How to Stop a Dog Whining

A whining dog can test your patience to the limit. For one, its has a pitch that seems to carry to wherever you are in the house and secondly it has a sound guaranteed to tug at your heart strings - making it almost impossible to ignore.

However, it can often seem that your dog whines for no real reason. Perhaps your dog whines at night, when its hardest to ignore - or for you to stay patient! Or maybe your dog is constantly whining whenever they are in their crate. Or maybe you only need to visit the bathroom to set them off.

Working out why your dog whines and what you can do to stop it can be a little tricky. Are they ill, bored, hungry, scared, do they need to go out, or want a walk? Even our best guess is often wrong.

How To Identify Why Your Dog Is Whining

As a dog trainer with over 10 years experience of working with whining dogs, this is the simple 2-step system I use to work out what lies at the root of it. Basically there are two different reasons that dogs whine and your first step is to work out which one is driving your dog.

Before you can stop the whining problem you have to know which of these reasons most closely match your dogs behaviour.

Could Your Dogs Whining be Attention Seeking Behaviour?

First up, to identify if it is simply an attention seeking device, look at what might have set off the whining. For instance does your dog whine while you're around and is he trying to catch your eye or get some attention with it? Also, how do you react? Do you immediately shout at the dog to "shut up" or do you stroke or comfort the dog?

So, if you're paying your dog attention every time he whines, even if you're annoyed, your dog is likely to carry on doing it because for some, even negative attention is attention and they are getting what they want.

Separation Anxiety in Dogs is Also a Strong Driver for Dog Whining

A dog that whines non-stop when left home alone is very likely to be suffering from dog separation anxiety. Check with your neighbours whether that happens - they may just have been too polite to tell you before now. A dog that whines when left downstairs alone at night might also be showing symptoms of anxiety, as do dogs who whine the moment they can't see you, which can make a trip to the bathroom a stressful event!

A recent survey suggested up to 50% of dogs show signs of separation anxiety, but sadly it often goes untreated for a long time as the behaviour because owners simply think their dog is behaving badly and needs more training, rather than realising that the behavior is actually caused by the anxiety.

To help you undertand more about whining and the other major symptoms of dog separation anxiety, I've created a free downloadable report using experience I've gained working with dogs.

How to use Training Techniques to Stop Dogs Whining

There's no need to use punishment or force in your dog training, or any gadgets that shock or spray. In fact there's no need to even raise your voice.

Firstly, if your dogs whining is attention seeking behaviour, the only way to stop it is for you to take no notice. You need to teach your dog that his techniques don't work on you. In fact you can teach your dog that not only will it not work, but the results of his whining means he could lose the pack. And as a pack animal, their natural desire is to be with the pack.

What I mean here is that you could put your dog in another room and close the door, or put him where he can't see you as soon as he starts the whining. He will soon associate his whining with losing access to his pack and thats a powerful motivator for a dog.

As soon as they stop whining you could return to the room or move back into view. It's simple but surprisingly effective. What is crucial is that you are consistent in not responding to your dogs whining either by speaking to or looking at your dog.

You'll need to be even more persistent and consistent if your dogs whining is caused by anxiety. Here you have a problem on two levels, the first being the behaviour itself, which will need you to carefully increase the time spent apart until they stop panicking. The second is the reason behind most anxiety, that of pack leadership, which is too big to deal with here.

If you think your dog is suffering from separation anxiety you really need to find out more about it, so that you are definate that this is the problem you are dealing with. Consult with your vet, or speak with a dog professional if you're not sure, before you start training.


Before you take any further moves to sort out your dog whining issues, grab Tony Knight's highly informative report on dog anxiety symptoms to help you make the right decision for your dog.

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Orignal From: How to Stop a Dog Whining