Every dog owner’s life comes when they are up late and hear their dog whining in the other room. This is often followed by a trip to see what’s wrong, only to find nothing wrong, as it was only puppy whining – he just wanted something (like attention or food). Whining is very common in puppies; you know this all too well if you have ever had one before.
You may be surprised sometimes that your pup will whine for seemingly no reason at all (this happens often). Most of the time, though, puppy whining does have some reasoning behind it. Some common ones include:
- He wants to play but cannot summon the energy himself – He has an idea (an actual thought process) of something he wants to do/play but cannot get motivated. You may hear him whine some and then give up trying to play and sleep instead.
- He is scared, nervous, or stressed – This often occurs when you/another animal has approached the pup at times where he feels very vulnerable. It’s as if he is too weak at that moment in time to handle whatever it was that scared him and would rather be left alone than try to face it head-on.
- He wants attention – The life of a puppy can be boring sometimes; being a baby means a lot more free time than most adults have! So they will often run out of things to do and turn to whining for attention.
- He wants something that he cannot have. It is common after having a very good run while with the dog to see Puppy whining towards the end of it, by which time they will want to keep going; but because the time has already been used up or another reason (like stormy weather), his plans are forever dashed. This often results in him being upset and whining, so you can be aware of this fact and let him run again later.
So what do you do when your pup does get started on an episode of puppy whining? Here are some step on how to get your puppy to stop whining.
Steps: Get all the things ready first that you need for the training session like treats and toys; talk to your Puppy kindly but firmly before starting his training session; give him many positive rewards during the training, so he gets motivated; ignore any unwanted behaviors or crying while waiting for him to perform right actions or commands.
- When your Puppy whines, don’t just say “no” and give them something to chew on that will distract them from the whining.
- Not only does this only make your Puppy learn that if they whine, you give them something to chew on, but it makes things even worse for you because you become the source of their whining since now everything they want comes from you (including petting). Instead, ignore the whining completely.
- Avoid eye contact with your Puppy when they start whining. This teaches your Puppy that to get whatever they want (attention), they need to keep barking or be ignored by you completely until they stop watching/whining at you and do something else.
- It’s a good idea to ignore your Puppy for at least 5 minutes after they start whining (or any other bad behavior) to ensure they get the idea that you don’t want them doing whatever it is.
- After ignoring your Puppy for a while, take them on a walk or play with them in another room where there isn’t anything else for them to whine about. This helps reinforce good behavior by giving them something more appropriate to do when they whine instead of getting nothing from you and then whining even louder/longer (which makes things worse).
- Make sure your Puppy has plenty of toys and bones/chews and other fun things so that when they need attention or some other kind of stimulation, they can do that by themselves.
- If your Puppy whines to get something you’re already giving them (such as attention), then ignore it for a little longer than usual, and then when they stop whining, give them whatever it is again. This reinforces the idea that if they don’t whine, then they continue getting what they want from you, so when they whine next time, you’ll know what not to do with your dog and teach him/her even better manners.
- When you correct your Puppy’s behavior, make sure to be quick about it, so they don’t have a chance to start whining after being corrected but before actually learning their lesson (which can happen). And always use the same kind of tone/motions/looks. Whatever you do when your Puppy is being corrected for whining, make sure always to use the same type of correction (and don’t slip up).
- If your Puppy used to whine a lot about something that they’re not doing anymore (because you made them stop) and now they’ve stopped whining, then give them extra attention. This can work better than if they never whined because at least with affection and time spent with your dog, you know what gets them excited, happy or calm compared to just giving them bones or toys all the time, which may not matter to your Puppy as much as having fun with their owner does.
- You should also take your Puppy on more walks. Walks are a great way to build more trust with your dog and give them exercise. Plus, walks are a time when you can reinforce any good behavior (like making sure they don’t pull on their leash) by getting excited about it or giving them some affection afterward (such as petting).
- Make sure to take your Puppy for at least 3-5 15 minute walks every day.
- You also need to make sure that there aren’t too many distractions inside the house that might get your Puppy whining in the first place, such as toys scattered around, food available at all times, etc. This isn’t so much because of whining but because we want our puppies to be calm while being inside and not jumping up on couches or running around. (This also helps when we have guests over and they’re trying to sit down on the couch.)
- Avoid giving your puppy attention at any time, even when they aren’t whining. Giving your puppy attention can sometimes reinforce the whining as that’s now what your dog is used to getting out of you, so by not giving them anything but punishment for their negative behavior, you’ll be teaching them better than if you’d just ignored it altogether.
- 1Don’t give in to a few bahs, no matter how cute or sad they sound. Your Puppy wants whatever it is they’re whining about, so if you pay any attention to them at all, then you’ll only encourage them to whine some more.
- If you’re in the car and your Puppy starts whining, then either ignore them or treat them like they’re not doing anything wrong by giving them something fun when they aren’t whining (like a chew bone). But if that doesn’t work, don’t hesitate to open any windows in the car and tell them that it’s too noisy for them. Letting your dog out of the car through an open window should be a last resort because it won’t make sure they have proper training, but just letting your dog out is better than nothing until you can get somewhere quiet and stop.
- Make sure when you take your Puppy outside for walks, you give them another walk immediately after that one (as long as you don’t overdo it). This way, your Puppy will be exhausted and have no time to think about whining for attention.
- Don’t underestimate the power of exercise; when your dog is tired, they don’t want anything but sleep, which means they won’t whine.
- Keep in mind that patience is key if you want to get results fast with any new training. It took you several months or even years to train your dog how not to bark, so don’t expect them not to do something just because you snapped at them once or twice; keep being consistent until they finally get the point or makes a notable improvement.
- Be sure that your entire family agrees with your training methods so that you aren’t trying to train one style or method while someone else is doing the opposite.
- Keeping a tight leash is best when your dog whines and pulls at all times regardless of what’s going on (even if it was just because they saw another dog), but be careful not to jerk them around too much. If you don’t have a tight leash, then there will be more room for error, and your Puppy might begin thinking that whining gets them further with you than walking nicely on their own would.
- Try changing up the frequency of walks throughout the day; some puppies do better getting 2-4 long ones spaced out rather than 3-5 shorter walks.
Conclusion:
To get your Puppy to stop whining, you need to be consistent and confident. Pick a time each day when the dog is not overly active and praise them for good behavior. Be sure they have enough toys that are just theirs, so it doesn’t become frustrating or boring for them. If you start integrating the above simple tips into your daily routine, there’s no doubt in our minds that soon, you’ll see an end of the whining!
What do you think?