The first thing to realize is that whining is simply a form of communication. They are trying to communicate with you about something. However, persistent whining can be incredibly upsetting and annoying to both you and your family, presenting a possibly self-perpetuating problem that is usually only solved by an experienced dog handler.

In the following article, I’ll try to explain why a dog or puppy might whine and how you can prevent that particular behavior from happening. However, the only thing to remove, which I will inevitably reiterate towards the end of the article, is that the dog is not intended to be disruptive. There is a genuine grievance they are facing and for their happiness it needs to be rectified, and as a responsible and loving dog owner, it is largely your duty to uncover the problem and resolve it.

So anyway, this is the main reason a dog will whine and what you need to ensure to stop whining in the future.

Like babies and young children, dogs complain when they are deprived of something they need or like. This should be the first thought that crosses your mind when you hear your dog whining. They are usually thirsty or hungry due to the fact that they forgot to refill their food or water bowls. If this is the case, the dog’s whining is easily rectified by stuffing them.

You have to make sure you don’t reward behavior that you yourself find negative. In this circumstance, it is a whining dog, and essentially rewarding the behavior by correcting what the dog is whining will only promote that type of behavior in the future. What you need to make sure is that your action, in correcting the dog’s problems, is not related to whining. Therefore, the change you make should be temporarily delayed (waiting 5-10 minutes after the dog has finished) or by associating the whining with a negative sound (eg, a high-pitched “no”, a high-pitched hiss). This will have the eventual effect of reducing the frequency of the dog’s whining altogether.