# Crying, whining, and anxiety



## sourjayne (Jul 11, 2006)

I've had Louie for about a week now. There are a few things I need advice on, I'll address them separately.

Like most puppies, he whines. At first, I tried to ignore it.

The other night he whined to tell me he had to go potty. I was so proud of him (once I figured out that was why he was whining!) I keep him in a child's playpen with a potty pad on one end and his bed on the other. He could have just gotten up and gone straight to the potty pad, but he knew outside was preferable! Of course, I was stupid and tried to ignore it, then I heard the piddle on the pad and wanted to hit myself on the head for not taking him out like he asked. 

I decided at this point that I was never going to ignore him again. I think young puppies (he's 9 weeks now) whine out of instinct. If they were fine, they'd be asleep or playing with a toy. If they need something, how else will they let you know?

Sometimes he whines because he's hot. He's a long-coat, so has a thick, wavy coat. We've had a few uncharacteristically hot days lately. He'll seem sleepy but restless and I won't know what to do for him, then I'll feel his belly and it'll feel really hot! So I give him some ice cubes to lick or some water if I don't have any ice. He loves it! I've also given him a cold water bottle -- he licks the sides and then rests his head against it. After that, he goes right to sleep, no more whining and restlessness.

Of course, a lot of the time he just wants to cuddle. That's when it's hard, because I have to eat dinner or do whatever I need to do. So my policy is still a work in progress. 

Last night he was in his playpen doing fine until he saw me sit down on my bed. I was eating a bowl of cereal, so I didn't want him in my face while I was eating. He threw a fit, and it just got worse and worse until I thought he was going to hurt himself trying to jump out of the pen. I finally finished my cereal and picked him up and he curled right up and went to sleep... where he stayed for the rest of the night! (Amazingly, he didn't need to get up and go potty all night!) 

I don't want to encourage him, or teach him to sleep with me, but I can't let him freak out -- he's obviously getting stressed out and stress is not good for his health!


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## *Nikki* (Jun 25, 2006)

ok whats the question tho?


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## Pookypeds (Jun 20, 2006)

My chi's always want to be around me constantly....they whine to be near me if they aren't. My older chi sleeps in our bed...the younger one sleeps in his crate in the pen in our bedroom...of course when we eat they ALWAYS whine...you just have to ignore it...I think your chi is entirely normal!


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## LuvmySkippy (Oct 11, 2005)

Yeah--Like Pooky said, same thing for me! Skippy was whiny too at first; it took her a few weeks to feel comfortable with all of the sights, smells and sounds of her new home. I think all chihuahuas pretty much want to be with you at all times and they fuss about it when they're not!


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## stephybooboo (Apr 2, 2006)

well my chis are on a feeding schedule and they eat when we eat. i keep them in thier crates to eat so they dont' circle the table waiting for the kids to drop something. so that could be a solution there- if you want to schedule feed that is. 
the whining is something he will get used to. i just adopted a 6 month old female chi and she whined for over a week at night and still whines when she sees us up walking around. she was not crate trained before and that it what we are doing with her now so she is getting used to it. 
that got a bit off track lol but i hope my information helps  
oh and welcome to the forum there is a lot of great information for your chi (s)


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## ellad (Jun 3, 2006)

Question: Do you want to sleep with your dog in bed? If the answer is no then you must train the puppy from the beginning and establish where he should sleep.

What helps is a ticking clock to sooth him. Please the clock next to his bed.

Puppies cry, whine and bark for your attention. Rarely will they have anxiety unless they sense that you have anxiety and make a fuss over them.

Chico is usually with me while I am home during the day but sleeps in his own room. This is what I did to train him.

1) Established his room (laundry room away from me) - he has his bed, food, water, potty pads and toys in there. This room is his play room as well when we are away.

2) When it is time for me to go (school, grocery shopping etc.) I place him in his room and leave - not one word like good bye, I'll miss you, and fuss over him. When you do fuss over them - they think something is wrong and they will get anxiety.

3) When I return, I dont go immediately and rush in to say " oh how is my baby etc." - spend a few mintues to unload groceries etc. then let him out.

It was very hard on the nerves the first few days- but they do get the hint and you have established rules. Chico barked and whined so much the first few days that he became "horse" and could not bark anymore. Do'nt let them manipulate you - they are experts!

Actually Chico sleeps no problem in his room, I can come and go without a fuss. I enjoy his company but have my own space when I need it.


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## sourjayne (Jul 11, 2006)

Well, I'm not sure what to do. I don't want him to sleep in my bed because I'm afraid I'd roll over and hurt him or he might wander off and fall off the bed. 

For a couple nights, he slept in his bed and used the potty pads when he needed to. 

At some point, I think he got it in his head that he wanted to sleep with me, and now I can't leave him in his pen or he'll start crying when he wakes up, then he'll start jumping and trying to climb up the walls of his pen. I have roommates, I can't just let him cry. And didn't I read somewhere that chi puppies have fragile joints, and jumping like that could hurt them? 

I guess the question is if anyone has any ideas to get him to stop whining and crying and freaking out, besides ignoring him. I feel like I'm left with no choice in this situation, since ignoring him all night is just not an option right now.


