WHINING DOGS

Here is my article on Whining Dogs.

First off, WHY are they whining?

That is a very good, yet a bit complicated question.There are many reasons why dogs whine, it can be a learned behavior, pain related, it can also be due to their genetics- certain breeds tend to be more vocal in general.  

Many breeds nowadays have been specifically bred to be more submissive, which in turn often makes the individual more insecure and needy.  Dogs will feed off each other’s behavior, and if one whines the others will often start as well.  Whining can be because they are uncomfortable, or because it got them something they desired- like attention or food.

Dogs are going to repeat behaviors that benefited them in the past.

Pain must be ruled out first as a cause, and it may not be easily visible.  I recommend having a complete physical done by a Veterinarian with full blood work panel as well. Dogs may have joint pain, digestive issues, allergies, or parasites- all of which can cause dogs to call out to us for help in the form of whining.

Are they getting enough mental and physical exercise? 

Perhaps they are frustrated - ask the dog to engage in something constructive first in exchange for your attention, THEN you can reward them.  

Set boundaries in the relationship with your dog, they thrive on a consistent daily structured life.  With a dog who whines for attention, everything should be earned.   I highly recommend using all the dogs daily meals as rewards for training.  Hand feeding gives “value” to the owner in the dog’s point of view.   Controlling the dogs most valuable resource gives us a huge advantage in training.  Asking them to do something basic like an already learned sit, down, or heel will encourage calm behavior from them, and helps put you in charge of the situation.  Wait them out until they respond, then reward them with praise, complying with their request, and occasionally with a piece of their daily meal.  Reward them for calm behavior, it will pay back threefold.  Always be more consistent than they are persistent.

Control your own emotions- dog’s watch and look to us for information, they pick up on our moods and behaviors.  If we are stressed or worried this will very often affect them as well.  

Often redirecting the whining into a constructive behavior works. Lots of mental games are helpful, especially for highly intelligent and active herding breeds.  Mental stimulation will often tire a dog faster than physical exercise.  Most dogs can be distracted with a chew - I have an entire article on various ones available on Chew Toys For Dogs.

Whining can be communicating excitement, as a greeting behavior.  People should greet the dog in a calm manner, and with a low pitch voice- if calm behavior is what you want to get back in return. Anxiety and whining in dogs is often created unknowingly by humans.  It’s very important NOT to make a big deal out of leaving the dog.   Stressed energy from us will cause anxiety in the dog, and then the person leaves them alone - and that is the state of mind they often stay in for hours.  I recommend leaving calmly and quietly, and give the dog an interactive food toy like a rubber Kong toy- filled with part of the dogs daily meal, if frozen even better as it will take longer for them to empty it. This usually distracts the dog long enough for you to get out the door before they realize you are gone.  Often the dog accepts the situation, and rests. Leaving white noise, TV, or classical music on can also help calm the dog while you are gone.  The same goes to when we come back home to the dog.  When I come home I DON’T immediately go to the dog, I take care of my own stuff first for a few minutes, allowing the dogs mind and adrenaline to settle a bit before letting him out of his crate or kennel.  This puts him in a calmer, more balanced state of mind- instead of the frenzied mind often caused by letting him out immediately. For dogs with severe anxiety I would buy an Impact or Gunner crate. They are expensive, but when you consider the potential damage to your property as well as Veterinarian costs for the dog getting hurt trying to get out or getting into something while out, these crates are well worth the money.                                                             Dogs often whine during the beginning of crate training, this is normal to an extent.  My article on Crate Training will help with conditioning the dog to love their crate. 

Fearful whining- fear is by definition an emotion, so  technically speaking we can validate - but not reinforce fear.   We can, however, redirect and reinforce the state of mind the dog is in- because dogs live in the now, and learn by action.   People want to believe they are helping the fearful dog by comforting it, like they would a frightened child.  The difference is dogs are not human children, and they cannot rationalize like humans can. If we are in a worried state of mind when petting a frightened dog, they will pick up on our unbalanced energy.  The petting will often be seen by the dog as praise, and we end up reinforcing the undesirable behavior they are doing at that moment.  By providing fearful dogs with consistently calm leadership and direction we will help guide them through their fears.  Training basic obedience, interrupting and redirecting towards a more positive activity, incorporating  structure into their daily routine, and giving praise and reward at the appropriate time, dogs will learn coping skills that will benefit them for the rest of their lives.

