As a puppy your dog will naturally whine and cry. Just like human babies cry when they are tired, scared, hungry or ... Well anything. Same thing with puppies. The mother will naturally respond to her puppies whining with a warm place to snuggle, milk or protection.
Since dog's are quick to learn what types of responses their actions get the puppy quickly learns that whining will get him any number of things. The trick, as his new human parents, is to kick this habit. Most people suggest leaving your puppy alone on the first night and not responding to his whining. Now this does not mean you can't check on him. It does mean that you can't come in to see him while he is whining. Pick a spot where he has finally piped down and drop in on him. He's probably scared of his new surroundings and needs some attention. Just make sure he doesn't start associating his whining with your attention.
Some dogs don't stop entirely for the whole night. Now our goal is for him NOT to think the whining is getting him something. If he just won't stop you will have to pick a time when he has calmed down, for a few seconds even, and jump in to open the crate door. The further from a whine you open it the better. Use your best judgment to decide when to go.
The less you respond to your puppy's whining the better off you will be. This goes for anytime, not just the first night. The earlier you convince him of the fact that you won't be bullied by his whining the better. It will help even throughout his adult life.
Whining in adult dogs
Despite your not giving in to your puppy's whining he's gonna keep trying it for quite awhile. It's only natural. If see your dog still whining much past 6 months it is starting to become a problem. Most dogs will have outgrown the phase by this time. If he's still doing it after that it probably means he's either doing it unconsciously or he thinks it's gonna get him what he wants. Whining in adult dogs can occur for several reasons. Some of them are:
He needs to go outside
He's bored and wants to play
He's feeling lonely and wants some attention
He's hurt or in pain
He's scared or anxious
Depending on the reason the dog is whining you will want to respond in different ways. Sometimes whining is a valid communication tool, and sometimes it can be attributed to anxiety or used as manipulation. Here is a list of the aforementioned common reasons for whining and some advice on how to react to them.
He needs to go outside
Sometimes you may see your dog start whining standing over by the door. If he's whining because he wants to go outside and relieve himself you should be proud of him. And yourself. You have a well trained dog. Even though he's dying to go, hence the whining, he's not willing to go inside to feel better. This one is first in line because it is the easiest one. If he obviously needs to go out, let him out. This is one time its OK to give in to the whining.
He's bored or lonely and wants you to love him
Sometimes your dog might just be wandering around the room near you, or another family member, whining to himself. Yup, he's just bored. Or maybe he is feeling a little lonely since it has been like an hour since someone payed attention to him. In this case you want to wait until his whining subsides and take him out for some exercise. Take him for a nice brisk walk, jog or even rollerblading(you rollerblade not the dog!). The way to get this behavior to stop altogether is going to involve more exercise for your dog. Try to have your dog active for at least 45 minutes per day. Walks are the best use of your time because they are good exercise and because, if done properly, it will reinforce your status as pack leader. Also, if you have a nice yard, you can try playing fetch or frisbee with your dog. If you can teach him how to bring the toy back to you and drop it you are in business!
He's whining because he is in pain
If you notice your dog suddenly start whining for no reason and keep it up for a while, it may be from pain. This is true of dogs of all ages, not just elderly ones and puppies. If you think your dog is in pain you should start to check for signs of an injury. Start by looking for simple things like limping or favoring legs, holding up a paw from the ground, and look for scratches or splinters. If you don't find anything here start checking out his joints and muscles. Gently rub your hand down his limbs and squeezing his joints to check for inflammation or injuries. Check his tail for any type of lumps as well. If you still don't find anything and your dog keeps whining you should probably take him to the vet. You don't want to risk him walking around with a serious injury and making it worse. You know my motto when it comes to the vet - "Better safe than sorry".
He's scared or anxious
Whining from fear and whining from anxiety are actually two quite different things. Whining from a thunderstorm or a bunch of Harley Davidson's outside your house is fear. Anxiety is when the dog whines with no direct cause that you can see. Anxiety is actually a much more serious problem than fear. Dogs can be stressed for many reasons, including a change in their routine or even just feeding off of stress energy from you. In all cases the way to relieve anxiety is with exercise.
