Help with crying dog please!

My 7 month old puppy, Sapphire cries (whines) a lot. She does this when we go out (other than on a walk eg. visiting my mum's house), in the car and sometimes when we are at home.

I have taken her out in the car and visiting people regularly since we brought her home, but her crying is getting worse and not better! We try to ignore her when she is crying, but she just carries on! She will stop momentarily when she is distracted or when I walk her.

I want to try and stop this while she is still a puppy. Any ideas/advice please?

It's difficult to know from your post what's going on with Sapphire when she whines ~ is it an excited whine as in anticipation of something exciting happening? Or is it because she's scared/fearful? Do you think she's in any discomfort or pain? Does it happen most often in the car? Do you think it could be car/motion sickness?

Does she whine when you leave her or at other times when you are there? Could it be an attention-seeking behaviour? You say that you've tried ignoring her but if you sometimes respond to the whining & sometimes give her attention, this can actually make the whining worse as she'll try harder to get your attention.

Although you said that have taken her out regularly since you've had her, sometimes it can be better to do less rather than too much with a young pup. It gives them a chance to settle into a stable routine & get used to the constants in life.

It may be advisable to mention the whining to your vet next time you visit so that he/she can check that there is no medical cause for the crying. If not, then have a long hard look at the times the whining occurs, what has hapened just before & how you & your family react to Sapphire's whining. What is her body language like? Does she looked scared, anxious or excited & bouncy?

Your pup is very young - just a baby really. I`m sure she`ll settle down as she gets older. Some dogs are chattier than others.

When I first had Barney he was 18 months old & he was a horror in the car ~ just out of the sheer excitement of going out for a walk. He would grizzle & whine & make very high-pitched squeaks & squeals that would drive me mad. If I spoke to him at all it would only make things worse. The only times he was quiet in the car was if he sat in the front passenger seat next to me ~ but then he would try lying across my lap so preventing me from changing gear or putting the handbrake on ~ not the safest way to drive.

I found out later that his previous owner had a hatch-back car & a works van. If he took Barney out in the car, he was confined to the boot & squealed & whined, but in the works van, Barney was allowed on the front passenger seat ~ his very favourite place to be! The whining stemmed from the fact that he was shut away in the back of my estate car, on his own, when he really wanted to sit in the front. However on the way home from the walk (however short or long) Barney was calm & quiet.

I could put up with the whining for a short trip to the local park, but for longer trips I couldn't stand the noise. So if I was going for a long walk far away I would take Barney for a trot round the local park first, then back in the car for a peaceful journey to Ashdown Forest, or wherever we were going.

He's now as good as gold in the car regardless of length of journey & its helped by having another dog to keep him company. The only time he whines now is if we're going to my mother's house & he recognises the way as we turn into her road ~ then he starts whining in excitement at seeing his second favourite person in the whole world.

Hi Vicki having taken into account what the other members have said about making sure Sapphire is not in any kind of pain and discomfort I think you need to look at when your puppy cries and her body language at the time , does she appear scared or maybe excited.
Does the crying only happen in the car and when you are getting ready to go out?

If Sapphire seems excited at the times she cries the problem could be excitement/anticipation. We used to have a Cocker bitch who loved going to shows and the moment she saw any signs of the show bag being packed and the car loaded she would start her 'yattereing' noise which continued on an off throughout the journey.

If you think excitement may be the cause of the problem with your puppy there are things you can do which may help but it will take time .
You could try taking Sapphire into the car and the moment she starts crying take her out again without saying a word and repeating this until she learns she only gets to go anywhere in the car when she is quiet. Also when she is quiet she gets praise in a calm quiet voice.

Sapphire is a SBT isn't she, I find Staffs have a whole range of little grunts and noises , very sweet really. As Sapphire matures she should calm down and be a little less excited anyway

Thanks for the replies.

I am sure that she is not in pain. The crying seems to be more excitment/anxiety/attention seeking. Not sure which.

She tends to cry in the car when she knows where we are going or if we stop anywhere and don't let her out. She also cries if I go upstairs at home and don't let her come with me.

I had a Yorkie who cried like this all her life, so I was hoping to stop this now rather than just hope she grows out of it!

From what you say it sounds more like anxiety at being left on her own, i.e. she cries when left in the car on her own or when you go upstairs & leave her.

Do you leave Sapphire on her own at any other other times? If so, what is she like then? If she's ok about being left when you go out, then perhaps follow a similar routine when you go upstairs? Do you have stair gates so she can't follow you? Perhaps do a bit of work on getting her used to being alone by leaving her for short periods only & then coming back & rewarding quiet behaviour.

If she's particularly noisy in the car, can you give her a chew stick or something to occupy her whilst she's left?

I suspect that if she can cope being left alone then the crying is more likley to be attention-seeking & along the lines of "I want to be with you ~why can't I come upstairs?" rather than "please don't leave me all by myself as I'm scared on my own!". If this is the case, then ignoring the crying & not giving attention may be the best solution. It's likely that she'll grow out of it as she matures.

Sapphire is not left on her own in the car. If we need to stop for something either me or my OH will get out and the other will stay with the dogs. It doesn't matter who stays with her, she will still cry!

She is fine when she knows I am going out, but not when I go upstairs without her! We do have stair gates and this is how I stop her following me. In this situation she is only like this with me, if my OH goes upstairs she isn't bothered.