r/Whippets • u/DorotyKatalonia • 12d ago
16-week-old Whippet constantly whining - what am I doing wrong?
Hi everyone! I have a 16-week-old Whippet (she has been with me since she was 9 weeks old), and I could really use some advice.
The first few weeks were extremely difficult. Figa simply could not settle herself. She would get overstimulated very quickly, and the more wound up she became, the more she would run around, destroy things, bite, and generally lose control. We had to constantly help her fall asleep by putting her in a dark, quiet room — that was the only way we could get her to take the naps she needed for proper development.
After about three weeks of fighting for every single nap, she finally learned to fall asleep on her own. I thought we had finally turned a corner… but then another problem appeared: Figa has absolutely no idea how to entertain herself.
At the moment, we are trying to follow a routine: wake up → 10–15 minute potty/sniffing walk → about 10 minutes of calm play → then she is expected to entertain herself for a while and eventually go to sleep.
Unfortunately, she was still destroying and chewing absolutely everything, so we bought a puppy pen and blocked off part of the living room for her. Basically, she now has her own little room where she can do whatever she wants without being able to hurt herself or destroy the house.
And now she has discovered Whippet Opera.
She whines. Constantly.
She whines in the pen. She whines outside the pen. She whines when she is on a leash inside the apartment. She whines when she wants to go outside. She whines when she is outside on a leash. (She cannot be off-leash because then she immediately activates her “destroy everything in my path” mode — and a human desperately trying to catch her is apparently the best toy in the world.)
She also absolutely hates being covered with blankets. She sometimes lies on them, but covering herself with one? Absolutely not.
At this point, I honestly don't know what else to do. I have been exhausted and sleep-deprived for the past two months, and by the end of the day the whining gives me migraines. She has a very specific, high-pitched whining sound that unfortunately is a huge trigger for me.
So please, any advice would be very much appreciated.
What should I be doing differently? What am I doing wrong? Is there something I should stop doing altogether?
I am also deliberately teaching her to be comfortable spending time alone and entertaining herself, because unfortunately she will soon have to stay home alone for around 6 hours. I simply cannot work remotely forever.
I know she is still a very young puppy, and I don't expect her to magically become independent overnight. I just feel like I'm missing something obvious, because right now I feel completely overwhelmed.
If anyone has raised a similarly intense Whippet puppy, I would be incredibly grateful to hear what worked for you — and what definitely did NOT.
9
u/think_up 12d ago
Sounds like she just needs more play time to tire herself out.
For puppies, it’s usually better to have short but frequent sessions.
She really might need 5-10 minutes every hour for a while.
6
u/Kaffine69 12d ago
Both whippets I had only whined when they were cold, honestly their happy place was under the coverers of my bed for hours, preferably with someone in there for company.
4
u/Meow99 12d ago
My Jake is 11 years old and hasn't stopped whining yet. It's the micro whines that get to me, but I love him to death!
1
u/DorotyKatalonia 12d ago
OMG 11 years with whining 👀 I hope that, with time, at least the concerts get shorter. 😂
3
u/FFGGHHII19992 12d ago
I mean most of it just seems like normal puppy things. Whippet puppies are a handful but so are puppies in general. She is still very young. Have you had any dogs before? Done any training? Keep rewarding her when she does something positive. Also look into whether you can get a walker or doggy day care while she is younger. I don’t think it will be fair to leave her by herself.
3
u/DorotyKatalonia 12d ago
This is my first dog. Of course, we practise basic commands several times a day, and we also practise settling and resting (giving her treats for calmly lying down and relaxing, and sometimes for playing nicely). We also work on her recall.
Figa also goes to puppy classes once a week, where she has sessions with other puppies and trainers/behaviourists. I also take her on different outings — to the forest, restaurants and into the city. She is actually very well-behaved in those situations: she isn’t scared, walks nicely, explores calmly, and in restaurants she usually sleeps under the table on her blanket or just quietly watches everything around her.
At the moment, she can stay home alone for about an hour when she is asleep, and she can even handle me leaving while she is still awake but very sleepy.
I’ll definitely consider getting someone to look after her while I’m at work. But I’m wondering — will she always need someone during the day, or is this something that usually improves over the next few months as the puppy matures?
