Ollie In The Morning...

[Guest MadeItToTheMoon]

Oliver has always enjoyed the mornings more than any other time. We've had him for about 4 months now, and he's adjusted pretty well. We give him the run of the apartment at night (and the rest of the day as well- he's no longer crated), and he was getting into bed with us every morning around 5:30 or so. About a week or two ago, my boyfriend and I decided that we had enough of that, though. With two people and a 75 pound greyhound in a bed, it makes it impossible to get that extra hour of sleep. So we started shutting the door on him at night...

 

He's a big whiner, so we figured it would be a rough transition for all of us. He whined a little bit at first, and each day the whining was progressivly less. The past two mornings, however, have been brutal. Our first instict is to say "Ollie, no!", but I'm wondering if that makes him whine more (for attention). I'm not quite sure what triggered it this time- we have had a few loud planes fly over our building with the Air and Water show being in town, but he doesn't seem too bothered by them during the day (and I really doubt that they would be flying at 6 AM!)

 

Does anyone have any suggestions we should try? Today we put a baby gate up instead of closing the door, but that didn't help anything

[Guest RWM]

Lots of greys whine, for no particular reason. Just talk to him in a soothing voice. Try to figure out if he wants something, or whether he's just being vocal with you and/or is trying to communicate.

Edited August 13, 2010 by RWM

[Guest mcsheltie]

I would let him sleep in the room with you on his own bed and teach him to stay off yours. It will take a night or two, but you are up listening to the whining anyway so you won't loose any sleep He will catch on quick. All of ours sleep on their own beds.

[Guest NJgrey]

I would let him sleep in the room with you on his own bed and teach him to stay off yours. It will take a night or two, but you are up listening to the whining anyway so you won't loose any sleep He will catch on quick. All of ours sleep on their own beds.

 

 

Agree. Keep a squirt bottle close by, when he jumps in tell him "off", give a quick squirt if need be and he should get the point pretty quickly.

[LaFlaca]

We had the same issue with Wendy when she first came home. DH and I are not dogs-in-the human-bed people and DH was not keen on having a dog in the bedroom, period. Soooo, we tried to baby gate Wendy in the dining room. Whine, whine, jump. Over the gate and into our bedroom. We then put TWO baby gates up, one above the other. Whine, whine, scratch. Finally, I convinced DH to give the poor girl her own bed in our bedroom. Wendy is happy, I am happy and DH now likes having the pup in the bedroom. Can you put a bed for your houndie in your room?

[Batmom]

I would third the advice for a bed of his own in your room. First few nights you'll probably have to keep evicting him from your bed and putting him back in his own, but he'll get the hang of it. For time, do you use an alarm clock? It took awhile, but I was able to teach Joseph that we get up when the alarm goes off, not before (unless "we" are really desperate to go potty). I set the alarm for about 15 minutes before he normally started fussing and gradually moved it out to the time *I* wanted to get up. If he fussed before the alarm went off, I told him ONCE to lie down and then ignored him ... again, unless I thought he might really have to go out. When he does have to go out early, we go out and then straight back to bed until the alarm -- no attention, no breakfast until the clock.

[GeorgeofNE]

Lots of greys whine, for no particular reason. Just talk to him in a soothing voice. Try to figure out if he wants something, or whether he's just being vocal with you and/or is trying to communicate.

 

I respectfully disagree with this suggesiton. Speaking to a dog in a soothing voice when he's doing something you don't want him to do will send him the wrong message. I'd work on teaching him "quite" instead, and I wouldn't be saying it in a soothing tone! George used to wake me up at EXACTLY 4:30 AM every day. Once I figured out it wasn't an emergency need to go out, I got firm with him. I start with one "Quiet!" and if that doesn't work, the voice of God comes out, and it's "KNOCK IT OFF!"

 

You might consider letting him back into the bedroom, but teaching him he can't climb into the bed with you unless invited.

[Guest RWM]

Lots of greys whine, for no particular reason. Just talk to him in a soothing voice. Try to figure out if he wants something, or whether he's just being vocal with you and/or is trying to communicate.

