# Too much attention to the puppy?



## philips2 (Jan 4, 2009)

First off, thank you, everyone, for making this forum so great. For all the questions I've posted, I've gotten answers to dozens more by going through older entries. You guys are the best. Our puppy training (he's 17 weeks old, of which 2 have been with us) is going really well because of your help.

This Monday, my wife and I were busy putting together Ikea furniture (yippee!...), and our puppy started whining/crying even though we were in the room. It wasn't loud, but it was obviously for attention. This was new behavior for him, and he kept doing it today. For instance, I was in the kitchen area making something today, and he started whining even though he was sitting right behind me.

We obviously want to fix this. Our question is: should we just ignore him (and hope the whining stops) or should we divert his attention with a stuffed Kong? We understand we need to make him more independent but aren't sure what's the best way.

Second question: during the weekdays, the puppy is crated for much of the morning (9am-12pm) and afternoon (1pm-4pm/5pm). However, during the evening (6pm-10pm) we don't crate him until we go to bed. This is the time my wife and I are both around, and usually one of us is holding/petting/playing with him. Maybe we're giving him too much attention? Should we crate him during the evening? What about on weekends? For the past 2 weekends that we've had him, we have not crated him at all during the day and evening. except for when he goes to bed.

Thank you, SM!!!


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## Scoobydoo (May 26, 2005)

I think he has learned that when you are there and he is not crated it's his attention time. I would try giving him something to amuse himself and ignore his crying for attention, you are right in that if you give him a kong treat to play with or a toy to amuse himself he will learn that playing can be fun on his own sometimes.
I would also make sure there isn't a health issue too that may be bothering him if this is a sudden behaviour.
We made the mistake of spoiling our boys rotten and now we are paying the price, but in saying that they do manage to amuse one another sometimes and play together or separately with toys, but most of the time they just like to hang out with us. We are lucky though that we are here most of the time with them, we are retired and have the time to spend with them.


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

Ignoring it is good. And practice having him confined while you are there (the kong is crate or even feed his meals in there).


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## vjw (Dec 20, 2006)

This early stage of puppyhood is one of the most difficult for me to know exactly how to respond to puppies. You want your puppy to learn to be independent and not too clingy, but at the same time you want to give them the affection and attention they need.

You may already be doing this, but if I had a whining puppy, I think I would first make sure the puppy didn't need to potty, or wasn't hungry or thirsty.

I agree that giving the puppy a kong, treat, or toy to help them learn to amuse themselves is a great idea. There's just one caution about this though. Time the giving of the goodie to a time when the puppy isn't whining. If you give the treat or toy to the puppy immediately after he whines, he'll learn that whining = fun treat or toy.



Dr. Nicholas Dodman, one of the nation's top veterinary behaviorists and the Director of the Animal Behavior Clinic at Tufts wrote this excellent article on whining (Be sure to scroll past the google ads in the middle of the article and read all the way through to the conclusion):

Dealing With Whining Dogs







Joy


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## makettle29 (Nov 12, 2005)

When herk was that age I had a little backpack that I wore in the front, and put him in it. I'd wear it sometimes when I was really busy (like cooking) or in a crowd. He loved it in there and he felt secure. It was a good bonding time for us and he's not a needy dog today.

I just treated my malts like I treated my children when they were young. There is a time for nuturing and a time for discipline, you'll know the difference.




good luck,

mary anna herk and theena


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## sassy's mommy (Aug 29, 2005)

How does the puppy react if you talk to him when he whines? I have always treated Sassy like I would a human baby. I talk to her, i play with her, if she seems like she needs my attention for whatever reason I stop and see about her. I am not real big into crate training. I like gated areas where the baby can have room to move around until they are old enough and potty trained enough to be trusted with full run of the house. 

I am not sure you can give them too much attention. I think that any attention you can give them as a pup only helps mold their little personality; thus, making them more complete as an adult.


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## wolfieinthehouse (Dec 14, 2007)

I know it is so hard to ignore!

My 19 week pup tries to give me a talkin' to each time I have left her for any time and I have tried both ignoring her vocalizations as I come home and addressing them.

