Author: George Kane
Barking, growling, howling and whining are four ways by which
your pet dog tries to communicate with you. Barking is an
expression of some emotion, like excitement. The dog growls to
restrain a person from coming too close to him - it's his way
of saying, "back off, I am in a bad mood!". Howling may be
considered as a kind of long-distance communication. The dog
whines or cries only when he is in distress or when he needs
attention from you.
Very young pups whine in an effort to gain more attention from
their mothers. This is something which is totally natural in
the beginning.
Little pups who are raised by human foster families tend to
miss their mothers and whine in the hope that she will come to
them and soothe them immediately. The pet's owner might choose
to do one of the following three things:
. Ignores the call of distress and go about minding his
business like nothing happened
Here, the dog feels very lonely, unwanted and unloved. This can
affect his relationship with his owner.
. Takes a look at the pup to see if all's well with him, also
attend to him if something is genuinely wrong with him
This is the ideal thing to do, as it establishes a deep bond
between the dog and his master. The pet may be trying to call
for help of some kind, so the owner can immediately help him
with that too.
. Leaves all other work aside and rush to the spot to 'save'
the dog from even the slightest distress
This results in the pet becoming spoiled rotten! The dog uses
whining as a tool to get whatever he wants from the owner.
There are various circumstances which make your pet whine. They
are listed below:
1. Attention seeking
Your pet lets out a whine, imploring you to go to him. This can
be tackled by spending some time with him and then leaving him
alone for short periods of time. Once he understands that you
will not succumb to each of his appeals, he will learn to calm
down and stop pestering you.
2. Anxiety
Your pet may be experiencing severe separation anxiety when you
leave him alone for a period of time. This can be sorted out by
staying away from him for short periods of time and let him get
used to the idea of being alone.
3. Pain
Dogs sometimes whine in pain, when they are ill or are injured
in some way.
4. Learned response
Dogs could whine when they need something specific from you,
like a piece of treat or to recover their favorite toy that's
out of their reach. In this case, he will look longingly in the
direction of the item he wants and will whine for it.
5. Excitement
Sometimes, dogs may suddenly let out a whine in excitement -
like when they hear their owner's car coming into the driveway.
This will subside as soon as the excitement fades.
Dogs whine for various reasons. It is up to a sensible owner to
listen closely and judge whether it is merely for attention or
if something is really wrong with his pet. Treating your dog
well, while not spoiling him, is the key to good canine
training. While the dog knows his limits, he also develops a
rapport with his owner.
About The Author: George Kane writes about issues like Dog
Whining at Dog Training A to Z :
http://www.dogtraining-atoz.com/whining.html