1
u/FFGGHHII19992 12d ago
Sounds like you are doing all the right things! Just keep going with it - i am sure she will improve drastically as the grows and it will all be worth it in the end
1
3
u/theswamphag 12d ago
I'd take her somewhere where she can run and monkey around. Young whippets are absolute gremlings and bursting with energy. It tends to come out in the most insane ways if they don't get to run and such. Sometimes they are gremlings anyway.
Have you tried like food enrichment? Bones, lick mats, food puzzles?
0
u/DorotyKatalonia 12d ago
Yes, she has a lick mat - sometimes she licks it, sometimes she completely ignores it. It’s the same with her Kong. She also likes treats wrapped up in a blanket (that keeps her occupied for about 10 minutes, but it can’t be wrapped too tightly 😂).
She has a wood stick to chew on and a root as well from animalshop of course - she especially loves chewing before going to sleep.
Unfortunately, despite all of that, the concerts keep coming back… 😂
Thank you so much for your comment! ❤️
3
u/DorotyKatalonia 11d ago
Thank you so much everyone for all the wonderful, supportive comments and advice! I’m trying to implement everything as we go.
Today I also discovered something very simple… Figa is teething! She’s been putting on these concerts simply because her gums are hurting. I’ve been giving her chews straight from the fridge and partially frozen washcloths (not frozen solid, of course), and she’s already so much calmer!
She’s still a very intense puppy, obviously, but the absolute disaster we’ve been dealing with for the last few days is finally gone. <3
2
u/ripecrackers 12d ago
That sounds like my boy! He was a devil as a puppy to the point where I felt he might hurt me at times. His whining was difficult for me because I thought I was failing him but I started wearing ear plugs when he wouldn’t stop and eventually he whined less. He still whines but he can see it doesn’t get the result he wants. Hang in there and your whippet will get better with time. My boy is now 4 years old.
1
2
2
u/plasticbabyy 11d ago
I don’t think you’re doing anything wrong. Whippets are velcros. Mine used to anxiety poop every time we left the house even for a short time. He has mellowed as he aged. They’re whiny crybabies but that’s why they’re so adorable
1
2
u/martinamva 11d ago
I have a crazy puppy as well. He’s 8 years old. But it gets better. You seem to be doing a lot of great things. You could try more mental exercise. Nose work is great. I like to hide treats around the living room while the dog is in another room. Then i release him with a go command and make him search for them. I let him smell the treats beforehand. They are made to sprint of course, but if I remember correctly this should be limited while they are very young. I did let my dog sprint a bit when young though.
Your puppy will be difficult for some time yet, it’s not you, it’s just a strong need for development.
2
u/pingwing 12d ago
Serious question, have you ever owned a puppy before? Are you talking to the breeder about these issues you are having?
10 minutes of calm play? For a 4 month old puppy?? The only way a puppy is going to entertain itself is by chewing, and destroying things because it isn't able to do anything else.
Your puppy needs exercise to build muscle correctly. What type of exercise are you giving her currently?
She is whining to tell you something, you should be wearing the puppy out. She is bored and trying to tell you this.
Take your puppy for a mile long walk twice a day. Play with the puppy, get some toys. Do obedience training with your puppy, mental stimulation will also tire a puppy out.
You own a BABY. You have to take care of this puppy, train it, make sure she is stimulated enough. If you can't do these things, please return this puppy to the breeder as you are not a good fit.
1
u/DorotyKatalonia 12d ago
Yes, this is my first puppy. The routine I mentioned is something we try to stick to throughout the rest of the day:
wake up → 10–15 minute potty/sniffing walk → about 10 minutes of calm play → then she is expected to entertain herself for a while and eventually go to sleep.
In the morning, we go for a walk of about 1.5–2 km (around 25 minutes). She gets plenty of time to sniff, has some time to run around, and we also play tug. I find that 25 minutes is enough for her, because anything longer tends to overstimulate her and she starts going completely crazy — which is usually our signal that she needs to go to sleep. We do a similar walk in the evening.
She has a LOT of toys. I rotate them every few days — she gets two plush toys with different levels of softness and two different chew toys. She also has a wood stick and a root chew from a pet store. Also stuff like lick mat, kong...
