If you’re living with a dog who is constantly whining for attention, you’re not alone. Many loving and attentive dog guardians find this behavior frustrating, especially when it feels relentless. The good news is that when you understand why your dog is whining, and how the behavior developed, you’re in a much better position to respond in a way that is kind, effective, and supportive of your dog’s wellbeing and your relationship.
Why is My Dog Whining All the Time?
Whining is a normal canine behavior and one aspect of how they vocalize. Dogs use it to communicate how they’re feeling (Marx et al., 2021) and this can include emotions like frustration, stress, discomfort, excitement, or anticipation. Whining isn’t “bad behavior.” Rather, it’s information about a dog’s current emotional state. However, when whining becomes frequent, intense, or constant, it needs to be addressed.
If your dog is whining all the time, it’s important to understand why. Dogs don’t whine for no reason at all. Common reasons why a dog might whine all the time include:
- Needing to relieve themselves
- Hunger or thirst
- Feeling anxious, fearful, or frustrated
- Experiencing pain, discomfort, or an underlying medical issue
- Age-related cognitive issues
- For attention
If constant whining is sudden or occurs alongside other behavioral changes, a checkup with the vet should be arranged.
What is Attention-Seeking Whining in Dogs?
Attention-seeking whining occurs when your dog whines and looks to you, often to elicit pats and affection or when they want you to do something (e.g. feed them, play with them, let them outside).
From a learning perspective, dogs repeat behaviors that have a beneficial consequence. If your dog loves attention, then they learn pretty quickly which behaviors result in attention and continue to offer these behaviors. For example, if whining results in being told off, some dogs will continue to do it because, to them, some attention is better than none.
In many cases, attention-seeking whining develops unintentionally, such as when a puppy or newly adopted dog vocalizes and is comforted. It develops when attention is given to a dog more often than not when they whine—even if it’s not every time. This is called intermittent reinforcement and actually strengthens the behavior. This can result in a dog whining more often or for longer as they attempt to obtain attention.
From the dog’s point of view, the escalation makes sense but can frustrate their owner. It doesn’t mean your dog is trying to intentionally annoy you. Rather, they are trying to meet a need for connection.
How To Tell if Your Dog is Whining for Attention
You can usually tell if a dog is whining for attention as they will typically show some of the following patterns:
- Whining occurs most often when you’re present
- The behavior stops once attention is given
- Your dog is relaxed, happy, and healthy otherwise
- Whining occurs in predictable situations (e.g. dinnertime, during work calls, when you’re sitting down)
Whereas whining linked to pain or distress often persists regardless of attention and is present alongside other stress signals.
When Whining is a Sign of Something More Serious
Sometimes, whining can be a sign of something more serious, such as separation anxiety (Pongrácz et al., 2017) or illness. Common indicators that this could be the case include the behavior being new or suddenly increasing in intensity accompanied by pacing, trembling, or panting, occurring when your dog is alone or separated from you, and when it’s associated with loss of appetite and changes in sleep or mobility. In these cases, a trip to the vet for a check-up is vital.
What To Do if Your Dog is Constantly Whining for Attention
If your dog is whining for attention, follow these steps to address it:
Step 1: Meet Your Dog’s Needs
Ensure you are meeting your dog’s social, physical, and psychological needs. When dogs are not receiving enough companionship, exercise, and mental stimulation, whining—and other undesirable behaviors—can increase due to boredom and frustration.
Step 2: Teach Your Dog Calm and Quiet Ways to Ask for Attention
Teach your dog that they can “ask” for attention politely by resting their muzzle on your lap or sitting at your side. When you consistently reward these calm behaviors with attention, you teach your dog how to ask for attention in a more desirable way.
Step 3: Change How You Respond to Whining
Rather than becoming frustrated and scolding your dog when they whine, ignore the behavior momentarily then ask for a more desirable behavior such as “sit.” Reward the sit if your dog is not whining. This teaches them that sitting quietly gets attention, but whining doesn’t. Pretty soon they’ll stop whining for attention because that no longer works. The key to making this work is consistency!
Mistakes To Avoid When Dealing with a Whining Dog
When working to address whining, there are several mistakes it’s important to avoid. These include:
- Yelling at, or scolding, your dog (still attention)
- Giving in “just this once”
- Expecting immediate results
- Assuming your dog is intentionally trying to annoy you
Behavior modification takes time. Try to be patient and celebrate steady progress.
You might have been given advice to just ignore your dog’s whining. Whilst well-intended, this does not address the underlying cause and may result in the whining persisting. Removing your attention as a consequence of whining can help. However, it’s also important that your dog’s needs are being met, you are reinforcing desired behavior, and you are consistent for best results.
How Long Does It Take to See Improvement?
This is a common question and the answer depends on several variables including how consistent you are, how long whining has persisted, and whether your dog’s underlying needs are being adequately met. Generally speaking, most dog owners will notice some improvement within a week or two with further improvement seen over time.
When to Seek Professional Help for Whining
It’s time to seek help from a qualified animal behaviorist, veterinary behaviorist, or positive reinforcement dog trainer if whining is linked to stress or anxiety, the behavior is escalating, or if it’s negatively impacting your quality of life or your relationship with your dog.
As discussed above, if you think there could be an underlying medical or health issue, take your dog straight to the vet for a check-up.
Although constant whining can be a frustrating behavior dogs don’t whine for no reason. Understanding and addressing the underlying cause and meeting our dogs’ needs go a long way towards successful resolution.
References:
Marx, A., Lenkei, R., Pérez Fraga, P., Bakos, V., Kubinyi, E., & Faragó, T. (2021). Occurrences of non-linear phenomena and vocal harshness in dog whines as indicators of stress and ageing. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 4468.
Pongrácz, P., Lenkei, R., Marx, A., & Faragó, T. (2017). Should I whine or should I bark? Qualitative and quantitative differences between the vocalizations of dogs with and without separation-related symptoms. Applied animal behaviour science, 196, 61-68.
