How do I get my dog to stop whining in public?
Madalyn Johns
2025-07-22 07:54:50
Count answers
: 15
We built up a settle in the home environment on a specific mat that he has learnt to settle on at home where there are no distractions. We made an effort to visit pubs and cafes when they were QUIET and we usually opted to sit outside with him if at all possible. We made sure he had a huge walk before-hand so he was at least a little more tired and ready to settle. We would sit down and ignore Byron, until he would eventually lie-down. As soon as he was down, we would very calmly and slowly put some treats between his paws. We then started to reward when he wasn’t looking at us and when his head was naturally resting between his paws. We then left longer and longer between each reward. One thing to note was the definite extinction burst in his whining and pawing behaviour. It absolutely got worse before it got better and he cried louder and pawed harder at us, but because we stayed strong and consistent it is much less prevalent and the lie-down with head-down position is beginning to be his go-to behaviour.