Hello,
We have a 7 week old German Shepard Mix for three days now. He is getting better at not whining when we are not there and leave the room, but when we are there, he whines for our attention for 2 hours straight. Do we ignore him, play with him in his little area or take him out? We don't want to take him out for walks yet so we have a little area for him where he can play, eat and do his business.

Originally Posted by onoff48

Hello,
We have a 7 week old German Shepard Mix for three days now. He is getting better at not whining when we are not there and leave the room, but when we are there, he whines for our attention for 2 hours straight. Do we ignore him, play with him in his little area or take him out? We don't want to take him out for walks yet so we have a little area for him where he can play, eat and do his business.

Wow, that's rather early to be away from Mom and Littermates. Is there a reason he was pulled so early?

He was a rescue, I know he is still young but didn't wanna let the guy get mistreated.

Originally Posted by onoff48

He was a rescue, I know he is still young but didn't wanna let the guy get mistreated.

Ah, well, that makes sense.

Here is a link that spells out the developmental stages of puppies:
Developmental Stages Of Puppy Behavior

It's going to be important that you socialize the puppy and make sure that all it's experiences are positive. If it does have a "negative" experience that could imprint it with fear, you need to not add to that by babying him.

As for the whining...that is puppy speak for "feed me" "play with me" "I'm lonely". I don't know that I would leave it alone for hours on end at this young age. It's just so young....

I agree with Frecs. Just as with a human infant, you shouldn't ignore the pup for very long-- I'd say first check that all of his needs are met, including affection and play-- pretty much the same checklist new parents of humans go through-- and after all of his needs are met, and he's had a play session and some cuddles, you can try putting him down for some "quiet time." Give him a nice chewy to gnaw on, and leave him alone for a bit. If he starts crying when you walk away, come back immediately. Don't give any more pets/hands on affection, just put your finger to your lips and say, "Shh..." (or some other cue word for being quiet). This is where clicker training comes in handy, and you will need to have "charged up" the clicker previously. (There are some threads about clicker training floating around her somewhere.) Anyway... The second you say "shh..." he will most likely have stopped whining for just a split second to watch/listen in case you say or do anything else. That VERY INSTANT, click, treat, and praise. Then walk away for a few minutes, or until he starts whining again. Repeat the exercise. You should be able to very gradually increase the length of time between "shshing" and treating-- in other words, giving him practice at being quiet for longer periods of time. As he matures, you will be able to expect him to be quiet for a couple of hours at a time, and of course, at that point he won't require a click and treat any more either. But this could take several weeks, due to the fact that he is still just an infant dog, after all.

You dont want to give him attention WHILE he is whining. That will only teach him that "I make a big fuss, mommy/daddy gives me lovins". Take him out without saying a word and make sure he needs to go potty. If thats not it, offer him some water. If he still keeps it up, then work on a good "hush" or "quiet" command. As SOON as he quiets, give him lovins. He'll learn that if he is quiet, he will get attention. Dont hush him for whining without making sure that he needs to potty. you want him to tell you if he needs to potty (even as he gets older)