 

I respectfully disagree with this suggesiton. Speaking to a dog in a soothing voice when he's doing something you don't want him to do will send him the wrong message. I'd work on teaching him "quite" instead, and I wouldn't be saying it in a soothing tone! George used to wake me up at EXACTLY 4:30 AM every day. Once I figured out it wasn't an emergency need to go out, I got firm with him. I start with one "Quiet!" and if that doesn't work, the voice of God comes out, and it's "KNOCK IT OFF!"

 

Suppose it's not 4:30 in the morning; suppose it's during the day and he's trying to communicate with you. Would you still start with "Quiet!," and if he didn't obey, then unleash the voice of God on him? Suppose he whines when he has to go out? Suppose he whines when he's uncomfortable? Suppose he whines when he's injured, or has a tooth ache, or is sick? Same treatment? Just curious whether the rules apply in all contexts.

 

Granted, if he's a PITA at 4:30 a.m. every morning for no good reason, I can't blame you for being stern with him.

Edited August 13, 2010 by RWM

[RobinM]

Lots of greys whine, for no particular reason. Just talk to him in a soothing voice. Try to figure out if he wants something, or whether he's just being vocal with you and/or is trying to communicate.

 

I respectfully disagree with this suggesiton. Speaking to a dog in a soothing voice when he's doing something you don't want him to do will send him the wrong message. I'd work on teaching him "quite" instead, and I wouldn't be saying it in a soothing tone! George used to wake me up at EXACTLY 4:30 AM every day. Once I figured out it wasn't an emergency need to go out, I got firm with him. I start with one "Quiet!" and if that doesn't work, the voice of God comes out, and it's "KNOCK IT OFF!"

 

Suppose it's not 4:30 in the morning; suppose it's during the day and he's trying to communicate with you. Would you still start with "Quiet!," and if he didn't obey, then unleash the voice of God on him? Suppose he whines when he has to go out? Suppose he whines when he's uncomfortable? Suppose he whines when he's injured, or has a tooth ache, or is sick? Same treatment? Just curious whether the rules apply in all contexts.

 

Granted, if he's a PITA at 4:30 a.m. every morning for no good reason, I can't blame you for being stern with him.

 

 

 

No disrespect to you either, Dick but I believe Susan made it really clear that she made sure her pup was ok before she sounded stern. I think that's a give in.

 

To the OP, I hope you get to the bottom of this fast! Beau, our first used to wake us with playing with his taking stuffies. Now... we almost have to overturn his bed to get him up and out!!!

[Guest Sunset123]

We use the command "go to your bed." When Arrisa whines at us in the morning, I just tell her to go to her bed and she leaves us alone and goes back to sleep. I dunno, might be easier to teach than "quiet"?

[Guest jaws4evr]

Do you have a crate? When our girl whines before dawn, and doesn't stop with ignoring, we put he in her crate. We have to be careful that she doesn't have to have an emergency potty though. She's also excellent at beign quite when she's in the crate, since she's aware that's the only way she's getting out of it

 

I've found the ignoring usually is more effective than the correction, since by 4am the dogs usually are excited that you're awake, even if you're saying "no!"

[Guest pennmorgan]

I think the best solution will probably be bed in the room + squirt gun in the face. Olivia learned *very* rapidly that morning whining was unacceptable.

[Guest RWM]

 

No disrespect to you either, Dick but I believe Susan made it really clear that she made sure her pup was ok before she sounded stern. I think that's a give in.

 

Well, if that’s the case, Robin, it should be equally clear that GeorgeOfNE and I really don’t disagree. Sure, if you want to take an extreme example, I wouldn’t put up with my greys either if they whined at early hours of the morning for no good reason, and would give them a stern reprimand. However, I was talking about normal, daily occurrences when lots of greys whine (including my Daisy), my point being that they often whine as a means to communicate, much like a soft woof or a soft growl. So, the question then becomes, should you give a stern warning (first, “quiet,” and then the voice of God) to your dog because of that? I think not.

[nyGreys]

However, I was talking about normal, daily occurrences when lots of greys whine (including my Daisy), my point being that they often whine as a means to communicate, much like a soft woof or a soft growl.

