the vocalization..why is he doing it? V's are very communicative, but typically they communicate much more than mere' bratty ness'.
> 
> For instance, when he's standing still at a cross walk or on a tram, is he cold? Do you have a coat on him? It's January in Switzerland, and they have virtually no protection against the cold. So, his whining could be a demonstration of his physical discomfort. You don't want to punish him for reaching out to you to protect or care for him, the basis of the relationship with you is understanding and trust.
> 
> At your friends house, putting him on a stay while you talk can be uncomfortable, too. Standing there or sitting there and not being able to move or interact isn't natural for them, they know the difference btwn a reasonable command and one that's not. "Stay" for a few moments while you converse is OK, anything longer really isn't. Hence, the whining. Your response to put him in the crate seemed to work, maybe next time you can pre empt his complaints by putting him in a space that's more comfortable and natural for him.


Yes that's a very good point. It's actually a pretty warm winter so far (not great from a skiing perspective but that's another story !) but since these guys have very little hair I think they do feel it more. I don't put a coat on him when we go for a walk as he's in the move the whole time and seems fine but it's true that he gets cold very quickly if we stop.

It's made me remember that I put up a video on instagram recently where he was whining when I asked him to do a "sit" after recall and someone commented that their bum gets cold in the ground so they protest more in the winter. 

The "stay" and tram issue I also realise is not natural or comfortable for him, but he is a pet who comes places with us so I'm keen that he learns to stay and chill out when we need (e.g. A restaurant or public transportation, or standing in a queue, etc ) I think for those I'm going to take a step back, start with shorter times, and work up. He's prefectly fine doing a 30 min stay in his crate at home if we ask, so I know he can do it. I think the level of distraction might be the issue... What do you think ? 

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## gingerling (Jun 20, 2015)

Warm for us is a lot different for them, especially when they're still. Try a coat..one of those that offers fleece lining AND has some chest protection, not the "barn coats" that just cover their back. The ground in January in Ch. is cold! and so is the floor of those trams. Let's assume he's complaining not so much b/c he's a brat, but b/c he's cold and he hopes you'll help him out.

He's but 8 months, which is a longer time for us then him. If he understands your expectations AND believes them to be fair and reasonable, he'll happily go along. Let's see how the coat improves things. With regard to restaurants and such, he's not ready for that....I take mine everywhere, but didn't start until they understood the expectations....calm and quiet, but always after their needs were met and they were relaxed and knew what to expect. 

With regards to distractability, that's a part of it, especially if there's a crowd and there's the opportunity for more attention. But, a Vizsla will do absolutely anything for its owner if it understands those expectations, and will gladly put your needs ahead of his own. I think the issue with the crate is that he sees that space as his, so his when you command him to go in there, it's like telling your kid to go to his room..with all it's comforts! So, it's easy for him to be good.

I think the issue for you here isn't so much his behavior...he sounds like a really good boy, esp. for 8 months!..but maybe your expectations. They experience the passage of time much differently than we do, I think they need more reassurance and training so they truly understand what we want from them.


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## Vizsla_Luka (Sep 8, 2015)

Gingerling said:


> Warm for us is a lot different for them, especially when they're still. Try a coat..one of those that offers fleece lining AND has some chest protection, not the "barn coats" that just cover their back. The ground in January in Ch. is cold! and so is the floor of those trams. Let's assume he's complaining not so much b/c he's a brat, but b/c he's cold and he hopes you'll help him out.
> 
> He's but 8 months, which is a longer time for us then him. If he understands your expectations AND believes them to be fair and reasonable, he'll happily go along. Let's see how the coat improves things. With regard to restaurants and such, he's not ready for that....I take mine everywhere, but didn't start until they understood the expectations....calm and quiet, but always after their needs were met and they were relaxed and knew what to expect.
> 
> ...


Yes it's true, he IS a good dog. There really isn't anything more I could ask of Luka to be honest given his age, but yes, I have to remind myself how young he is !

We'll get him a jumper and maybe some short sessions on the tram every now and again and I'm sure he'll be very clear on how to behave 😊 

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