Hi

My CKCS pup has started screaming first thing in the morning whilst I prepare his breakfast and only stops when he gets it! I can't get him to stop wailing and screaming and the neighbours must think I'm torturing him!

Any suggestions to get him to stop this?

Thanks everyone

Jasperooni
xxxx

As soon as he starts screaming.... immediately walk out of the food preparation area completely and go do something else.
When he stops, wander back in and start working again.... if he starts building up to his scream, walk out again...
This could take some time :rolleyes: But he should catch on that 'screaming' will not a meal get ;) :)
good luck and you might want to warn the neighbors before they think you're hurting a baby and call the cops ;) :)

Do it quicker!! :D :D
(sorry couldn't help it ;) )
Liz

I was thinking the same, Liz, but I managed to restrain myself from any tongue-in-cheek comments ;) :P :D

Hi

Very amusing comments but I'm going as fast as I can honest!!! Honestly he makes me slightly hysterical as I try and rush and then I start dropping things and it then takes longer, meanwhile the pup sounds like a banshee and builds himself up to a crescendo!!

I'll have to try the walking out of the room thing and see if I can get him to stop!

Jasperooni
xxx

Jasper, it was only a smarmy comment, sorry ;) :)
Seriously, the faster you move and rush for puppy, the more puppy thinks that he runs things... and you don't want this belief to settle in for future behavioral patterns. :( He's also learned to anticipate the good food when you start preparing it...so it's a demand/anxiety situation. Not a good pattern to set because it will show up in other areas-- especially walks and car rides!!! :rolleyes:

He'll eventually learn that he adjusts for you and not for him ...but you must stay 'strong' in this resolution to not pander to his little demand. :)
best wishes,
toodles

Hi why not try and get the meal ready the night before,cover with cling film and the give it to him in the morning
Kim

I know everyone was only joking! I had visions of me moving quickly like the six million dollar man to try and stop this pup screaming before the neighbours called the RSPCA!!!!

Unfortunately I can't prepare this meal before bed as it's weetabix with warm milk. And oddly it's the only meal he screams for. Should I be giving him more food before he goes to bed?

At the moment he eats weetabix with warm milk for breakfast, iams kibbles at lunch, pedigree puppy food for dinner and then weetabix again for supper. Is this enough (it's what the breeder was feeding him and suggested I continue with).

Oops Jasper, I didn't realize how young a pup he was --thinking he was at least 3 or 4 months old, sorry..... how old is he exactly??
I wonder if it would make a difference if you prepared his food 15 minutes earlier and he was in another room not being able to watch you while you did the deed???
It also could be that he's learned that this is his 'fav' dish of the day ;) :P :D
toodles

Oh sorry I forgot to mention he's still only 11 weeks old. I'll try leaving him in another room whilst I prepare the food and see if that works.
Thanks ever so much for the advice

Jasperooni
xxxx

Sorry Jasper T'was me !! :(

Seriously ,though either make it up the night before or leave him in another room ,i'd be tempted to just ignore him though ,I do know what you mean though It's a bit like a baby crying -the sound just goes right through you and the more you rush the more you dither:)

Liz ( off with wrists slapped :D )

I try not to feed mine at exactly the same time each day and this seems to stop them pestering me for feed when I am getting it ready. The older dog (9 month akita) is no real trouble now anyway, but my 12 week lab can be a nightmare. I find that if I ignore her first time she sees me, which she stills thinks is feed time, then wait until she is occupied with something else then she sits quite calmly at my feet (or sometimes under them :)) until it is put down. I also only feed her 3 times a day now instead of four times. I find this is better as she is not being fed just before she goes to bed, which means better house training and also the thought of feeding one dog and not the other is just too hard to contemplate!

Since your pup is so young, this behavior is forgiveable, but I'd be careful - we had the same problem with our lab, and it took a while (and a few eardrums!) to break it! You HAVE to ignore him when he's acting like this. It will be very, very hard and he'll be very, very loud at first, but it's the only way. This is behavior that needs to be exterminated while they're still young, otherwise they keep it up forever (why wouldn't they? It's always worked before!). Even doing things like pouring YOURSELF a glass of juice first teaches them that YOU are the boss, not them, and that they have to wait for you.

I make their meals up about an hour before they have it because of this very problem. When I had 2 new puppies last year, the others decided they could speed things up a bit with the wailling and howling, boy can schips howl at the moon!

They also now have to stand for their food and wait until I'm ready before they start eating, can be interesting with 6 dogs waiting inside their cages drooling over the food bowls on the doors and I forget to tell them they can eat lol.

Call me evil, but I know what I'd do...(and have done and so know it works)...make up his weetabix, let him scream all he wants, the moment you turn around as if to give him his breakie though, you eat the weetabix.....guaranteed to render him screamless :D

Ok, so I had my evil head on that morning and had had just about enough of a bolshy pup demanding food...geez, like hubby taught him all he knew ;)
It worked a treat and it was either that or I was going to serve up something detestable. I saved that one for hubby! :D