Glucosamine For Dogs

Dogs communicate in many ways including barking, howling, growling and whining. When a dog whines, it normally draws our attention immediately because we interpret it as some sort of a distress call. It sounds so pitiful, right?

Dogs, being smart creatures, have figured this out. And some dogs, especially those with dotting owners, have taken their whining skills to an art form.

Why Dogs Whine

Dogs generally whine when they are hurt, anxious or afraid. Certain dogs have also learned how to “pretend” to be afraid or anxious in order to get attention. However, dogs have a high pain threshold, so if your dog whines in pain, you want to identify the source of pain and have it treated immediately.

The other causes of whining are fairly easy to treat. All it takes is a few, easy to implement, steps.How to Put a Stop to the Whining

Let’s talk about anxiety whining first. A dog that develops this behavior often does so by picking up on clues that you’re about to leave him alone, for example putting on your cap before going for a jog.

These small actions become the trigger that gets the dog whining. The trick here is to break the connection between action and reaction. There are a few ways you could do this.

For starters you could vary your routine. Or go through your normal routine a few times randomly, even when you have no intention of leaving. Or do your normal pre-leaving routine go outside for 30 seconds, then come back in.

All of these methods have the effect of breaking the dog’s connection between the routines he notices and the thing he fears (you leaving). It’s a simple methodology, but it works.

Another cause for whining is fear. For example a dog left alone in an empty house may become fearful and anxious. The solution here is simply to cut down his space.

Confine the dog to a single room or, better yet, to a dog crate, and you eliminate the fear and, by extension, the whining.

It may take a bit of work to get the dog used to the crate but he’ll soon get enjoy being in his own “den”. This has the effect of calming the dog because he no longer feels compelled to patrol and protect the whole property. This works very well for dogs who suffer separation anxiety.

Addressing “Attention” Whining

Dogs are very good at manipulating us gullible humans. So, for example, if your dog learns that a certain trick never fails to earn him a treat, he’ll do that trick over and over again.Whining is another favorite attention-getting trick. Especially if the dog owner comes running every time the dog whimpers.

If you know your dog you’ll soon see through his efforts to manipulate you by whining, and you’ll have to ignore it if you want him to stop.

To learn more about dog training tips, dog care, dog breeds a-z and other interesting dog information visit http://www.dogsanddogtraining.com

Tags: dog obedience training, dog training, dog training tips, dogs

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 22nd, 2012 at 7:52 am and is filed under Dog Stuff. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.