Constant whining

[juliette]

Otto has picked up a new habit. Every evening around 7 p.m., he begins whining at us. We've tried everything to figure out what he wants - treats, attention, play, potty - but invariably he starts again. We are now working on ignoring him, and he will usually give up after a while and go lie down - but we are worried we are missing something else that he wants and is trying to tell us.

Any ideas or is he just trying to control the situation while we are home and at his disposal?

[blazeman]

Jake does the same thing... but not all the time. He will look into the kitchen and whimper. I try not to give in... but I know he wants something either by his treats, or on the table!

Could Otto be seeing something he wants?

[Otto'sMom]

I know it's hard trying to figure out what they want when they whine. My Otto whines to be picked up, or for treats. If I don't respond fast enough, he'll do his "Mom" whine. That always gets quick action from me. (Yep, Otto can "say" Mom, sounds like it'd be spelled maom, and I'm putty in his paws) My Dolly will whine when everyone has rawhides, she wants them all . She will also let me know that she thinks its time for all of us to go up to bed by sitting at the top of the stairs and moaning at me. She also tells me when we're supposed to get up, go downstairs so she can sleep on the chair by me.
I hope some of my examples may shed light on your pup. Have you tried picking him up and holding him? (was that what you meant by attention?)
This is just my humble opinion but I don't think you should ignore him. Can you imagine how frustrated you'd be if you were trying to communicate something important and you were just ignored you cause you didn't speak the language? You could talk to a behaviourist (or animal communicator, ITS NOT HOOEY! It helped point out things I was missing in my pet's lives, kinda not seeing the forrest for the trees thing) Look for changes in his environment that occur at 7 pm. Maybe a strange dog or cat is coming by, or maybe he wants you to watch Animal Planet at 7.:D

[carpet gator]

Buddy Lee does this, too. It can drive me crazy sometimes. I pick him up, he whines. I put him outside, he still whines. I put food in the bowl, he ignores it and whines. Try to play fetch, he paws at me and whines.

Most of the time, when he does this, there is something that he wants that is out of his reach. And, in order for me to quiet him, I have to find out what it is. So, we take a walk around the house, room to room. When I get close he gets real excited. It might be a new rawhide in the cabinet, a certain toy behind the couch, or Gidget in our bed ignoring him. But, when I find what it is he was trying to tell me about, he stops.