OkcPets Magazine March 2022

28 OKC Pets • March/April 2022 Why Dogs Whine Canines Communicate with Verbal Cues by Travis Brorsen, Animal Planet’s Pet Expert and Trainer “M y dog whines all the time, but she just wants us to pet her. As soon as we pet her, she stops whining. How do we get her to stop whining?” I wish I had a dollar for every time I have heard that. There are five main reasons that your dog whines. Remember, whining is a dog’s way of communicating, so when it whines, it is trying to tell us something. The problem is that because you don’t speak dog, you could be making the problem worse. Here are the most common reasons a dog whines and how to prevent whining. Boredom The most common reason for whining is simply that your dog is bored. Excess energy will prevent your dog from being able to relax, and if you are the key to getting outside, she will let you know. She can’t use words to ask for a walk or to go to the park or run around the lake. Her only ways to let you know that she needs something are eye contact, body language, and verbal cues. Excessive whining has to be fueled by something. In this case and in most cases, whining is a symptom of a bigger problem. Only when you have identified the root cause do you have a chance to eliminate the whining. To prevent whining that results from boredom, you will need to exercise your dog. This could be in the form of a walk or run or even doggy day care. One to three hours of exercise is a dog’s goal, depending on breed, size, and age. Learned Behavior If your dog whines and you give her attention in any way, you could be rewarding the whining. This would cause your dog to whine whenever she wants something, especially attention. Here is a perfect example. You are sitting in your recliner when your dog approaches and starts to whine. You get up, go to the food container, and give her food. Now your dog is full, so she lies down and falls asleep. In your mind, your dog was hungry, so she whined. You fed her, and she stopped. But what could have happened was that your dog needed something else, anything, such as to walk, run, go to the bath- room, play, etc. You assumed she wanted food because when you give her food, she leaves you alone and stops whining.  Now your dog is learning that if she whines, she will get something, wheth- er it’s what she really needed or not. This is also a good example of a dog that learns that whining gets her outside to use the bathroom. So if you want this to stop, be mindful of what you are giving your dog after she whines. Pain When dogs are in pain, they have many ways of letting us know. Symptoms of a dog being in pain could be aggression, reactivity, sensitivity to touch, and making audible sounds when feeling dis- comfort, including whining. If your dog is in pain and you don’t know why, seek help from your veterinarian immediately. Fear/Stress/Anxiety Whining can simply be a sign that your dog isn’t comfortable with what is happening in the environment. For instance, if someone comes into your home and it makes your dog uncom- Whining can indicate that a dog wants to go outside. Photograph courtesy of Travis Brorsen.