[yorkietalkjilly]

I would take some very high value treats and say a word like "Focus" or "Watch me" and give him a treat. Charge that word/phrase with meaning. Every single time you say it, he gets a treat popped in his mouth. Work with him like that for a solid week. That is all you are going to do. After the first couple of days, mix up some kibble with the chicken or hot dog turkey bits treats and give the flavored kibble for treats, so your dog doesn't start getting tummy problems or gain weight but if you will do this for one month, that dog will know that "Watch me" is really good. Repeat 3 or 4 times a session, then rough-house play and outside to pee.

Now, take you hand that gets the treat and put it very near your eyes, point at your eyes and when he looks in your eyes, say "Watch me". When he looks at your eyes for even a second, instantly give the treat. Say "Good Watch me". Keep pointing at your eyes and saying "Watch me" and the instant he does, plop that treat in his mouth. Do nothing but this for a week. Several times a day for only 3 or 4 times a session, some rough play and outside to pee.

After he is performing the "Watch me" 100% of the time, has it down cold, try it once or twice when he is whining from excitement. If he's learned the "Watch me" focus trick well enough, he should stop whining and lock eyes with you, expecting a treat reward. Pop that thing in as fast as you can and gently praise - BUT not with a great deal of excitement, just genuine respect and love in your smiling eyes and touch. You don't want to excite an excited, whining dog.

If he didn't stop whining, go back to the "Watch me" focus training until he's got it stone cold and then try it again when he is whining. The instant he stops whining and locks eyes, reward. This is how you will teach him to stop whining and focus on you when he is in that state of mind. Keep working with him when he is whining to "Watch me", treat at the ready and instantly reward his eyes locked on yours and being quiet with that treat.

In time, you can draw that time of his locking eyes with you to a longer period of say 3 or 4 seconds before he gets the treat and in time, draw it out to a minute - and longer still. If he's started focusing and watching your eyes, not whining, he is now learning slowly but surely to control his whine impulse and to wait for something very rewarding - FOOD.

Food is a small dog's paycheck. Very few small dogs have the attention span or scope of cognitive ability to work for other than food rewards as big dogs do. Big dogs have many more areas of pride, accomplishment and work ethic as well as prey drive for balls, squeaky toys, old socks, etc., than do small dogs and appealing to those over food can really work well in training them - but not small dogs. Mostly they want that food paycheck. And why not? In time, you transition away from using it and they no longer need it to obey a command - they do it by rote. It will become a learned behavior but the food treat is a fine bridge to that end early on in the training of a certain behavior.

What you will do in time is draw out his focusing time on you until he is working quite hard looking at you, paying attention to you, and awaiting his paycheck and his mind won't even think of whining. He'll start thinking "look at mommie" when there are what used to be whine-inducing moments and will replace that behavior with one that nets him food rewards and gentle praise. In time, you will really only need kibble and eventually, he will just do it for praise, once it is a learned, brain-imprinted reaction to excitement. See how it all works to transition one unwanted behavior into another, wanted behavior. It will take a good 6 mos. to get there but it will be fun and rewarding and reshape your dog's behavior into that of looking at you in times of excitement. Keep the sessions fun, smile during them and don't scold if he loses focus or fails. Just say "uh oh" and turn your back on him for a full 60 second. In time, he will work to avoid that reaction, learn that "uh oh" is a fail and how to avoid it and that is by looking straight into your eyes for your praise.

Later, you can teach him to sit, lie down and "relax" for a treat in the same way. But there is absolutely nothing wrong with teaching with food - that is how the circus trainers teach small dogs to do incredible tricks and then eventually, you no longer need the treat - the dog is just doing it because you are a team and he WANTS to please you. Dogs get more reward from pleasing us than anything but they have to learn that concept. At first they don't even know how cool they feel when they please us and smell and sense our happy, loving feelings but in time - they learn all about it and get hooked on it. That is when they stop needing treats and just do it because it is part of our bond with each other, which is all about making each other happy and sensing that about each other.

A squeaky toy can be given to a dog who is about to whine, when you see him amping up, grab out that squeaky and see if you can toss it and distract him. When you are at the vet or waiting somewhere and the dog is amping up, start having him focus, sit, lie down, shake hands, etc., to distract him from whining as you are still working with him on the "watch me". As long as he's busy and working, he won't whine so much. It's work - no doubt about it, but until the dog learns to focus on you for his reward, it can keep him distracted from excitement whining.