Hey there. My dog is getting older (is now nearly 6) but she has become increasingly verbal of late...She whines when she wants anything i.e walk-treat-or even more attention.. When anyone comes to the house she barks excessively It's like she's reverting back to the puppy (baby) stage! Is there a way that I can but an end to this prob even if it just reduces the noise behaviour a little bit!!

If you find anything, let me know - my Cavalier is nearly 5 and is getting louder and louder in the mornings when he wants his walk, or at any time when we put him in the utility room and he can't reach us or the sofa! :rolleyes:

Hiya,

How do you respond to the whines - do you get fed up with it and give her what she is asking for?  Completely understandable if you do but this will just be rewarding the unwanted bahaviour so she will do it more, and actually if you ignore it for quite a while and then eventually give in your just making the behaviour stronger as she will realise that it's worth persevering with the whining as eventually it works!  I would start by ignoring any whining and as soon as there is a break in the whining reward her with lots of praise/ food/ playing.  You will need to respond to the tiniest breaks in whines at first so you will need to be spot on with the timing - if you know anything of clicker training it would be useful in this situation.  You will also need to ignore ALL whining, but make sure you reward the good behaviour.

If you already do above - have you thought about her hearing, does she hear aswell as used to or might? Hope this helps.

Karen

I know different breeds lifespan can differ so 5-6 in my breed is still very young as they mature late and can live to 16 or more years. Some breeds 6  is a good age .
A change in behaviour at this age I would have her checked out by the vet  just to make sure everything is ticking over nicely.
Has your routine changed at all a friend of mines dogs get quite upset when the whole family are taking leave from work as it upsets 'his' routine.
Is she due a season ?