Whiny Dogs – How to Stop the Noises
Dogs whine, bark, and howl for various reasons. Whether it's an unconscious action or a learned behavior, it's essential to understand why they engage in these vocalizations. If you're looking for ways to silence and calm your whining dog, Petli is here to help. In this article, we'll explore the causes of whining and provide effective solutions to address this behavior. ㅤ
Why do dogs whine?
First and foremost, it is essential to identify the cause of the whining. Dogs may whine due to pain, anxiety, the need for attention, or anticipation. Determining the specific reason can be challenging, as dogs' behavior varies depending on the circumstances
For instance, a dog may be calm and quiet in a city flat but whine excessively when in a country house, hoping for a walk in the woods or a chance to chase ducks. The predictability of daily routines in the city is replaced by a lack thereof during vacation in the countryside, which can lead to heightened expectations and whining.
Similarly, a dog may behave perfectly in a forest but bark and growl in an office setting when someone walks by in the corridor. While the dog recognizes familiar faces at home, anyone can appear in the office, triggering verbal reactions.
Whining is also common during training sessions, agility competitions, and before hunting dogs are released to pursue wild game. The anticipation and energy build-up contribute to excessive vocalization.
Understanding from the dog's perspective
Put yourself in your dog's paws in these situations and try to empathize with $dog_gender_2$ feelings. Consider what would help you regain composure and find peace. Dogs and humans share similarities in their responses to gentle touch, calm voices, and increased distance from triggering stimuli.
Furthermore, the experience of receiving desired outcomes after calming down reinforces the connection between tranquility and rewards. Stress-relieving massages can also be beneficial. ㅤ
Strategies to calm an impatient dog
Handling excited dogs during training
The dog that howls with excitement before the track pass or barks when he rounds the rally wagons needs to come down to speed. Before and during the activity. Put up-tempo rewards, peppy praise and speed on the shelf.
When we teach a step, we are not only teaching a behavior, we are also practicing a feeling and an energy. If the energy we've accidentally trained is super-sugar-fueled, the dog may feel the need to make a noise to keep from disintegrating.
Re-train (as opposed to in), possibly change the command if the current one is associated with the pace, and consider all three factors when training: behavior, emotion and energy.
A dog can jump an obstacle, quietly, happily and with a motor. Frenzy and nerves are not the same as healthy speed. Winning competitions on hysteria is not compatible with good animal welfare. It's that simple and that hard.
Slowing down from a sedentary pace and riding through the tunnel can be a way to neutralize moments that have been hyped. Hyping up speed will be counterproductive if we want to train away anticipation; calm and low key is better. Use stress-relieving massage before the start and swap the fight reward afterwards for candy.
Also, be careful not to take the dog out of the car, start training or competition when the dog is howling excited. Instead, massage the dog down in turns, go for a walk in the woods, dampen with lying training (difficult to have a high pulse when lying down) or let the dog lick good out of a Kong, it reduces stress.
Don't try to silence a dog with dominance, hard stares and sizzling words. The dog may be silent for the moment, but you have also instilled anxiety and fear associated with high expectation and stress. This is harmful to your health.
Calm dogs whining to get something
If, on the other hand, the dog whines and squeaks to be let out, to greet another dog, to make you get the ball out from under the sofa, to go to the forest or to greet the neighbors with the funny rabbit... Well, you see, the whining is amplified as it gives access to everything wonderful.
Instead, think of it this way: a quiet and calm youngster gets access to the fun. So how do you do this? Well, first make sure that the fun is not a rarity, make everyday of the rose on the princess cake.
Then help the dog to calm down by being calm yourself, sitting next to it, breathing deeply and petting it with calm, long strokes. Only when the dog has breathed out is access to the delights given. When the dog has linked its own calmness to the access, increase the time the dog is quiet before giving the "you're welcome".
Of course, our dogs should be allowed to speak up, communicate and bark at us when the toy is stuck under the table. We should be responsive to our dogs' whining. Your dog may be sick or in pain. But we should also be observant of behavioral chains that the dog easily creates to make us act in ways that benefit them.
Boost the confidence of insecure dogs
Let's take the dog in the office as the next example, the one who loves the woods but squeaks when he's with his mom at work. We tackle the barking with socialization and confidence-building exercises that boost courage.
He needs to experience that strangers can be kind and at worst will leave him alone. Mom needs to rig exercises and show that she is discouraging, helping him greet and telling people not to stare or try to pet. "Turn the page and give a treat" will be her tune as his anxiety rises.
A curtain for the lower half of the office's glass walls will dampen impressions and a private den in the form of an open canvas cage filled with tasty chews will help. Clear routines for when he should join and when he should wait behind are needed. It creates predictability that provides security. In this case, we change the feeling linked to the environment and thus address the behavior. Complete silence no matter what happens is not a fair or realistic goal, but getting rid of most of the beeping is good enough.
Meet your dog's basic needs
An important thing to keep in mind is Maslow's hierarchy of needs from the 1940s, which still applies to most aspects of life.
Steps 1-3 always need to be addressed in a species and individualized way before we can think "training" and believe we will get an effect from it.
A dog that is sick, under-stimulated, stressed, motion sick or traumatized (the list goes on) will not respond to simple learning psychology strategies.
Failure to meet steps 1-3 is a common reason why dog owners do not reach their dogs with training.
Meet your dog's basic needs:
- Physiological needs
- Security needs
- Need for love
- Self-assertion needs
- Self-realization needs
Consult a vet in case of unexplained squeaking
If your dog has gradually started to whine more and more regardless of the context, you should first consult your vet. The same applies if your dog has suddenly become whinier than usual. Illness or pain may be behind the whining, which we should not try to train away, rather listen to.
Dealing with grief after traumatic events
If your dog has started to make anxious and more than usual noises after an unpleasant experience, such as being chased by children, hit by a cyclist, attacked by another dog or similar, seek help from a dog psychologist for assessment and treatment. The article on How to deal with your frightened dog - tips on bribing, encouraging or supporting may also be helpful.
As is often the case when we want to solve problematic or annoying behaviors in a long-term and ethical way, we need to let what we do about it depend on the dog's cause. At the same time, we look at the whole dog's well-being; physically and mentally. It's smart. It's fair and sustainable dog training.
Written by: Caroline Alupo
Caroline Alupo is Petli's co-founder. She has a master's degree in ethology and is also a trained dog trainer and dog psychologist. She has 19 years of experience as a professional dog trainer. Read more about Caroline here.
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