Strategies to Prevent a Puppy from Whining
Despite the fact that your puppy is so cute, so adorable, and you love her very much, non-stop whining canwithout a doubt be an annoying sound ! As dog owners, wouldn’t we all love to learn how to stop a whining puppy.
It is important that you tackle this issue right from the beginning. The more that you go to your puppy when she whines, without trying to prevent it, the harder it will be to stop the whining . Your puppy will soon have it engrained in her mind that whining gets her what she desires . Watch out, here comes the alpha dog !
To learn how to stop a whining puppy, it is also essential that you identify the trigger that is causing your puppy’s whining, so that you can properly handle the situation .
Some common sense action by yourself can quite easily remove the whining caused by the following triggers
- She may be cold or wet
- She may be uncomfortable in her crate
- She may be hungry or thirsty
- She may have to go pee or poo
Ensure that your puppy is comfortable in her crate at normal room temperature, and do not put her in there if you have just brought her in from the rain. Also ensure that she is well fed at regular intervals, and that she has adequate water. Also make sure that she has regular bathroom breaks.
Still, other triggers require different treatment
- she may be lonely
If your puppy is lonely , then consider leaving a shirt of yours near her bedding area, as the scent of it will make her think of you, and let her know that you are near.
- she may be bored
If your puppy needs something to keep her mind occupied , consider letting her play with a toy, or else smear peanut butter all over a hard rubber toy. It will keep her busy for a while .
- she may have a fear of her new surroundings
- she may want your attention
If you sense that your puppy’s whining is brought about by a fear of her new surroundings, or by a desire for your attention, there are two critical training measures that you can put into action.
Simply ignore your puppy
This may sound cold and callous, however it is crucial that you practice this, and that you exhibit patience and consistency.
If your puppy is whining because you believe she just desires to get your attention, then it is important that you do not give in, and run to your puppy every time she whines with praise and treats . Before long, your adorable little puppy will realize that, by whining, she will get what she wants . If you do not implement this method of ignoring her early on, and then be consistent with it, your puppy will soon be in the Guinness Book of World Records under the category “youngest puppy ever to establish herself as the alpha dog”.
In the instance of a fear of her new surroundings, you may wish to attend to your puppy a little more often for the first little while. It can be quite an overwhelming experience for a young, tiny puppy to be thrust into whole new surroundings .
Positive reinforcement
Positive reinforcement, one of the principal tenets of operant conditioning, is also be a very effective tool in your training arsenal if you would like to learn how to answer the question, “how do you get a dog to stop whining“.If your dog is whining, and then stops for about 10 – 15 seconds, give her a treat, and praise her lavishly~ Be certain to wait a brief duration of time after the whining stops before giving her treats and praise} . If she begins to whine again for the treat, do not give in, and do not go to her. If she once again stops her whining, then repeat the process of giving her a treat and praising her lavishly . A positive association will soon become ingrained in her mind between not whining, and good things happening to her .
- she may be whining out of pain
Please bear in mind that your puppy may be whining out of pain. A good way to test this is to lightly touch specific areas of your puppy, to see if she winces in any way. Even if you have some doubts, she really should see a veterinarian .
Filed under Dogs by on Oct 27th, 2011.
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