Noisy Dog

 The morning thing sounds a bit like Callie, She sleeps with me, but she'd do the same in her crate. She can go out at 11 PM, and she could be ready to go at 5:30 AM. Luke on the other hand, I could take him out at 9, and he'd stay in bed till 7 AM. Anyway, she whines and barks. If I really wanted to stop this, what I would do is get up and take her out before she starts her nonsense. I refuse to get up early enough to do it. Anyway, I've maybe start getting her up and out at 4:00, or 4:30, then start pushing the time back a few minutes every few days. Since I refuse to get up early enough to do this, I just wait till she's quiet for a few seconds before I get up. She's not going to stop whining completely, because she actually needs to go out.

For the mornings, could you give him something to do, maybe put his food into a food dispensing toy so it'll take him longer to eat. 

The car- my friend's dog used to do this, and I will have to ask what they did to fix the issue, because I don't think he does anymore. I think he rides in a harness now, as they have a kid and don't have room for his crate. I think they started covering his crate, and possibly practiced rewarding calm. They may have just drove him around locally, and started out at first rewarding any smalls signs that he was relaxing. I wouldn't use any treat that he'd go totally nuts over, maybe something more medium value, so that rewarding doesn't get him hyped up again. Luke rides in his car crate with his face pressed up into the corner on his way somewhere. He only lays down on the way home because he's exhausted. He's generally quite, so I let him do this. 

I tried getting up earlier than Zeke for a while, but he just anticipated me and whined earlier each day. If it is really late when we go to bed, he does not usually whine. Maybe I just need to let out a bit more of his energy right before bed? I could try giving him a quick walk instead of just going outside before bed. I know he does not need to pee that badly, because when we do go out in the morning, sometimes he's ready to go in to have breakfast without peeing. I think he like to hold it until the walk.

During breakfast, I do put his in a food dispensing toy, whichever one he is not currently lightning fast at solving. Right now its a ball from busy buddy. He still eats way faster than I do! What if I had him in a sit/stay or down/stay? Would that maybe keep his mind focused on something he should be doing?

The car is a tricky issue, because I am, of course, alos driving. I do reward him when he is calm, which he can be after we've gone somewhere, but never on the way to somewhere. If I drive around somewhere he does not know, he is also more likely ot be quiet, and/or after about an hour. I took a trip with him last summer and he did fine in the car. This started last fall. I could try covering the crate, since I think he's anticipating where we are going, and gets too excited. I'll try that next time we go somewhere.

You have to get up earlier than him, but change the time. Although, if he doesn't actually need to go out, that won't work. Callie actually needs to go, so in her case, or at least in her case, she will go right out. For her, it would interrupt her getting to the point where she needs to go so much she starts to tell me she does. If he's just getting up to be a butt, then that won't work. Luke gets up because he wants food, and if it's too early, I just tell him that and put him back in bed. He seems to have learned that if I put him back in bed, he better just lay down if it's food he wants. 

 Maybe having him practice stays for a bit would give him something else to do.

 I think you'd have to slip stuff to him while you drove, which is of course a question of how safe you felt doing that. Or, you'd have to get a passenger to cooperate. What about giving him something to do while you drove, like a rawhide to chew on?

EZeke

This is the worst of the three. Every time he rides in the car, he whines and barks, though mostly whines. I think he understands he is not supposed to bark, but he can't keep himself from whining.

Where are you going when he's in the car?  If it's mostly to the dog park or something else he finds fun, it's going to be hard to stop.  Maybe you could try taking him for random rides in the car that don't involve him getting out.  You'd have to do it a lot and reward any quiet with praise and even so it will be hard to stop since he's simply expressing his excitement.  :)

I was like you about my now deceased JRT when I first got him.  I'd never owned a dog who expressed his excitement so vocally. lol  I did make a few attempts to control it but one day I decided to just let him be himself and if that meant I had to listen to some whining and barking when he was excited, it was worth it to let him be who he was.  I learned to just tune it out for the most part and not let it stress me out and once I made that decision, I really did feel much less bothered by it.

Pick your battles is what I'm trying to say.  Some dog behavior is so much a part of that particular dog that truly eliminating it would take way more time and effort than it's worth, IMO.

 With Dodger, I gave him something to do in the crate ( he didn't always use it) and as he's gotten older, he no longer barks/whines while in the car... Only when I turn off the car. LMAO!

Sandy, otoh, LOVES riding in the car... Doesn't matter where I'm going, if she can get out, ect, she just loves the action of riding in the car. She chatters and whines before getting in the car, runs zoomies around said car then SAILS into the car. If she's in a crate, she'll whine but other wise she's content to ride quietly...

Now Maze is like Zeke where she'll whine during the ride.. She used to bark but that gave me a headache so we compromised with a whine. She'll also sing along to the radio. I let it go as long as it's not in my ear..Lol

not sure about the morning whining. I've just given up and get the dogs their breakfast.

about the car tho- have you tried a thundershirt?? my border collie, nova, gets so excited in the car she whines, yips, and moans incessantly. I got her a thundershirt and with a little training (treating quietness) she rides much nicer. and yes, I tried treating without the shirt-doesn't work as well. she loves putting on her shirt 'cause she knows she's getting in the car-her favorite place.

Thanks for all the tips! I do think that a large part of Zekes noisiness is just his personality. I will work harder on letting it be.

I do try to treat him in the car when he's quiet, but he does not seem to quite get the message; he's just too darn excited. I do take him all over in the car, but I don't drive that much, so a lot of where we go is exciting. Actually, Zeke gets excited by going somewhere new, so I guess everywhere we go is exciting! I have tried giving him a bone in the car, but he usually ignores it.

Well, I will try some of these things, and see if anything helps. It would be so much more enjoyable to go somewhere without a backseat driver!

Apparently, Zeke can read. I thinkhe read my posts yesterday. While yesterday he was driving me nut with noise, today he was quiet in his crate, mostly quiet during breakfast, and good on our walk. Is this the same dog?

EZeke

Apparently, Zeke can read. I thinkhe read my posts yesterday. While yesterday he was driving me nut with noise, today he was quiet in his crate, mostly quiet during breakfast, and good on our walk. Is this the same dog?