 

Abby tells me what she wants with her whine, rooing & body language, she usually wants to go potty, a cookie, or to be covered up when she's cold,

so yes, she whines among other things, to communicate & I love that tells me she has to go potty.

Edited August 14, 2010 by nyGreys

[Guest Mom2Shiloh]

I vote for bed in the room and training the dog to stay on their own bed -- dogs being pack animals, they really want to sleep with their pack. It's definitely possible to teach them Not to jump on your bed unless invited. Lots of people I know Do invite the dog up for a snooze when only one person is there -- and the dogs seem to be able to understand that too.

[Guest Mollysmom10]

I think your grey misses being near you -- Molly was always near us on her own bed, if she couldn't be in the same room, at least she was where she could see us -- which some times led to some interesting sleeping positions on her part...

[Guest OffLead]

Lene the Wolfhound is the only one of the current dogs allowed to sleep in the bed. She's my alpha bitch, and the very best cuddler of any dog I've ever owned, so it's nice having her in bed with me. (Plus, The Fella being in another state these days, there's plenty of room...haha. When both humans are living in the same house, the rule is always that one dog is allowed in bed when there is one human -- top IW with me, or Flynn the GSD with The Fella -- but dog must always get down when the second person comes to bed. And no dogs are given bed privileges until they've well earned them and are willing to follow the very strict rules, since this can be a problem area if you're having any dominance or aggression issues.) Liz, the elder IW, shows no interest in getting into the bed with me, so that works fine. Jimmy showed some interest, and I allowed him up once when Lene had chosen to sleep on the floor for a while. But Jimmy has sleep aggression, and woke snarling and snapping at me, so he's not allowed up there anymore, and has stopped asking to come up.

 

All our dogs are allowed to sleep in the bedroom or out in the house, though these days I gate off the kitchen so that they have access to just three rooms including the bedroom at night. (This gives the cat a safe, dog-free zone, and also limits the amount of zooming that Lene and Jimmy are likely to try getting away with.) Within those three rooms, they can choose where they want to sleep. Lene sleeps either on the bed, or on the gym mat at the foot of the bed, depending on how hot it is. Liz sleeps on the gym mat. Jimmy sleeps either in his own crate, which is in the next room with a full view of me in bed through the doorway, or in Lene's crate, which is next to the bed in the bedroom. Crate doors are open.

 

BUT!! Jimmy, when loose at night, starts play behavior to wake me up very early. And I've been giving in, because it's been so hot, and the wee morning hours are the coolest time of day. So we get up and go spend an hour or two outside before I start my work day. The trouble is he's been getting up just a bit earlier each morning, until he was trying to wake me about 5am one day last week. I'm NOT a morning person, and I don't care how cool it is at 5am, I'm not going to go sit out in the dark at that hour. I'd fall asleep in the yard! The first few weeks Jimmy was here, I crated him at night, and he did fine no matter how long I slept. So last week when he tried to get me out of bed at 5, I got up, put him in his crate, and crawled back into bed. He didn't whine or fuss, just laid down and napped. The first day I did this I'd been running short on sleep, and relying on the dogs to wake me in the morning, so did not have an alarm set. They let me sleep until 9:30! So Jimmy does just fine in the morning and isn't generally really needing anything. He's just bored, and wants the day to start. For the time being if he wakes me too early, I'm just crating him, and going back to bed, and getting back up when the alarm goes off. I figure he'll sort it all out eventually. He just wanted to see how much he could get away with. :-) I actually prefer dogs who will try to pull something or manipulate me periodically. They're more interesting. *G*

[GeorgeofNE]

Lots of greys whine, for no particular reason. Just talk to him in a soothing voice. Try to figure out if he wants something, or whether he's just being vocal with you and/or is trying to communicate.

 

I respectfully disagree with this suggesiton. Speaking to a dog in a soothing voice when he's doing something you don't want him to do will send him the wrong message. I'd work on teaching him "quite" instead, and I wouldn't be saying it in a soothing tone! George used to wake me up at EXACTLY 4:30 AM every day. Once I figured out it wasn't an emergency need to go out, I got firm with him. I start with one "Quiet!" and if that doesn't work, the voice of God comes out, and it's "KNOCK IT OFF!"