If I acknowledge them, she is much worse and will even work herself up to nipping at me in a frenzy.

So...I vote for ignoring at this point.


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## allheart (Oct 3, 2008)

QUOTE (Sassy's mommy @ Jan 21 2009, 04:32 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=710906


> How does the puppy react if you talk to him when he whines? I have always treated Sassy like I would a human baby. I talk to her, i play with her, if she seems like she needs my attention for whatever reason I stop and see about her. I am not real big into crate training. I like gated areas where the baby can have room to move around until they are old enough and potty trained enough to be trusted with full run of the house.
> 
> I am not sure you can give them too much attention. I think that any attention you can give them as a pup only helps mold their little personality; thus, making them more complete as an adult.[/B]



Gosh, I agree with you all the way 100% on this. I thought I was the only one who didn't like crates. Hubby and I just can't wrap our heads around them. I guess cause I have clostophoia..(sp) LOL, it's just so hard for us to use crates.
We have this big x-pen, and they can play rop, sleep...not saying this is the right way, but, I just can't even look at crates.

About the baby whining, while out of the crate, honestly, that would really concern me. The only times my babies would ever whine, would be in their x-pen...or if I am upstaris, and the two little stinkers, sit by the bottom of the steps, which we have gated off with a baby gate, so they can't go up...they are too little for that...but they will sit and whine for me...and I rush what I am doing...to tend to them.

But if your baby is whining at your feet, that would concern me. I would make sure he was okay. It's their little way of telling you something..

I really don't think also, you can ever give too much attention. Puppies have so much energy, and need lots of time with you, playing, learning, growing...

Now, if my babies are in the x-pen and whine (which they don't anymore), but when they did, and I knew they were okay, their bellies were full, they had water, they had a great deal of our time and attention, and all was well, and they just wanted OUT  , then yes, that can be ignored, and should stop shorty after.

They go happily right in their x-pen and night, because the know they get a little treat before it's time for them to sleep.


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## jazzmalt (Feb 6, 2007)

I battled Miko's attention-seeking behavior for a while before it extinguished. Similar to your Baxter, he would whine and sometimes throw little tantrums whenever I wasn't looking at him. He really wasn't demanding anything in particular, other than that I make eye contact and he could know I was looking at him. But, again, as soon as I'd stop looking at him, he'd start acting out. I call him an "attention addict". I know that's not very nice, but it certainly is descriptive. LOL. 

He would start the behavior with whining. When I started ignoring that, he escalated to bringing me his toys and dropping them at my feet. When I ignored that, he escalated to going to his pee pad and either pretending he was pottying, or actually eeking out a dime-sized squirt. This worked for a while, because I used to reward him with a treat or praise whenever he used his potty pad...so he successfully got the attention he was seeking. I had to start ignoring his "look at me" potty behavior and had to stop rewarding him for using his potty pad. The next escalation phase was a little harder for me to ignore. He learned that whenever he paws at his face, I will tell him to "stop that" (because I don't want him breaking his face hair). So, when I ignored all the other attention-seeking, he escalated to sitting down right in front of me, wherever I was and whatever I was doing, and starting to paw furiously at his face until I told him to "stop that". This rewarded his demand for attention and quieted him only until I started back with whatever I was doing. Then he'd do the pawing thing again, a cycle we repeated quite often, and for longer than I should've alowed him to manipulate me with it. It was just very diffiult for me to let him paw his face, I'm so concerned about him breaking his face hair. But, finally I was able to totally ignore this, and he eventually quit trying it. 

Confining him, distracting him (with toys or treats), scolding him, putting him in his ex-pen, or crating him didn't work for me. Any response from me at all gave him the attention he wanted, even if it was only to make me look at him. When I used to try putting him in his ex-pen, it was so hard not to laugh when he'd pick up all his toys, one by one, stand up on his back legs and drop them over the top of the ex-pen. These little guys are so smart it's almost scary, and sometimes it's hard not to let them outwit us. With Miko, absolutely the only thing that worked to eventually stop his "attention whoring" was to totally ignore whatever he did, and be careful not to even let him catch me looking at him. :smheat:


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