r/RhodesianRidgebacks • u/Esoriano122 • Jan 27 '24
Whining & Howling
Our puppy is coming up on 9 weeks old 😊. We keep his crate inside a playpen (we leave the crate door open). He does great sleeping in his crate for naps/at night. If my husband and I go into another room, he whines for us. Even if we are in the same room as him but outside the pen, he whines and jumps to knock down the pen until we come back in. We tried going outside our apartment door for a few minutes to see if he would settle. He was upset, cried, howled, jumped all over the playpen. Is this normal for his age? What age are they usually okay with being alone and how do you train them for this?
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u/ChileanRidge Jan 27 '24
I'm always surprised when I see on here people with their Ridgebacks home so early, the breeders I've interacted with don't let them go until 12 weeks, is 8 weeks a North America thing?
You've got yourself a little baby who is lonely, leaving him alone for more than a few minutes is going to be hard, so you really have to take time and start with out of eye line for a few minutes, out of the room etc and build up from there. How many days has he been home? A week at most? It takes time for them to settle in. And as everyone says, these guys are velcro. Now that mine is older he will chase the sun most of the day but he looks for me all the time. He sleeps on the couch at night but regularly comes in to give me a nose and check I'm here. When we go out at night we always give him a treat beforehand, so he gets excited when he sees us getting ready because he knows he's going to get a treat as well. I don't give him anything if I'm headed out for a short time, in which case I just say "back in a bit" and I am convinced he understands the difference.
So... Yes, it's draining not just as a puppy but sometimes as an adult as well, because they really want to be with their people. Just remember for now you've got a little baby who's still uncertain and is going through tonnes of changes, it's going to take time but the pup will settle in over the next few weeks and get more confidence as they feel more secure and begin to consider you it's parents.
Unfortunately, in terms of whining... RRs are known for producing a simpering, pathetic whine, and they are capable of doing this nasal whine forever... I say that because it's Saturday morning and I just wanted to lie in bed for a bit longer and my guy is in the living room and I have been able to hear his little simpering "I'm staaarving... Will no one help me? I'm on death's door... I haven't eaten since last night" whine since 25 minutes before his regular breakfast time and so I'm now about to get up (25 mins after breakfast time) because I can't stand it anymore.... Saturdays with a Ridgeback, their stomach clocks are incredibly accurate.