The Most Common Reasons Your Doodle Dog Might Be Whining and How to Prevent Its

As a pet dog trainer, I am often called by dog owners who ask: Why does my dog whine all the time? Of course, dogs cannot speak, so they have to rely on other ways to communicate with us. For example, your dog may be trying to get your attention if they are feeling ignored.

Here are the most common reasons your dog or puppy may be whining, and how to make it stop!

Your Dog’s Daily Needs Haven’t Been Met

The most obvious reason your dog (whether it’s a doodle or any other variety of pup) may be vocalizing is that they need something from you.

Eat and Potty

If your dog is whining, there’s a good chance that they are trying to give you a gentle reminder that it’s past their feeding time and they are hungry, or that it’s time to be taken outside so they can go to the bathroom. I often say that a preventive approach is best when it comes to dog behavior issues. By proactively meeting your dog’s daily needs each day, you will be going a long way toward solving your whining issue on several levels.

Play (Physical & Mental Exercise)

Whining can also be a sign your doodle dog is bored or understimulated. Like little kids, dogs can whine because they want someone to play with them or something to do. Make sure you adequately meet your doodles needs for play and training each day to prevent annoying, destructive or unwanted behavior issues. Through the daily routine, you will learn how much physical and (just as importantly!) mental exercise your pup needs each day. There are many ways to enrich your pup mentally and physically through their daily walk, play and feeding time!

Rest

Don’t forget rest! Some pups just naturally have ‘no chill’, and these doods need to be taught how to relax. Training exercises like Place, as well as daily crate rest periods for growing pups, is essentially for their nervous systems to slow down and recharge.

We discussed Leadership in our main training article. Parenting your doodle dog effectively means that you provide a consistent, predictable daily routine in which you provide for their daily needs. Your dood needs opportunities to eat, play, potty, exercise their bodies and brains, and rest each day.

Teach Your Doodle to ‘Ask Nicely’

There are times when it’s fairly clear why your dog is whining. Perhaps their toy has rolled under the sofa, and they can’t reach it, or they’re pacing or pawing at the back door hoping to go romp in the backyard – they are desperately pleading for the assistance of your opposable thumbs. Again, dogs don’t have words. If their request is one you’re happy to fulfill, but you’d prefer they had a less irritating way of asking for it – teach them:

1. Call your dog over to what they want. Remember, dogs are fluent in body language so use yours to make it clear what’s on offer.
2. Put your hand on the door, and ask them, “Do you want to go outside?”
3. Then ask for a simple command that they know like “Sit”.
4. When they comply, praise and open the door, or retrieve the toy, etc.

Dogs are excellent at figuring out how to get what they want. Show them that calm, attentive behavior or responding to a simple behavior request gets you to put those handy thumbs to work for them!

Your Dog Simply Wants Your Attention

Your doodle may resort to attention-seeking whining if you’re engaging in an activity that excludes them or causes them to be jealous. For example, you might be talking on your phone with someone, working on an important task, or interacting with another pet.

Even though the best approach to training is to focus on rewarding behavior we DO like, dog owners often inadvertently reinforce undesirable behavior by giving it their attention. Many doodle pups learn that being ‘naughty’ gets the party started – we respond to whining by giving eye contact, getting up, talking to the dog, offering play or a treat.

We typically neglect to tell our dogs how much we like it when they are relaxed and quiet! Instead, if you notice when your doodle pup is being particularly quiet and calm, praise them and perhaps even gently place a treat between their angelic, sleepy little paws! Yes, this may get your dog excited at first (why not let sleeping dogs lie, you say!). Ignore your pup if they become animated again. Trust me – over time, reinforcing calm moments will lead to more of this desirable behavior.

Your Dog May Be Anxious, Scared, Frustrated, Or Excited

Puppies and especially adolescent dogs can often have Big Feelings. They may be anxious or scared, frustrated or overly excited.

Anxious:

Whining could be a symptom of anxiety in your doodle. By being the Leader for your dog – directing their daily activities and providing for their needs on a consistent schedule – you take the worry of getting these needs met off of their furry shoulders. Dogs who may be on the anxious side will feel much more relaxed and safe knowing someone capable is in charge of the major decisions of the day.

