A Bit of Dog Training

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When your dog whines he is attempting to communicate. One of the first actions a dog learns is to whine. The hungry puppy whines to let its mother know that it is hungry. When its mother feeds the puppy the puppy learns that whining produces the desired result.

As a dog grows it will continue to whine when it is distressed or requires attention. A puppy that is one of a litter will feel a sense of belonging to that litter. A puppy that becomes separated from its litter will be distressed and will whine to let the litter know about its distress.

When the puppy is removed from its litter to become a member of your family it may feel extreme distress at being removed from its familiar surroundings and former family. It may whine to communicate its distress and sense of loss.

This is the time to begin training your dog not to whine. The dog will continue to whine if you reinforce this action by paying attention to its whines. On the other hand it is important that you have taken care of the dog’s needs before you try to stop a dog from whining. Always ensure that your dog has food and water and is comfortable and is not trying to communicate to you that he is thirsty or hungry. Your dog should not whine when it is eating, running or going to the toilet and if it does it will need to be seen by a vet.

Your dog must not be neglected; you must play with him and spend time with him. If you spend time with him when he is quiet and not whining it will reinforce good behavior.

Once your dog has adapted to you – its new family – it may suffer from separation anxiety if you leave it. Separation anxiety in dogs is not uncommon. Dogs are naturally pack animals so remember that it may feel quite anxious when you leave it. If your dog is put outside before you go out try spending a few moments with it in its outside world and make sure you leave toys for it to play with while you’re out. The dog will soon learn that he can have fun outside, as well.

When you pay attention to you dog’s whines you’ll soon begin to know what he is trying to communicate to you and why. Your dog could be trying to communicate to you that he is hungry, thirsty, hot, cold, bored, lonely, wanting to go outside to relieve himself, or he may be in pain.

Your dog requires exercise and stimulation. Play games with him, take him for walks and take him to dog parks so that he can run off the leash and socialize with other dogs. Dogs are intelligent creatures and require exercise and stimulation or they can easily become bored. A bored dog may whine for attention.

Tend to your dog’s needs and don’t let him manipulate you with his whining. Your dog has genuine needs and also needs attention; learn to differentiate between the two.  Reinforce good dog behavior. Give him the love and attention that he deserves when the whining has stopped and he will soon learn that his whines do not produce the results that he wants.