Reasons Why Your Dog Is Whining

Whining is a form of communicating dogs take on for short periods of time or long periods of time. When it leans towards the latter in duration, the whining can become tiresome to deal with but there’s usually a cause for excessive whining. The only way to resolve the whining is to understand why it’s happening. 

Here are some reasons why your dog may be whining.

They’re bored.

Believe it or not, your dogs can get bored just like kids can. They’ll notice you’re not paying attention to them and start making a ruckus. You can resolve this with occupying their attention with something else. Throughout the day, exercise through mental or physical stimulation is a great way to eliminate excessive whining that occurs when your dog simply wants attention.

There’s something they want/need.

This might be the most obvious reason and can range from anything from wanting more water, wanting to go outside, or not being able to reach for that treat that found itself in a pesky corner of the living room. Just be mindful of when the whining goes too far. If they begin to whine for more food after you’ve already fed them, then you probably have a bigger problem at hand. Either your dog has some behavioral tendencies that need some training work or there might be health issues at hand.

They’re scared, stressed, or in some sort of pain.

None of these three are enjoyable reasons why your dog may be whining. If your dog experiences anxiety, assess their current situation to see what could be causing the upset (i.e. new people, something in the house). If you observe your dog to be whimpering or whining as if they’re in pain, it’s best to get a medical opinion as soon as you can.

According to AKC, dogs also whine to show that they’re sorry. 

“This behavior comes from dogs’ ancestors, wolves. Wolves can be shunned from the pack when they break the pack rules, like biting too hard during play. To be accepted back in, a wolf will bow his head and put his tail between his legs. This is the same posture our dogs display when they look guilty. If your dog is whining to apologize to you, simply acknowledge his apology, and walk away. This sends a signal to your dog that he has been welcomed back.”

This is just a sampling of tips we offer at Pug Life Harness. You can find more tips and tricks and how-to’s for caring for your dog on our blog at this section. Feel free to leave a comment with tips you’re looking for!