How To Deal With Your Dog Whining
There are a number of ways in which a dog vocalizes including howling, barking, growling and, of course, whining. Whining is perhaps the most subtle of these, but a sure attention getter, because humans normally interpret it as a cry of distress. I mean, who can resist such a pitiful sound?
Dogs, being smart creatures, have figured this out. And some dogs, especially those with dotting owners, have taken their whining skills to an art form.
Why Your Dog May Be Whining
Dogs generally whine when they are hurt, anxious or afraid. Certain dogs have also learned how to “pretend” to be afraid or anxious in order to get attention. However, dogs have a high pain threshold, so if your dog whines in pain, you want to identify the source of pain and have it treated immediately.
The other causes of whining are fairly easy to treat. All it takes is a few, easy to implement, steps.How to End the Whining
Let’s start with anxiety whining. This problem often starts when the dog picks up on clues in your routine, for example, putting on your coat to leave the house.
These small actions become the trigger that gets the dog whining. The trick here is to break the connection between action and reaction. There are a few ways you could do this.
You could simply vary your routine. Or you could confuse the dog by getting ready to leave, and then not go out. Another alternative is to go through your whole routine, then go out for 30 seconds or so, before coming back in.
All of these methods have the effect of breaking the dog’s connection between the routines he notices and the thing he fears (you leaving). It’s a simple methodology, but it works.
Dogs also whine when they are afraid, and this is particularly true of dogs left alone in an empty house. The obvious answer is to reduce his space.
Confine the dog to a single room or, better yet, to a dog crate, and you eliminate the fear and, by extension, the whining.
It may take a bit of work to get the dog used to the crate but he’ll soon get enjoy being in his own “den”. This has the effect of calming the dog because he no longer feels compelled to patrol and protect the whole property. This works very well for dogs who suffer separation anxiety.
Breaking the “Attention Whining” Cycle
Dogs are arch manipulators and usually have a bag of tricks that they use to get what they want. For example, small dogs love doing the “sit up and beg trick”, because they know it is cute and gets them attention.Likewise, if your dog works out that he just has to whine for you to come running, guess what? He’ll be doing a lot of whining, and you’ll be doing a lot of running!
As you get to know your dog you’ll soon learn all his little tricks and quirks. Turn a deaf ear to attention seeking whining and your dog will soon get the message.
Learn more about dog training, dog breed info, dog health and other interesting dog advice at Dogs and Dog Training