Does your doodle whine when they know you are getting ready to leave for work? It isn’t natural for dogs to be left alone; you will want to focus proactively on separation and crate training to prevent separation distress.

Scared:

Is your puppy whining at the vacuum or construction noises outside? Give your puppy plenty of space and freedom to investigate novel things at their own pace. Separately, use training and play activities to build their confidence!

Frustrated:

Whining can be a sign of frustration – your doodle wants something they can’t get to. Are they whining to come out of their crate, or because you are taking too long to get ready for the walk? Maybe your dood whines at the entrance to the dog park or when they see another dog or human friend on-leash they want to say hello to. If you reward whining and pulling on leash by allowing access to what your dog wants, you will get more of that behavior. Again, teach your dog to Sit and offer calm attention to access what they want. Generalize this behavior of ‘asking nicely’ in as many daily situations as you can!

Excited:

Some doodle dogs are just chatty types – they whine or bark when they are excited or even happy! If your doodle whines or barks excessively when you come home, or a guest comes over, help them by keeping your own energy level calm and composed. Give attention and affection when they are calm and quiet, and calmly turn away if they get too excited and vocal.

Your Dog May Be Sick or In Pain

Remember that dogs do not have language to tell us how they feel. Through the daily routine, you will learn to observe your dog’s unique body language and ways of communicating. If you suspect your dog is ‘off’ or acting differently, a vet checkup is always prudent to rule out any medical or physical reason for their distress.

If All Else Fails, Be a Dog Detective

Perhaps you have read the training article, and diligently met all your dog’s daily needs – they’ve eaten, had a walk, pooped and peed, gotten play time and attention from you, and been given quiet time to rest. You have visited your veterinary professional and a thorough checkup has revealed no medical issue. You are flummoxed as to why your pup is still whining!??

Behavior always serves a purpose – and sometimes it takes a bit more investigation to suss out the reasons for behavior issues. This is where keeping a daily behavior chart can help you immensely. Just like the Puppy Log we kept for potty training, writing down all your dog’s daily activities and recording all instances of unwanted behavior can help you recognize patterns, and experiment with replacing whining with satisfactory alternative behaviors. Maybe your pup needs more physical exercise (walks, play, recall practice!), mental stimulation (simple training, food enrichment toys, chews) or rest (not enough quiet crate or ‘Place’ time). The behavior chart will give you a helpful visual to troubleshoot.

Final Thoughts

Take a proactive and positive approach by teaching and rewarding the kind of behavior you desire from your dog. When ‘problem behaviors’ arise (i.e. whining), ask yourself these questions:

• What would I like my dog to do instead?
• What is the purpose of the behavior? (All behavior serves a purpose or seeks to fulfill a need)
• How is the behavior being reinforced? (If a behavior persists, it is being reinforced somehow!)
• What alternative behavior can I teach or provide to fulfill the need?

See How To Stop Unwanted Behaviors for a blueprint to humanely and thoughtfully address any undesirable behavior in your dog.

Prevent / Manage – while we are teaching and reinforcing good behaviors and habits, we micromanage a new dog or puppy’s environment – using crates, gates, leashes, etc – to prevent them from engaging in unwanted behaviors

Ignore – behaviors which are not reinforced will eventually extinguish – and many ‘problem behaviors we unintentionally reinforce with our attention. Do not look, talk to or touch the dog at all; remove your attention completely. Remember there may be an ‘extinction burst’, where the behavior gets more intense before the dog gives up. Wait the dog out until you can mark and reward the positive behavior. This strategy will not be effective for behaviors which are ‘self-reinforcing’ (the behavior is rewarding or it feels good!)

Teach / Reward an alternative or incompatible behavior – Ask yourself, “What would I like the dog to do instead?” Even better if we can teach a behavior which is incompatible to the one we don’t like.

Example: if a dog jumps to greet people. Mark and reward greetings with all four paws on the floor. Additionally, heavily reinforce Sit to earn all good things throughout the day. These behaviors will become preferred, and the dog cannot perform both at the same time!

Interrupt and Redirect – Make a sharp noise like ‘Eh-Eh!’ or clap, squeak something, to interrupt the dog’s behavior. When they stop what they’re doing, redirect them to a more appropriate behavior you can then reward.

