How To Stop Your Dog Whining

>>For the best guide to stopping whining and other dog behavior problems, the best guide is: Secrets To Dog Training. I will deal with some strategies to stop your dog whining in this article.   Whining in puppies is perfectly natural when a puppy is cold, hungry or tired. It's a signal to the mother who responds and provides milk, warmth and safety. You need to understand clearly that the puppy will continue to whine until he gets what he wants, as long as getting what he wants is associated with whining.

When the puppy comes into your home, you need to break this association or you will continue to suffer the consequences.

So, it's generally advised to leave your puppy alone on his first night. If you respond to his whining with any positive reinforcement like affection or cuddling, he will only learn that whining gets him what he wants.

If the puppy is very stressed by his new environment, he may very well need some attention. In this case, try to give attention before any whining starts.

If whining has started, wait until it stops before you give attention, if possible. If the puppy is whining for a long time and you don't think he will stop, just wait until there is a break for a few seconds if possible.

Whining is abnormal in dogs older than six months. An adult dog may have learned to whine to manipulate you or it may just be unconscious.

There are several reasons why an adult dog might whine:

• pain
• boredom
• loneliness
• a need to go outside
• fear or anxiety.

If there is a legitimate cause, then obviously you need to respond to it. Let's take each of these reasons in turn.

Pain

If the whining starts all of a sudden, and then continues, pain may be the reason. Check for any obvious signs:

• scratches or splinters
• holding a paw off ground
• favoring one side of body
• injuries to limbs (rub your hands along each leg and give the joints a gentle squeeze)
• tail injury (check for lumps).

If you suspect pain, then you should take the puppy to the vet.

Boredom

If there's no other reason for the whining, it may be that your dog is bored. Maybe he is wandering aimlessly around the house or following you around everywhere. Maybe he's doing a lot of pacing.

The most efficient cure for boredom is to increase the exercise he gets every day. Take him out for brisk walks. Lots of dogs don't get enough exercise and that's why they get bored.

Loneliness

If you can, spend more time with your dog. Make sure you have quality time with your dog, spending time playing, grooming, training and giving affection.

A Need To Go Outside

In this case it's not necessary to discourage the behavior - just let him out. This will be obvious if he's standing by the door. This behavior is to be praised.

Fear/Anxiety

Usually in the case of fear there is an obvious cause such as a thunderstorm. With anxiety, it may not be so clear. Maybe he just seems on edge.

In these cases it's best to ignore the whining behavior because any attention will just reinforce the behavior.

You can distract him with play or obedience training. I hope these stop dog whining tips are useful to you!

Are you having problems with your puppy or dog continually whining? If your answer to the above question is yes, then I strongly recommend that you check out the Secrets To Dog Training Guide. It's very in depth and great value for money. There's the downloadable manual, and audio version of the same and some great bonuses. The whole package covers everything you need to know about selecting a puppy or dog, caring for your dog, training your dog, dealing with any behavioral problems such as whining and biting and much more. Click here to check out the Secrets To Dog Training website.