“Please, feed me! Please Please Please Please Please”
“I guess I will just sit here by the food bowls until someone pays attention to me and gives me FOOD!”
“Can’t you see that I am wasting away to nothing!”
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This is a blog hop. I hopped it from Snoopy’s DogBlog. Check them out for more mischief.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤ 
Last night the dogs and I went to bed around 10:00PM (22:00). They went into their kennels, as usual on the other side of my bedroom, and I went to sleep. I nodded off around 11:11, because I remember seeing the digital display on the TV. The next thing I knew it was 11:26 and Sofie is whining and barking her head off. I opened the kennels and let them both out in the back yard, at which point I heard the screeching of either a fox or a raccoon. Sofie’s hearing is amazing. I didn’t hear anything until I opened the door, but she was woken by the sound through the exterior wall, through the cover on the kennel. When I got them back in and thanked them for making sure our home was safe, we all went back to bed. Then about 4:30 AM she started the whine again, “Let me out and let me at it!” This time, I ignored her and finally she quieted. (This is one of the reasons not to have your animals sleep in your bedroom, but I digress.) I don’t want to discourage either of my dogs from doing their job of protecting the house and family from intruders, but Sofie can hear a fox two towns away (OK, I am exaggerating, but only a little). Her hearing sensitivity is much more acute than Louise or any other dog I have ever had. At least I am assuming it is hearing and not smell. Do I try to train her out of making any noise when she is in her kennel? She only fusses when she either has to go to the bathroom or there is something like this going on outside the house. She is a hyper-sound sensitive dog and I am trying to figure out how to instruct her when it is OK to bark and when it isn’t. Or is this a losing battle?
I definitely am losing the whine battle. Check out an older post “Would You Like Some Cheese With That Whine” .
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
I am sooooooooo tired of Sofie’s whining. I have been making a study of this, and she even whines in her sleep. This must be a Sheltie trait. Never having a dog with this breed mix before, I am not sure, but I have never had such a big baby like Sofie Bear. So I decided to do some research. I went to “Sheltie Planet: Your Guide to Everything Shetland Sheepdog,” to find out if this is a breed problem. And, it sort of is. They say you should ask yourself these questions to try to figure out why she is whining:
– Is she in pain? NOPE
– Is she simply bored or lonely? Could be, but we could be in the middle of a major play session and she will whine (or maybe dog talk), so I will say, MAYBE.
– Is she afraid or anxious? I don’t think she is afraid, but anxious, well of that I am not sure? I don’t really see her as an anxious dog, but I have Lulu who is pretty high strung, so in comparison maybe I am missing something. I will have to think on this.
– Does she need to go outside? Well if she asks, I take her, but that is super rare.
Sofie is a very vigilant dog, she can hear a fox outside 200 feet away. She will bark at noises that we human’s just don’t hear, but I figure that is vigilance, not anxiety. Shelties are bred to guard the flock and warn when intruders are around, so it is in her DNA. I guess I am more tolerant than other people when it comes to innate traits. A dog is a dog and you have to allow them a bark or two or an occasional whine. Poor Sofie definitely has reasons to whine: (1) When she wants Nine to come out of the cat room and play with her; (2) When she wants Muffin to stop helping me make dinner, especially when it is the dog food kind; (3) When she wakes up and wants me to let her out of her kennel (but I can tell her to go back to sleep and most of the time she will), and, for sure; (4) When she wants a toy that Lulu has. The family says she whines all the time, but maybe I just don’t hear it. I have been told that she whines terribly when I leave, which is something I really need to figure out how to help her stop. The Sheltie website said basically to ignore the whining, but that sure doesn’t work around here. When she was a puppy I tried to give her positive reinforcement for not whining, but that was really hard, since it is not a predictable thing. A lot of times I think that Sofie is just dog talking to me though. She likes to sit there and have this whole conversation. I am not exactly sure what the story is about, but I know that she likes when I make eye contact and tilt my head as if listening. “Well, Sofie my love, would you like a little cheese with that whine?”
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Sofie whines. She is the whiniest, most talkative dog I have ever had. Louise is the strong, silent type, but because Sofie whines so much, lately she has started whining at me a little too. They remind me of the screaming foxes living all around the neighborhood.
Red Fox (by Insight Imaging: John A Ryan Photography)
Sofie whines sometimes like someone broke her leg. I have tried so many things to get her to stop the whining but nothing seems to get her to calm down. She complains about everything.
Mommy, Lulu is being silly!
Sofie whines when she wants something from me: “Mom, why are you at your desk again, get up and play with me! Play with me! PLAY WITH ME! NOW!” She whines when she wants whatever Louise has: “It’s mine, I want it, you should not have that toy, give it to me! give it to me! MOM SHE HAS SOMETHING I WANT!!” She really whines when I am making dinner “Why are the cats on the counter? Muffin is helping you make the dog food! Not fair, not fair, not fair. I want to be on the counter! I want to help make the food! Food FOod FOOd FOOD!!!”….. I am sure you get the idea.
Mommy, Louise has something I want!
Sometime I worry that she is going to have an anxiety attack because she gets so exited about things. Some dogs just have a lot to say I guess.
Just another dogdaz morning at our house ❤
DogDaz Zoo 