Correct – Give a negative consequence. This should be sufficiently unpleasant to discourage the behavior but not to scare or distress the dog. The ‘just right’ correction will vary widely depending on the dog and behavior. A negative consequence should Never involve hitting, yelling or becoming angry with your dog. Generally we reserve correction for after behaviors have been trained and are well understood. Fair, effective corrections need to be precisely timed and non-emotional. In the later phases of training we teach a negative consequence marker like No just as we taught our positive Good marker. It is recommended to consult a knowledgeable dog behavior professional versed in a ‘Least Intrusive, Minimally Invasive’ training approach.

Bonus Helpful Tip: “Place” Can Be A Useful Training Tool When Dealing With a Dog That Won’t Stop Whining

Teaching the “Place” behavior to your dog lays the foundation for a rock-solid stay and helps them learn to relax on cue. Like meditation for dogs, practicing Place daily helps your dog keep his mind calm and focused in the face of distractions. It’s a useful ‘alternate behavior’ that can help prevent whining during dinner time, while entertaining guests, or when you’re just looking for quiet relaxation after a long day. When your dog is on their “place” they can sit, lie down, turn around, sleep, stretch, scratch, or chew on a toy.

Recommended Place Bed: Kuranda Dog Beds have long been the ‘standard’ – durable, chewproof and available on Amazon.

How to Teach Your Dog ‘Place’

First ‘Place’ Session (no “place” command yet!)

Part 1 (establishing place):

1. Start with your dog on a leash.
2. Get your dog to go onto the ‘place bed’ by luring with a treat or ‘shaping’ the behavior (gently guiding with leash).
3. Once all four paws are on the bed, mark with “Yes” and then place the treat on the bed. This establishes Place as the reinforcement zone; your dog will relax more quickly this way versus delivering the treat directly to their mouth.
4. Introduce your dog’s release word – “Free!” or “Okay!” and then with a hand motion or tossing a treat, invite them to step off the Place bed.
5. Repeat this a few times, getting your dog comfortable with happily hopping on and off Place. Next you can work on extending the length of time your dog spends on the his place bed.

Part 2 (duration):

6. Lead your dog onto Place, mark and reward for putting four paws on the place bed. Now mark and reward him for remaining on. You may have to mark and reward at a high frequency at first, to keep him from getting off.
7. Before your dog gets off the bed on his own, say your release cue – “Free!” or “Okay!” and motion him off.
8. Mark and reward your pup anytime they offer a calmer behavior on Place such as going from a standing position into a calmer position such as sitting or laying down.

Part 3 (distance):

9. Once your dog is remaining on Place for a few seconds of duration, you can show them the boundaries of Place by moving yourself in small increments around the corners of the bed. At each stop, if your dog has stayed on the bed, mark and reward.
10. Take time and multiple short, fun sessions to make a positive association with Place
11. If at any time during the session or throughout the day, your dog chooses on his own to go on his Place – mark and reward! Remember when we reinforce the dog for his own great idea, we will ultimately be building a stronger, more reliable preferred behavior.

Practice Duration on Place Daily to Condition Calmness on Cue

After your first session, work on having your dog going onto and releasing from ‘Place’ and most importantly practice duration, with the goal of achieving a half hour at a time on ‘Place’!

Introduce Command Word

As you continue practice luring or guiding onto the ‘Place’ bed and releasing, remember to mark (“Yes!”) and then reward when all four paws are on then off of the bed. Assuming you started with a food or treat lure in your hand, now work on transitioning to a point with no food in your hand. Once your dog understands to go on the bed with a point, you can start to add your chosen command word (ie “Fido, Place!”)

If Your Dog Comes Off the ‘Place’ Bed

Calmly mark the behavior with ‘No, Place’, and use light leash guidance and or spatial pressure to help him back onto the bed. It’s important to keep enforcing the rules and always end on a good note with your dog releasing on cue. Even if it’s been a long time, put them back and wait a few seconds then release. Consistency will make all the difference.

---

Melissa Schiraldi is the founder and owner of True Love Dog Training located in Westchester, NY. Melissa has been working professionally with dogs since 2013. She is an ADI Certified Service Dog Trainer, a NADOI Certified Dog Obedience Instructor, and an AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator.