When puppies are cold, hungry or tired, whining is very natural for them. The mother dog will react to puppy whining by providing warmth, milk, and a secure sleeping place.
Gradually, the puppy will start to connect the two things and will begin to whine deliberately. This lets the puppy’s mother know that something is wrong or he needs something.
Puppies should be adopted between 8-10 weeks of age. This is when puppies discover that whining doesn’t have any impact with their new family; or they may use whining to coerce their new mom (you!) into giving them what they want.
Therefore, it is commonly believed that a new puppy should be left on his own for the first night is his new home. If you respond to puppy whining with warmth, petting, cuddling, your dog is certain to believe that whining will get him what he needs.
For the best course to stop your pup from whining, I strongly recommend that you take a look at: Puppy Whining.
Of course, this will require good judgment and common sense on your part. A scared puppy will require affection, reassurance and attention. The secret is to respond quickly so he doesn’t think that puppy whining is what got the desired result. Your puppy should not get used to whining whenever he wants something.
You should teach your puppy to be comfortable with isolation and privacy by leaving him alone even when you are at home. This should help to avoid your puppy suffering from separation anxiety when you leave him at home alone. As soon as you know that all your puppy’s physical needs have been met and you have taken the time to get him accustomed to isolation, then he must be taught that whining is not acceptable.
Of course, puppies that are very upset, crying, and whining should not be heartlessly ignored. You should show him some love and help him to relax once the whining has stopped. Some puppies whine for an extended period of time so it is not always feasible to wait until they have stopped whining.
If this is the situation, you don’t have to let your puppy’s suffering drag on – open the door of the crate as soon as he stops whining, even if it’s just for a matter of seconds. This is less than ideal but is probably the best you’ll be able to do under the circumstances.
By 6 months of age, most dogs will have outgrown puppy whining. If the whining continues after this period, the puppy is doing it by nature, or has discovered that this gets him what he wants.
For more details on how to deal with puppy whining, visit Stop Dog Whining.