 

Suppose it's not 4:30 in the morning; suppose it's during the day and he's trying to communicate with you. Would you still start with "Quiet!," and if he didn't obey, then unleash the voice of God on him? Suppose he whines when he has to go out? Suppose he whines when he's uncomfortable? Suppose he whines when he's injured, or has a tooth ache, or is sick? Same treatment? Just curious whether the rules apply in all contexts.

 

Granted, if he's a PITA at 4:30 a.m. every morning for no good reason, I can't blame you for being stern with him.

 

I was responding to the question asked--clearly the OP has a dog whining every day at the same time. If you would take a moment to read what I wrote, that's the question I am responding too.

[Guest RWM]

Lots of greys whine, for no particular reason. Just talk to him in a soothing voice. Try to figure out if he wants something, or whether he's just being vocal with you and/or is trying to communicate.

 

I respectfully disagree with this suggesiton. Speaking to a dog in a soothing voice when he's doing something you don't want him to do will send him the wrong message. I'd work on teaching him "quite" instead, and I wouldn't be saying it in a soothing tone! George used to wake me up at EXACTLY 4:30 AM every day. Once I figured out it wasn't an emergency need to go out, I got firm with him. I start with one "Quiet!" and if that doesn't work, the voice of God comes out, and it's "KNOCK IT OFF!"

 

Suppose it's not 4:30 in the morning; suppose it's during the day and he's trying to communicate with you. Would you still start with "Quiet!," and if he didn't obey, then unleash the voice of God on him? Suppose he whines when he has to go out? Suppose he whines when he's uncomfortable? Suppose he whines when he's injured, or has a tooth ache, or is sick? Same treatment? Just curious whether the rules apply in all contexts.

 

Granted, if he's a PITA at 4:30 a.m. every morning for no good reason, I can't blame you for being stern with him.

 

I was responding to the question asked--clearly the OP has a dog whining every day at the same time. If you would take a moment to read what I wrote, that's the question I am responding too.

 

Sorry if I misconstrued. If I did, my apologies. I really think you and I are in agreement about this.

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

Did you adopt through GO (Greyhounds Only) in Chicago? If so, contact your foster parent, or adoption rep. If you do not have the number, here are the GO numbers to call for behavior issues or emergencies (such as lost hound): 847-421-9828 or 773-297-4739 or 312-502-8074. You will have someone answer any of these phones as they are supposed to be manned 24/7. If you would rather call me (I am a rep for GO as well) you can call me at 630-272-8178 and I can walk you through some things to try. If you didnt adopt through GO, feel free to call me and I can help as well. One thing, dont use the crate for punishment, thats not the purpose of a crate.

 

Chad

[Guest RWM]

However, I was talking about normal, daily occurrences when lots of greys whine (including my Daisy), my point being that they often whine as a means to communicate, much like a soft woof or a soft growl.

 

Abby tells me what she wants with her whine, rooing & body language, she usually wants to go potty, a cookie, or to be covered up when she's cold,

so yes, she whines among other things, to communicate & I love that tells me she has to go potty.

 

My Daisy is a whiner but I am not at all upset by it. She whines when she has to go out; she whines when she wants food; she whines when she wants attention; she whines when we're in the car and she's in the back seat and wants me to put the window down; and she whines when Snowy is bothering her. Oddly, they are distinctly different whines (I know, it sounds strange to hear me say that, but it's true). There is no doubt that she is communicating with me, and I really think I understand her most of the time. Daisy is very vocal; she not only whines, but soft woofs, rooes, and soft barks. It all means somehting, and while I haven't figured it all out, I know she's talking to me and I think I understand most of it. It took time and effort to get to this point, but it's been worth it!

[Mystella]

Jeff Gordon is a morning whiner too. He sleeps in our room on his own bed on the floor but when he thinks it is time to get up (which started out being 445 am and we have now, 8 months later, progressed to 655, which is MUCH better) he starts whining. He likes to stand on my side of the bed, rest his chin by my face and whine. I have to pretend to sleep through it because if I even open an eye he starts hopping and tail wagging and banging his clumsy oaf self off the side of the bed as he runs back in forth in 'yay it worked, she's up' mode.