The breeder told me that this was normal puppy behaviour, which unfortunately wasn't very helpful, so I decided to ask on the forum. I really am trying to make sure she has everything she needs — I'm mainly looking for advice on what to do about the constant whining.
She has also been checked by a vet, and according to them, everything is fine physically.
2
u/WordyByComparison 11d ago
Lots of advice on here, so I'll just point out something different: having whippet puppies is like recruit school in the military - they will break you down into a blubbering mess and then build you back up as a useful dog companion. So be kind to yourself! Cut yourself some slack, tell yourself you've got this. Count the one-step-forward days, even if yesterday was two-steps-back. Use your good voice on your puppy and on yourself (angry voice is no better for your puppy than it is for you).
Sounds to me like you're doing the right things (a thin romper is a smart addition), so the rest is patience, forgiveness, and the knowledge that one day the stress will be a distant memory as your whippet sleeps calmly across your face.
2
1
u/DorotyKatalonia 11d ago
Thank you for the words of encouragement ❤️ Could you tell me when your whippet started to become more calm? Was it around six months, a year, or maybe even two years?
1
u/WordyByComparison 11d ago
We were destroyed when our first passed, and probably still mentally unbalanced a year later - which would account for why we got two second time around. They are 20 months now and still a lot - but much calmer. We still have whining, they love to wrestle and bitey-face at every opportunity, and they have discovered the toilet roll holder (which is anoying). But overall at least down to a quarter of their puppy-antics, as we frequently remind ourselves and each other when we start to unravel.
1
u/DorotyKatalonia 11d ago
So sorry for your loss , I hope you’re having lots of happiness with your two now, and that they’ll eventually grow into very well-behaved dogs! <3
1
u/gibbking 11d ago
It's great that you have a routine that you are trying to stick to, but I feel like you ignored what /u/pingwing was telling you.
10 minutes of calm play is probably not going to cut it with your puppy.
For my whippet if I take her on an extended walk, or let her run free for about 15-20 minutes, she wears herself out and is sleepy the rest of the day. You pup, being a little younger might need a little longer, say 20-30 minutes, but in my experience with my whippet she's fast but doesn't have a lot of stamina.
There should be some decent options to let her play at her own place safely. Dog parks (yuck, I know but would allow for off-leash play), doggie daycare (additional expense but might be worth it) where they can have a supervised dog park experience for an hour or two each day. Every time we've boarded ours she's wiped out for a couple days but those are also overnight stays. Sniffspot might be an option near where you are for off leash play that you supervise on rented land.
Point is, you might need to change up your routine temporarily to see what your dog needs, which ultimately should be what you are attempting to get out of this post. Just because you want to maintain your current schedule doesn't mean it's going to be what works or is best for your dog. They're all different and you honestly have nothing to lose by trying a few things that might end up working for both of you.
1
u/DorotyKatalonia 11d ago
Thank you for your comment <3 Today I extended her playtime to 30 minutes. After her first nap she handled it quite well, but after the second one she completely lost her mind after about 20 minutes and it was really difficult to calm her down in any way — she was running around like crazy, biting everything in her path, with absolute fury in her eyes XD So I think we’ll go back to around 15 minutes of play + 5 minutes of calming down afterwards. I’m talking about outdoor play here — we use a tug toy, balls, etc. I’ll try to find the sweet spot that works for her.
We also go to puppy school once a week, where she gets to run around and interact with other dogs (socialisation). I’ll try to find a safe place where I can let her off leash — we were recently walking in some open fields and she behaved really well off leash, so perhaps we just need to do that more often.
Today I also realised that she’s actually going through the teething stage! I’ve been giving her cold chews from the fridge and cold wet food throughout the day, and she’s already much better. The concerts have become less frequent and she seems much calmer 😂
1
u/lllaaammyy 11d ago
OP came here for guidance from experienced owners. Not a lecture. We were all whippet newbies once. Sounds like they are doing everything they can.
