New pup won't stop crying

[PaisleysMum]

Join our free community today.

Connect with other like-minded dog lovers!

Login or Register

Hi Everyone, newbie here after some advice. Bear with me I apologise if this is a bit long winded.

We brought home our 8 week old French Bulldog pup a week ago, and struggling a little bit with her whining. Not just at night, we expected that at first, and she usually settles about 20-30mins (she's crated in the kitchen downstairs), but at any time that one of us is not in a room with her. Even if I nip upstairs to the loo, she's crying and even howling and I'm only gone for minutes. When I went upstairs to get dressed yesterday I thought I'd just let her cry it out, so I waited upstairs after I was ready and she was still crying after 20+ minutes. I do know it's early days but is it me or does this seem rather excessive? She has lots of toys and we try rotating them so she's not bored of the same ones, and tried a kong but nothing seems to distract her the minute we walk out of a room and she's not able to follow us. For Eg we have a baby gate across the kitchen doorway which leads right into our lounge. I was cleaning round yesterday and just closed the gate while she was having breakfast (thinking that'd keep her busy), but she stopped eating and cried at the gate the whole time...even though she could actually see me pottering about. It isn't that she needs to toilet either as this can happen after she's done that.

I suppose I'm just after some reassurance and advice, as I don't want her fretting so much and it getting out of hand as she gets older for her sake.

Thank you and hope I didn't ramble!

 

[gypsysmum2]

No you did not ramble

The following assumes that she is healthy and not in any discomfort.

It sounds to me that this may be a "learned behaviour". It may have started as her whining to go out or because she was tired/hungry/lonely etc but has now become something that she does because it "works". She whines and then someone talks to her. Or she whines and someone comes.

You have tried the ignoring, I know, but you must persevere. Never talk or interact with her for ten seconds after she has whined. More importantly you must tune into her and pay attention to her when she is quiet. If possible you can give her more attention than she is getting now but it should be when she is not whining.

A midwife said to me, "never pick up a crying baby". Of course I did not follow the advice to the letter but I did hover by the nursery door waiting for the baby to wake so that I could pick her up before she started crying.

If you do have to let her out, or interact with her in some way when she whines, make it perfunctory. It will take time and it will get worse before it gets better. This is when most people give up, thinking that ignoring is not working. This is called an "extinction burst" and means that the dog is about to give up a behaviour but tries harder, first, to make it "work" before giving it up.

You may get really near to her and she may start whining again. Just fold your arms and turn your back to her. Wait her out and then pay attention when she has been quiet for ten seconds. You may have to turn and ignore her many times at first but the penny will, eventually, drop. Once she "gets" the ten second rule then gradually increase it but be random. Sometimes ten seconds, sometimes, twenty or fifteen etc.

 

[PaisleysMum]

Thank you for your advice Gypsysmum. I think we just didn't realise just how long a puppy is willing to keep it up for! :lol: We are being strong and not giving her the attention when she cries, but my god it's hard not to let it affect you isn't it.

She was 1 of a litter of 3 so maybe was used to more attention from her 2 brothers rather than in a larger litter there being more competition for attention? The breeder still has 1 of the pups left until this weekend and she said he's been exactly the same since the other 2 left.

Obviously we are playing with her and keeping her occupied when she's awake but we're also trying to get her used to playing on her own and sleeping in her bed. She keeps trying to get on the sofa and crying as well h34r:

 

[gypsysmum2]

Some dogs are just more vocal than others. Perhaps mum was a bit of a whinger?

Perhaps the puppies whined and mum came and fed them. Or, once they were weaned, they got fed/picked up when they were whining. It does not take much to teach some dogs to repeat a successful behaviour. It is, after all, how we train them to do what we want them to do