Never owned a dog,
Dog sitting 2 dogs.
I don't know if the Labrador is trained or not.
If I am not playing tug of war with it or petting it, it whines/moans/barks.
I've tired it out to the point of it can barely hold onto it's toy and if I even look away from it, it starts whining, barking, and nudging at it's toy. Try playing with it again, and the toy just lays in it's mouth.
Ignoring it for 30+ minutes just consisted of barking/moaning. Telling it 'No' in a stern voice just results in barking/moaning.
What am I doing wrong?
You should always win tug of war, so it respects you as superior.
Get a bully stick and relax for maybe an hour or so.
>ignore any whining/barking/nudging of toys, it could take a couple of hours before they stop the first few times, but dogs eventually get tired
>only initiate play when dog is quiet
>eventually dog learns that being quiet means you'll start to play with it and being annoying means nothing will happen ever
By giving in after half an hour or reprimanding him, you are rewarding his efforts with attention, and teaching him that if he whines for 30 minutes he'll eventually illicit a response.
I would start small (being quiet for say, a couple of seconds) and reward with some play, and slowly build quiet duration until the dog comes up and is quiet at you until you initiate play instead of being annoying.
This is if you care to train them.
If you just want them out of your hair, do what anon suggests and get them bully sticks, or other long term chews.
THIS:
>>2038696