Q: Help! My 5.5-year old German Shepherd/Siberian Husky mix whines for attention. First she barks very loudly and then once I get her into a down stay she stops barking but just whines instead. She can continue for 30 minutes or more. Sometimes I think she is like a tired child and she doesn't even realize she is still whining. I've tried to hold her mouth closed and praise her when she doesn't whine but the minute I remove my hand she begins to whine again. What do you suggest?

I know that her whining is not indicative of her being sick or injured or any sort of discomfort since she has done this since she was a puppy. I ignore the behavior but that hasn't helped either. I've tried to redirect her attention to something else but that ultimately gives her what she wants...attention. She is a very intelligent dog and a very active, high-spirited dog. She has a huge fenced in yard where she gets lots of exercise and has many "dog-friends" come to play. She is most difficult when my boyfriend is here and she wants his attention 100% of the time! Help, what else can I do? I thank you in advance for any suggestions you may have! Thanks for your consideration.

A: Whining is sometimes an anxiety fault. I had a dog who did it in obedience class, and I mean, he was loud! He also did it at the veterinarian's office in his eagerness to go back to the exam room and see the veterinarian. Seriously!

What helped my dog was doggy calisthenics. A series of three of these: sit, praise, down, praise. Repeat three times, then release. If the dog starts being noisy again, do another set. Remember to praise. It's boring to the dog, it's work rather than attention, and it tends to do the job, but it may take time.

Another thing you could try is just putting her out of the room when she starts that--or better yet, leave the room she is in, and close the door. Then all attention is removed, and she may be motivated to try harder to stop making noise. I think it's probably genetic, and not intentional misbehavior. Try to remove all positive reinforcement for doing it, and that includes any NEGATIVE attention too.

GSDs and Huskies are both high-powered breeds, and I've seen both be very vocal! If you remove your attention and make other ways of amusing herself (chew bone in particular) available to her without your interaction, she might improve a lot. Things could be worse -- at least she likes your boyfriend!