[rachelr]

Please please can anyone help I am sooooooooooooooo tired.

We have a rescue cocker spaniel he is about 7/8 years old. He is a wonderful loving dog but has no idea how to play/be a dog/eat treats more than a year on after getting him. He now has decided to whine 24/7. or moan and moan and moan. all day and all night. The moaning turns to barking if left too long and ignored. It is a high pitched whine and really grates. I have tried patience and am now sooooooooooo tired due to lack of sleep that i have become angry with him. It shuts him up tho.

We have had very little sleep for about 3 weeks now. He is one of three dogs so its not cos he is lonely etc.

[joyfull]

if you react to him he is getting the attention he craves (rather like a young child). I would try ignoring him and then fuss him when he shuts up - rewarding good behaviour. Do you know any of his background?
hope you either have no neighbours or at least understanding ones Rachel as this may be a long term problem.

[tosca100]

It may be worth a trip to the vet for a once-over, just to rule out any physical problem. If not, how about talking to Cocker  rescue to find out if this is an unusual thing? They will know the breed well and know what problems people have with rescue dogs.

I'm presuming your dogs get plenty of excercise. Cockers are a working breed and need plenty of excercise to keep them sane.

Good luck with this, it must be very difficult for you. Maybe some earplugs might help you get some rest!

[twissle]

I wouldn't worry about him not playing, One of my foster springer's didn't no how to play . I was told not to worry some dog's just don't play.
I know where your coming from with the noise having a cocker who can do it at time's. As much as you love em it's normal to get a bit mad at time's. Is she crate trained?. it can help sometime's to give them a small space of there own. As has been said i'd call the rescue for abit of advice. good luck hope you get it sorted soon

[wannagrowveg]

Definately have him checked over by the vet and if nothing is wrong he should be able to give you details of a dog phychologist.

Poor boys got issues by the sound of it but if it doesent get sorted you will have them too :/

[rachelr]

thanks for the advice everyone. He was from a particularly nasty puppy farm and he was the stud dog. He is scared of even his own shadow and cannot be walked on the roadside.  I am just getting soooooooooo tired and bad tempered with lack of sleep. yawn ps the psychologist said yes although he is 7 she can help us oh and by the way that will be £200 for the consultation. I might just clear the garage and let him go in there on his own for a few days he will be glad to be back in the house after that and may just stop whinging. lol

[rainie]

There is a fab website called itsaspringthing and they have cockers on there too. Have a look, the forum is very helpful and will point you in the right direction, and you will get support too. You will also be able to read other peoples spaniel problems and realise you arent on your own.

It sounds to me (although i may be very wrong) that your cocker is somewhere near if not the top dog, and you are coming lower than him in the pack.

There are lots of ways to quieten your cocker, but am a bit unsure as to offer advice incase it is the wrong advice for you and him.

I have taken on a 5yo springer who was noisy when we got him. He wanted to be next to a human all the time, wanting lots of attention. He has another dog friend here. He has calmed down considerably in the noisy demanding department through a bit of trial and error and consistency from both me and my OH and the same treatment from anyone who comes into contact with him. It was hard to start with and i wondered if i had taken on too much with him, but have seen the light with this problem and now am onto the next.

I believe the cocker is harder to train than the springer and needs more mental stimulation too, and often will sulk with its owner until it gets its own way.

As for the lack of sleep, gosh thats got to be hard for you,I need my sleep or i get grumpy and dont function well at all.  Maybe you have someone who can give you a break from him so you can get your hed down for a while. Having a rescue or puppy is like having another baby. Hardwork but In my opinion, well worth it.

I hope there is some thing in this post which will help you. Keep us posted, I'm sure the support wil be here in some way or other for you.

[twissle]

Has the noise only just started?. If it has as he was used as a stud maybe you have a bitch in season near you. Hope you got some sleep lastnight

[rachelr]

i have put him in the garage on his own. I slept but he didnt. I have doubled his walks etc. but getting no where he may have to sleep in the garage permanently. He is not unwell he just wants human company all the time. if i let him sleep with me he never murmurs. in fact he will lie in til 9 if i let him?

I feel so cruel but i have to sleep and he is too big to sleep on my bed as then i dont sleep lol

[Milly]

It's strange that the behaviour just started, something must have caused it though you might not identify what.
I'd definately start with the vets, and don't worry about the play thing, I had a rescue dog that didn't play but she was happy not to if that makes sense.
I'm a cocker owner, they're not usually too big for the bed but that doesn't mean you want him there. Crates are a good idea, ours take themselves in and out of the crate when you want to and love it. I agree with the others that any form of communication when he exhibits noise is rewarding him with attention. If the vet says he's ok I'd crate him and let it roll.

[rachelr]

I have thought about crating him but i have two other dogs and i dont think he would take kindly to being put in a crate when they are not. and i am not buying three crates lol

As long as the neighbours dont complain of the noise i will keep him in the garage and eventually put the others out there too to keep him company if he does not settle.

[twissle]

One of mine sleep's in a crate and the other three roam she doesn't worry about it. In fact she's happier in there at night it's put a stop to her crying and scratching the door.
I'm shaw she'll get used to being in the garage .
Have you tried giving her a bone or some sort of treat in there? It might help him to settle or maybe put an old jumper of your's in there. Glad your getting some sleep now, it's alot easier to cope when you get your rest isn't it.
Might be an idea to have a chat with your neibour's and let them no what your doing and explain he'll get used to it soon

[rachelr]

bless him he has no idea wat a treat is. we regularly try and he just has no idea. But thanks for all the advice i might have to invest in a crate if he does not settle soon. My OH says its cos i named him after jarvis cocker and he cant sing either!!!!!!!!!!!

[twissle]

Sorry i forgot you'd already said he doesn't do treat's. The only other thing i can think of is a radio, that's been known to help some dog's. Shame you don't live closer to me i could have lent you a crate just incase it doesn't work

[Milly]

My friend had a dog that was hyper ane bought a Dap Defuser and collar, like this one on the link
http://www.petmeds.co.uk/p-3224-dog-appeasing-pheromone-dap-diffuser.aspx?_kk=DAP%20diffuser&_kt=0bf81a25-a692-4be9-ab58-980c8670eb4c&gclid=CIyYtL6W2acCFUEa4Qod2yvQ8w&

If you do crate him introduce it gradually, feed him in it so he associates it with nice things. Good luck.