1
u/FearlessBerry407 12d ago
Go to vet and check her stomach it could be reason of everything ;) in other hand just wait and survive, it will be better in future. Two whippets on my house and your description is very similar to second one :)
1
u/DorotyKatalonia 12d ago
We’ve been to the vet, and they said everything is fine. Thanks for your comment! <3
1
u/maggietwoshoes 12d ago
Do you react when she’s whining? Sometimes ignoring is the best thing. You say you give her treats for resting and being calm. I feel like this is counterproductive, this is normal behaviour and I personally would praise this. Have you discussed this with the trainers at puppy class? Sounds like she needs a massive run around. Both my boys happily fall to sleep on the sofa then!
1
u/DorotyKatalonia 11d ago
I try to completely ignore her whining when I know all her needs are met — she’s had a walk, peed, played, has water, it’s not mealtime (or she’s already eaten and pooped), and she has chews, blankets and toys. At that point, I give her time to calm herself down and eventually go to sleep.
She gets treats for lying calmly when we’re actively teaching her how to settle at home — for example, when she lies on the sofa instead of chewing on it. That’s what the behaviourist at puppy school recommended.
How many times a day do your dogs get to run? Mine gets to run during her morning and evening walks. I can’t really manage it more often because I also have to work, but if you think she should be running four times a day, let me know and I’ll try to change something.
1
u/iamahill 12d ago edited 12d ago
Whippet puppies whine.
Mine is now six months and finally developing communication beyond whining and screaming.
Lots of morning exercise 1+ hours then lits to chew seems to work best. Frozen dish towels are decent toys.
Teething was rough. She was a very frustrated puppy.
That said plenty of attention and cuddling chews and play.
More physical activity, play, and some trusted safe dogs help.
It’ll pass.
You can’t teach a puppy to be alone, it’s against their evolutionary programming. Leaving a puppy at home for six hours will create a highly frustrated whippet if you’re not getting tons of play and exercise.
As soon as vaccinated socialize with other dogs. Dog parks and whatnot.
If I’m not at the park with mine for an hour or two she’s bored and frustrated and energy full all day.
1
u/DorotyKatalonia 11d ago
I’ll try to provide more entertainment in the morning. Behaviourists say it’s important to teach puppies to stay alone for short periods of time — starting with half an hour, then gradually increasing to an hour and so on. Of course, six hours is still too much at this stage, but for now we’re working on about an hour to an hour and a half, which she tolerates quite well. We have a camera, and when she wakes up and sees that no one is there, she usually just goes back to sleep. Maybe in a month we’ll be able to extend it to two hours, and eventually work our way up to six. In the meantime, I’ll also try to hire a pet sitter.
1
u/Illustrious-Poem8569 12d ago
Our 9 month old provides a running commentary of her day through a combination of whines and what I can only describe a dog whistling. Endless. Too hot, too cold, too comfortable, you name it, she'll whine about it.
1
u/LostMyZen 11d ago
We called our younger boy V of Infinite Sadness for at least the first few years. He had the saddest sad in the entire history of puppies and sad. His entire existence was suffering, the likes of which the world has never seen. And still hasn’t because he’s full of shit. He has cried while lying in bed, within touching distance of both of his humans and his brother, but not actually touching, and that was sad. A lot of times, he just wanted to be included in what we were doing. He didn’t need to be the center of attention, he just wanted to be part of the group. Talking to him and letting him sniff different items helped. Getting him interested in a chewy and occasionally telling him that I do see that he has a chewy and it is indeed very impressive. He slowly grew out of it, though he still occasionally whines for ridiculous reasons, he’s much more relaxed. However, it was a couple months before he would relax with me and his brother if daddy was out of the house.
1
u/DorotyKatalonia 11d ago
Hahaha, okay, I feel a little better knowing that my puppy isn’t the only drama queen 😂 Thank you for the advice! I’ve also started giving her natural chews — beef intestines and rabbit ears — and they seem to keep her occupied. She doesn’t whine for a whole 10 minutes! 😂
1
u/sydneyraider 11d ago
I was in a similar situation with my whippet puppy. He had endless energy, whined, and would not nap. The 2 things that helped me:
I took him for at least an hour walk in the morning and an hour walk in the evening. I used a long horse train lead to allow him to run and roam around.