The whiny dog may be overstimulated.  In many dogs, especially ones under one year of age- a common reason for whining is the dog has sleep deprivation.  This occurs more often in households with young children.  Try scheduling the dog’s day with one hour of quiet crate time then one hour of play time outside the crate. Rotate throughout the day.  Repeat for a minimum of one week, then assess the dog’s behavior and schedule daily “naps” as needed.  Dogs always thrive best on a consistent daily schedule.  In the case where the pup has done something inappropriate, information in my Time Out Pup article describes the best way to utilize the crate in this circumstance.

Appeasement whining is a submissive behavior around others, and a form of  communication. Behavior may include yawning, lip licking, averting eyes, flattening ears, and tucked tail.   Confidence Building drills are excellent for bonding with your dog, as well as giving the dog a more balanced state of mind. Using the dog’s daily food as rewards or a favorite toy lure the dog in/under/through/onto safe objects. Start easy and gradually make the obstacles more difficult.  Lots of praise throughout the process.

TIPS:

You can train the WAIT and TAKE IT game to build impulse control, and focus on the handler.  Take a piece of food in your hand, with fist closed. Bring your hand close to the dog.  Give a verbal WAIT command.  Let the dog sniff, but don’t let them have it till they settle a bit and are calmer, then say TAKE IT, and open your hand and reward. Repeat.  Goal is to have calm, quiet behavior, and direct eye contact before rewarding. 

PLACE command is very helpful impulse control exercises for older pups, they will learn to go to their dog cot, lie down, be quiet, and stay there until given a release word. Sessions should be fairly short to start.  A tie back can be used at first, always supervised. I have a very detailed article on training PLACE.

Box Feeding, which is basically classical conditioning, can be an invaluable tool for a insecure, worried dog.  Using the dog’s daily meals they will learn to keep their heads inside the box while noise distractions are gradually added.  They learn the sounds are not to be feared, so they actually look forward to them because they are rewarded with pieces of their meals AFTER the scary noise and short pause.  This conditioning transfers over to their basic obedience, making an overall more mentally balanced dog.  I have a detailed article on Box Feeding.

Structured walks : The structured walk changes the dog’s behavior from a free for all to a calmer, more balanced state of mind. They should be daily or twice a day, and can be done indoors if the weather outside is unfavorable. I have a very detailed article on Structured Walks including many tips on how to easily reach your goal. 

I highly recommend Treadmill training-which is excellent for both the dog’s state of mind AND year round low impact physical exercise.  Just a walking speed, but with gradually added duration. I have an article on how to easily and safely treadmill train a dog.

Treatment from your Veterinarian in conjunction with training may be necessary for some dogs temporarily to help them learn coping skills.  There are many different options available from acupuncture and holistic medicine, to modern anti-anxiety treatment.

The Double Down/Head Down exercise combines already learned verbal commands with low level stimulation from a quality remote electronic collar.   When a dog’s body is in the lying down position, with their head down as well, their brain naturally starts to calm.  The electronic collar is used at lower levels as communication NOT as a correction. I have an article available on how to train this valuable exercise.

If the whining is just occasional, and not really a problem- you can ignore it until the whining stops, then immediately praise with a verbal “Good Quiet”.  My article on training  the QUIET command is useful if it’s just occasional nuisance whining.

A weighted vest can be very effective for whiny dogs.  I recommend the XDOG brand. Start with the vest empty, then add sand or metal BBs to the pockets very gradually up to ten percent of the dog’s body weight. This weight is for resting ONLY, as running or jumping with this weight could damage the dog. Thundershirts and Thunder Ease spray are also beneficial to many.

My site below contains my numerous articles with suggestions on how to help keep your pup,adult, or older dog mentally and physically occupied.

Index includes- Adolescent to Adult Problem Solving, Senior Dog Care, and Pup Basic Manners Training, and are available at my link below.  The site is open to the public, and free of charge. 

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https://allbasics-dogtraining.blogspot.com/