Why Does My Puppy Always Whine?

Thursday, August 27, 2009 Posted by revalbertkang

Answer given by Daddy Albert

Q: I have stayed with her for over an hour. I even take her for walks and she has gone to the bathroom. I have fed her but she still whines when I leave her. What is going on? What should I do to prevent her from whining?

A: Since you have taken care of all her physical needs, the chances are that your puppy is beginning to experience slight separation anxiety.

Please do not be alarmed because whining puppies are very common. God has provided them with a natural instinct to whine for their mother's attention. However, as the human owner, you have to correct this situation fast before it becomes a habit.

Here are a couple of tips and hints that may help you to get your lovely puppy adjusted:

1. Before you have to leave for a prolonged period, tire her out by playing with her. Get her to do a little more vigorous exercises and that will make her too tire to whine. When you leave her to herself, she will go to sleep.

2. Never rush to her the moment she whines. This is a form of reward and she will quickly learn that by calling and making noise, she will get you to respond. Instead do the opposite. When she stops whining, go quickly to her.

3. Make sure that her sleeping area or crate is comfortable. It should be dry, soft and warm. Sometimes, the sleeping area may have a little cold draft of air that causes discomfort to your puppy. Try changing a new location and see how she responds.

4. I put my unwanted clothes and those of my wife with our new puppies. If you are doing this, make sure that you have worn the clothes for a short period of time. This will allow your body scent to saturate the clothing. You puppy will mistaken the scent of the clothes to be you.

5. Another way to reduce whining is to invest in some dog toys. If you discover there is a particular toy that she likes, then put that in whenever you have to go away.

6. I learn from other dog owners that they sometimes wrap a clock, that produces ticking sound, with their own clothes and put the package near the whining puppy. Apparently the puppy will mistaken the ticking sounds to be that of heartbeats. I do not know whether this will work because I have never tried it.

7. The final approach is to use a firm voice to command your puppy to stop whining. Every time, she whines, you will use a firm command such as "no", "stop it" or "enough". I use "no" to discipline my puppies quite often for behaviors that I do not approve.

I trust these few techniques should help you get your puppy adjusted. Before I sign off, let me encourage you that it would take a lot of patience on your part to raise a well-mannered pet. So, please be patient.