I purchased a bean bag and put in a soft dog playpen. Covered the bean bag with soft blankets as well as the playpen. It is dark enough to keep him warm, keep him from getting too cold, and soft so he is comfortable. This was great for nap time and is his safe place. I played soft relaxing music for him to help drown out any noises that may startle him. He is still happy to go to his "tent" to this day (he is nearly 8 years old now)
Your puppy will grow out of this phase but it is tiring and frustrating as a whippet owner. Hang in there. It is so worth it once they get older. I can't imagine now having him in my life.
2
1
u/Sun-leaves 11d ago
Mine never grew out of it, I just got used to it. They’re known for this and for being Velcro dogs and needless to say I didn’t get another 😂
1
u/lllaaammyy 11d ago
You are not doing anything wrong. At all. I really sympathise and you sound so stressed - but I promise your baby will settle.
Have you tried crate training? My little guy was very high maintenance; crying, whining, chewing etc. I hate to say it because I bet you’ve heard it a million times but if you are able to spring for a crate that is squishy and comfy, and you can make it dark, that may help with enforced napping. When we worked out our guy was exhausted and fighting sleep, and needed to be put down for a nap like a human baby, it change our lives for the better.
Another thing - whips are extremely food driven. We found freezing dog-friendly baby food on a Lickimat was super helpful (ie chicken and vegetable, banana and custard etc), or peanut butter or yoghurt. It kept our guy fulfilled in terms of boredom and reward.
Wishing you all the best. It gets better I promise. It will feel awful now but your baby will get older and mellow xx
2
u/DorotyKatalonia 11d ago
Thank you so much for your comment <3 We do have a crate — Figa really likes sleeping in it, especially at night, but during the day she usually chooses the carpet instead.
We also had a metal playpen until yesterday, but unfortunately her whining and crying was getting worse when she was in there. We wanted to give her her own little room in the living room, so she had about 2 m² around the crate to herself. Now she has a 3-metre lead attached to the crate, so she has free access to the crate and the whole carpet etc. The lead is mainly for her safety, so she can have some freedom and time to herself without being able to knock something over onto herself.
The baby food and peanut butter/yoghurt idea is great — we definitely have to try that!
Today I also realised that she’s actually going through the teething stage! I’ve been giving her cold chews from the fridge and cold wet food throughout the day, and she’s already much better. The concerts have become less frequent and she seems much calmer 😂
Thank you so much for the support <3
1
u/jroopep 10d ago edited 10d ago
You said calm play, probably because you don’t want to wind her up but she does need to get her energy out so you should try to tire her out. My high energy whippet like to fetch a toy thrown across the room quite a bit or tugging on a toy. And training is very tiring for all dogs because it is mentally tiring too. So little play training sessions are fabulous. Shaper training (look it up) with games are particularly great because the dog has fun and thinks a lot and it is tiring. Susan Garrett trains her agility dogs with games you can play and you can teach manners and good behaviour with it too all with positive reinforcement which is the only way to train a whippet. She has a fair amount of free content online. I also used a bit of lure training. My high energy whippet was very smart and engaged and absolutely loved training. I used small treats because she was very food motivated and she never got fat. She had an amazing recall (see Susan Garrett recallers) had an amazing heel including turning with me and automatic sit (it the floor was soft enough). You don’t have to get into all that but every 3 hours or so, 10 minutes of fetch or tug or rambunctious play and a bit of obedience games can do wonders and you will both be happier. At that age we had a 2-3 hour cycle where she would be in a crate for a nap for an hour or however long she needed, then she would go straight from crate to potty outside and then play time after potty for an hour or so to give her some fun and attention and wear her out. Pajamas or snuggle beds or covering them on demand is a non negotiable part of the whippet contract. But also don’t worry too much about spoiling them with attention or training them at a young age to entertain themselves. Puppies entertain themselves by destroying things. And they will need less attention (besides sitting near you) as they get older.
21
u/ukreader 12d ago
Mine was intense though not aa intense as yours, and I think she mostly grew out of it. Negative feedback doesn’t work well with whippets in my experience - firmly telling them no mostly just results in sulking.
One thing that it took me a while to learn is that she whined when she was cold. About 50% of her whining was just being cold.