You dog stands out as not only your most loved pet, but also as a major part of your family. But what do you do when this member of the family picks up a new habit of whining seemingly without purpose or reason? While it may quickly wear on your nerves, understanding the underlying potential causes of dog whining can help you take the necessary steps to correct the behavior.
Injury
Before getting into some of the main reasons why dogs developing whining habits, it's important to first address injury. Whining is often a dogs only way to communicate pain or discomfort. If whining is associated with a lack of movement, wincing or other signs of pain, take your pet to the vet as soon as possible for a checkup. In some cases, you may be able to …show more content…
You can either chose to ignore this behavior, or quickly acknowledge to the dog that you see that they're in a submissive state by a quick pat and walking away from the animal.
Excitement
Dog whining often occurs with excitement, and this is easy to tell due to you dogs body language. Excited whining is typically accompanied by excited behavior such as running around you, spinning in circles or trying to jump on you. Correct these behaviors as needed if they are not allowed in your house and withhold attention until your dog has reached a calm state.
Notification
A common reason dogs whine is to notify their humans of something. The most common of these notifications is the need to relieve themselves, especially if they are kennel trained and the need is overpowering their natural instinct not to potty in their den. This is also common if whining is accompanied by standing by or scratching the door you typically let them out of to relieve themselves. In many cases, you may not want to stop this whining behavior, especially if it is immediately relieved by letting them …show more content…
For an insecure dog, change their posture by petting underneath the chin versus on the head to force the head up while rewarding them at the same time. Ignore them when they show signs of insecurity and reward them with praise or a treat when they show a more confident posture. For lonely dogs, set aside more time to do active activities with them instead of just sitting around the house or cuddling. Take them for a longer walk or play catch to help ware out nervous energy and reassure your dog that they are still part of your family even when you're away. Consider other helpers as well, such as leaving safe puzzle toys, turning on the radio or TV softly, and leaving something that smells like you on their bed or in their
Injury
Before getting into some of the main reasons why dogs developing whining habits, it's important to first address injury. Whining is often a dogs only way to communicate pain or discomfort. If whining is associated with a lack of movement, wincing or other signs of pain, take your pet to the vet as soon as possible for a checkup. In some cases, you may be able to …show more content…
You can either chose to ignore this behavior, or quickly acknowledge to the dog that you see that they're in a submissive state by a quick pat and walking away from the animal.
Excitement
Dog whining often occurs with excitement, and this is easy to tell due to you dogs body language. Excited whining is typically accompanied by excited behavior such as running around you, spinning in circles or trying to jump on you. Correct these behaviors as needed if they are not allowed in your house and withhold attention until your dog has reached a calm state.
Notification
A common reason dogs whine is to notify their humans of something. The most common of these notifications is the need to relieve themselves, especially if they are kennel trained and the need is overpowering their natural instinct not to potty in their den. This is also common if whining is accompanied by standing by or scratching the door you typically let them out of to relieve themselves. In many cases, you may not want to stop this whining behavior, especially if it is immediately relieved by letting them …show more content…
For an insecure dog, change their posture by petting underneath the chin versus on the head to force the head up while rewarding them at the same time. Ignore them when they show signs of insecurity and reward them with praise or a treat when they show a more confident posture. For lonely dogs, set aside more time to do active activities with them instead of just sitting around the house or cuddling. Take them for a longer walk or play catch to help ware out nervous energy and reassure your dog that they are still part of your family even when you're away. Consider other helpers as well, such as leaving safe puzzle toys, turning on the radio or TV softly, and leaving something that smells like you on their bed or in their