Why Does My Dog Whine When I Leave the Room?

A dog that whines is not intentionally attempting to annoy or harass you. It has simply cultivated bad habits to help it survive or adapt when faced with a stressful situation or circumstance. It's helpful to remember that a puppy is like a baby in the sense that it is completely unfamiliar with appropriate behavior until taught to convey it. Once you realize your dog has a whining problem, start recording the incidents as they occur to track potential causes.

  1. Puppy Stage

    • A puppy has yet to learn proper manners or general appropriate behavior. It also lacks the ability to know how to soothe itself when faced with stressful circumstances or situations. For these reasons, dealing with your puppy's whining requires patience and understanding. One particular issue is that a puppy is traditionally accustomed to having company in its immediate vicinity, due to the large litter it is born into. It quickly gets used to the feelings of comfort and support associated with that familiarity. When a puppy is first separated from its mother and siblings, it naturally expresses its fear by whining.

    Separation Anxiety

    • Sometimes a dog whines because it sees or can sense that there is about to be an abrupt shift in your presence. It has become used to you being around, and when it sees you packing up your purse or heading to the front door, it knows that means you are leaving. Dog breeds react differently to separation anxiety. Breeds like the Chow or terriers have natural temperaments that make it harder to be separated from owners. This temperament can exacerbate the situation for a dog and cause it to react intensely when faced with separation from its owner. Dogs who have anxious personalities are also more prone to reacting in a strong sensitive manner when being left alone in a car or home.

    Bad Habits Die Hard

    • Once your puppy has outgrown its earliest development issues yet still continues to whine, a likely reason for this problem is that its bad behavior has now become habit. If you've been rewarding it with attention when it whines by petting it or even merely speaking to it in a soothing manner, it thinks the unsavory behavior is acceptable. Do not give it treats, feed it, pet it or give it any attention when it is whining if you wish to break this habit. Make eye contact and use your body to block whatever it is looking at while whining.

    Attention-Seeking Results

    • If every time your dog whines, you award it the attention it's attempting to secure, you're reiterating to it that whining is an effective way to get its needs met. One suggestion to help minimize the whining problem requires securing a crate or cage to place the dog in. By visually restricting the dog's view of the person or activity that incites it to whine, you are enabling it to calm its response. After it is calm and no longer whining, approach the cage and reward it with affection for its new, calmer demeanor. Once your canine realizes that its whining does not garner the results it was hoping for, whining will subside in time. Be patient; it can take weeks to completely change a dog's behavior.