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## Sandra1961 (Oct 14, 2005)

Honestly, it seems the best options for your problem is to actually ignore him. The reason hes freaking out is because you've given in before and gone over to him, so hes gotten exactly what he wanted.
If you dont want him sleeping with you, and want him in his pen, then your going to have to leave him. It will be hard to ignore him, but thats all you can really do. 
When he whines and cries, it will be for you to come and pick him up and make it all better. So he can be close to you. But in the long-run,it would be better for your chi if you left him to it and gave him independance at night time.
My chihuahua sleeps in his crate every night now, whereas for about 3months he slept on my daughters bed. When he went in his crate all of a sudden, he will have been thinking 'hang on a minute, my bed is over there, so why have i been chucked in this cage?' he did whine.. a lot, but we learned to ignore him, and now, he never cries. Because hes gotten used to the fact that no matter how much crying he does, he sleeps in his crate.
The sooner you stop giving in to your chihuahua, the quicker he will learn he has to sleep in his pen.

I hope i helped

(by the way, your chi is an absolute cutie!!!)


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## sourjayne (Jul 11, 2006)

Well, I think we're making progress. Louie's had a big day today, so maybe he's just tired, but maybe he's getting it... 

I left him a couple of times while he was in his pen and he just amused himself with his toys. When I came back in the room, he snapped to attention and sat eagerly but quietly while I ignored him, changed into my PJ's, got some water, etc. 

I used a mirror to make sure he wasn't watching me anymore, and when he went off to play with a toy I snuck into bed and pulled up the laptop. After a few minutes, he noticed and started scratching at the walls of his pen. As soon as I heard the first scratch, I gave a loud clap (still not looking at him) and he stopped trying to climb out his pen, but still started whining. I ignored him, and he actually did quiet down in just a couple of minutes! 

Now there's been not a peep for about half an hour! The only trouble is I'm a bit scared to move for fear of waking the demon . But at least there seems to be some progress being made here!


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## ellad (Jun 3, 2006)

I am so glad some progress is being made. Puppies catch on really quick. Don't forget the interaction/play time as well. What helps them sleep is to tucker them out. I noticed Chico did so much better when we went for walks. We started go for a walk after his last set of shots - maybe 20 -30 minutes.


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## NaliaLee (Jul 16, 2005)

My suggestion is get him a crate. It sounds like he could jump around to much in a pen and hurt himself but in a crate that is made for his size there is no where he can jump as there is a roof on that thing. Its also very comforting for them to have a place that is like a den. My dog had a small crate for the first 8 months of his life (made for 10lb dogs) and then when he was older and really good with being potty trained I got a 25 lb crate. He likes it but to this day he will find his little crate and bark at it until we put it on the floor so he can climb in and go to sleep. Mind you he didnt like being in his crate if he knew he was allowed in my bed. I went away on holidays for a month and my mother took care of him. She never let him sleep in a bed and now he sleeps in his crate at night. I know its sad to hear them whine at night but they will stop when they know that they will only be let out in the morning or if they have to pee. Good luck. Hope this helped.


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## sourjayne (Jul 11, 2006)

He slept through the night, if you can believe it! He does have a crate, and he slept in it most the night, but I left it open so he could go out and piddle on his pad at the other end of the playpen in the middle of the night. He was either really tuckered out from all the playing we did during the day, or he catches on really fast! I was expecting several nights of having to put up with whining and crying before he'd catch on, but it was much more pain-free than I thought it would be. We'll see how tonight goes. Thanks for all the advice!


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## ellad (Jun 3, 2006)

I should have mentioned - the crying and whining only lasts for a few nights and they may try it again in a week or two later. After that, no more problem with the bedtime routine.


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## sourjayne (Jul 11, 2006)

Ugh, back to whining last night


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## holly&peanut (Feb 18, 2006)

i'd ignore unnessicary crying!! but get used to it!! lol!! i find that chis are very clingy and demanding if there all anything like peanut - i cant shower or go to the toilet alone without him crying or following me!
i'm not sure if the ones with play mates are any better?


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## Molly n' me (Oct 11, 2013)

Thanks Sourjayne for starting this thread, and for all the repsonses. I've had Molly for 5 days now and have turned into a nervous wreck with the noises she makes when she's apart from me. I do all the right things - stuffed Kongs, tele/radio on, food scattered, teddy, pee pad, even had a trainer in on saturday (which was actually helpful). But I think I could be the main problem here, like you say, all puppies whine and chis like to have your attention and company all of the time and I find the crying and shouting so hard to deal with I know I am giving off anxious vibes because I am really stressing about it. Some friends have said I've just got to toughen up and go out - she'll learn. I'm trying to prepare her for when I have to go into work for the mornings in two weeks time. It's reassuring to hear I'm not alone, and even more so to hear of others that have been through the same and come out the other side! x


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## joshall (Oct 13, 2013)

I leave my puppy in the kitchen area when I sleep at night. I know it is dark, but I put some flameless candles around his crate. Can they see in the dark?


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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

This is a 7 year old thread, you will get a better response by starting a new thread with any questions.


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