Dogs have a wide vocabulary that includes barking, growling, howling, as well as whining. All of these convey their own message. Whining for example is normally interpreted as a sign of distress, and as such instantly draws our attention.

Dogs, of course, have long since figured out that whining is also a sure-fire way of getting what they want.

Why Your Dog May Be Whining

A dog will usually whine when it is fearful, anxious or in pain. Some of our more creative canine friends have also learned how to fake being anxious or afraid in order to attract our attention. But dogs don’t pretend to be hurt, so if you believe your dog is genuinely in pain you’ll want to attend to the problem right away.

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 discuss anxiety whining first. Often this is related to the dog being left alone. The dog has noticed a routine you go through before leaving the house, something as simple as turning off the TV and activating the alarm.

This then becomes the trigger that sets off your dog’s whining. In order to address this you’ll need to break the connection between your actions, and the dog’s reaction. There are a number of ways to 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.

These are all easy ways to break the connection the dog has built up between your routine, and the fact that it results in him being left on his own. It sounds simplistic, but it works.

Another cause for whining is fear. For example a dog left alone in an empty house may become fearful and anxious. The solution here is simply to cut down his space.

Restricting your dog to just one or two rooms and giving him some crate training is an effective way of dealing with this form of whining.

Be aware that it will take a bit of time to accustom your dog to the crate, but it is relatively easy because the crate simulates a den environment. Once the dog is used to the crate he no longer feels the need to patrol his larger “territory” (the house). It is an effective way of addressing both fear and anxiety in your dog.

How to Address “Attention” Whining

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!

If you pay attention, you’ll soon pick up on the subtle ways in which your dog tries to manipulate you. You’ll have to learn how to ignore the attention seeking whining or your dog will wrap you around his little paw.

Find out more about dog training tips, puppy care, dog health and other interesting dog information at www.dogsanddogtraining.com.

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