OkcPets Magazine March 2022

March/April 2022 • OKC Pets 29 fortable, she might whine as a sign that she is fearful or stressed. Dogs that suffer from anxiety are looking for a way to release stress and nervous energy. Whining can be one of those ways. To eliminate fear, you will need to build the dog’s confi- dence. Increasing obedience skills such as sitting, staying, and coming when called can build confidence. But keep in mind that just because your dog can sit in the kitchen before mealtime, that doesn’t mean she is an expert at sitting. You will need to progress each obedience cue with added distractions and new environ- ments. Once your dog can sit at a crosswalk with passing cars or near a park with people, that’s when the command to sit will work as a tool to prevent whining in that scenario. Greetings Many dogs that I work with have a tendency to bark or whine when they see other dogs, people, or even objects. As I mentioned in the beginning, your dog is trying to tell you something. It could be as simple as “Let me go see” or “I want them to go away.” No matter the reason, it’s typically a behavior that the human parents don’t want. If you are passing another dog and your dog pulls and whines, the worst thing that could happen is that the other dog gets closer and/or you go to the other dog. You could tell yourself, “If I just go see that dog, my dog will stop whining.” But the reality is that whining followed by what the dog wanted just rewarded the behavior. Next time your dog pulls or whines, turn and go in the oppo- site direction. When the whining stops, then try again. You want your dog to learn that whining equals what the dog doesn’t get, and no whining gets the dog what she wants. Dogs whine because they are trying to communicate some- thing to us. So next time, instead of focusing on the behavior of whining, identify what is causing it. Do that, and your dog will thank you!