I’m watching over a Pom Chi who would always cuddle and fall asleep near my lap, but he started climbing onto the ledge of the couch and would cry/whine.
Ive already given him treats and am trying to refrain from reinforcing whining behavior but I’m not sure what else he may be crying about.
Anyone have any experience with a crying/whining dog? How did you bring him comfort?
Experiment with sitting in different places- you might be sat in ‘his spot’ for example…. try playing music/TV as he might be used to the HO watching/listening sociably to stuff whilst you for example are doing it differently (listening via AirPods/just relaxing on phone silently). Just a thought…
Your first port of call should be to ask the home owner…
Smaller dog breeds in general can be prone to anxious behaviours. The absence of their owner often means a lot of whining, whimpering and being unsettled. It could simply be the dog getting used to not having the owner around. They may get used to it after a while. In the meantime time, providing treats, playtime and cuddles is the best way to go, and asking the owner if there’s anything else you can do to settle the dog may be helpful. In some sits I’ve done, the owners have provided calming pet CBD drops from the vet which helps with anxious behaviour, particularly for rain, storms or in the first few days of a sit until the dog feels more settled. Hope that helps!
Could he be bored and need more attention/play time?
We had a pom for many years. He was very cute, but could be demanding. Whenever he got up onto the couch, he would go to the edge and yelp at a high pitch until someone went to him and lifted him down. I guess because he was small, it seemed like a long way down for him. He would do the same for slippery stairs and anything else he felt uncomfortable navigating himself. We were slaves to him, but he was worth it.