In either case, whether it be fear or anxiety, your reaction to the whining should be the same. You want to discourage the behavior as much as possible. Most people will react in one of two ways. Some will try to comfort the dog with kind words and affection. Some will yell at the dog to stop whining and quiet down(although probably not so nicely). These reactions are equally wrong. Yelling at your dog is just about always the worst way to teach him anything so that should be immediately ruled out. But how can comforting him when he's scared be wrong? By comforting you are actually giving validation to his fear. From his point of view you comforting him is your admission that he has a good reason to worry. This will actually result in his being more afraid or nervous and probably in more whining. You want to ignore the fact that he is whining. Just go about things like you normally would. It can also help to take him for a quick walk for some exercise or run an obedience drill to take his mind off of it.
Choosing a vet is an important part of your dog's life. The goal is to only use the vet for routine checkups and whatnot, but the reality is often much different. Especially when your dog is a puppy, and when he starts getting old. It is definitely worth the effort to research a doctor and to develop a good relationship before you need to make an emergency appointment.
How Do I Start?
You're probably thinking that you would start by looking online, or in the Yellow Pages, but I don't think that is the best way. This is a decision that could seriously impact your dog's quality of life, and yours by proxy. Taking a little extra time to make the right decision can mean a lot in the long run.
First place to start looking is with your family and friends. The best veterinarians get a majority of their clients from referrals. If someone has a good vet, they will be only too happy to tell you all about it. You just gotta ask.
The most important thing to remember when asking your friends and family for advice on a vet is to ask them who they recommend and WHY. The why is the most important part. If your brother likes his vet because it is right down the street from his house, but he lives in Timbuktu, that's not really helping you. Different people will also have different priorities in a doctor. Asking why will help you identify those with the same priorities as yours.
If you are mainly interested in providing a high level of care and not so much with location and price you should consider checking with local training clubs. Specialized clubs, like agility training or police K-9, are the best to look talk to. These are people whose top priorities include the health and well being of their dog.
What's The Next Step?
Now that we have talked to a few people and found the names of a few good vet's offices we should put together a list. Call the first name on the list and let them know you are looking for a regular vet for your dog. Ask when you can come down to meet the doctor(s) and introduce your dog.
Once you get to the clinic you will be trying to assess a few different things. You want to see your vet's general approach to health care. Ideally you will get a minute to speak to the vet and ask him a few questions. Some good questions you may want to ask include:
How many vets are on staff. It helps to have more than one doctor, especially if you need to make an emergency appointment. There should be at least two veterinarians not including assistants.
How much do they charge? Is it competitive with others you've heard of? Do they have payment options available in case of a sudden large bill? Vet bills, like doctor bills, can get big quick.
Do they offer emergency call service. Many vet offices close at night and for the weekend. Some offices, who have extremely dedicated people running them, offer all hours care.
What types of continuing education does the staff undergo. Advances in medical care are happening all the time, and that includes veterinary medicine. Doctors who keep up to date with industry specific periodicals and seminars are usually better candidates.
Choosing a vet is a balancing act between your different priorities. Level of care, convenience and price are all important factors. Take all into consideration. If you are having trouble deciding between clinics see which one(and which doctors) your dog seemed most comfortable around. Check the dog's body posture and look for his tail to be pointing straight out. The more relaxed the dog is the better his experience, and yours, will be.
Further Reading
To learn more about creating a healthy environment for your dog, including when your dog needs to see the vet, how to respond to emergencies, dog First Aid and all common health problems check out The Ultimate Guide To Dog Health. For a full review of what you will get with this guide Click Here
Dealing With Common House Training Problems - Scent Marking
House training your dog can come with a whole bag of unexpected problems. Maybe you've had dogs your whole life and housebroke them all with ease, but now your at a loss. Part one of this article covered dogs that urinate from either excitement or fear. Part two is going to cover the issue of scent marking.
What is Scent Marking?
This is where a dog is "marking" his territory by peeing on something. He is leaving his scent there to let everyone know that this is his house(or yard) and you had better recognize that. This issue is actually related to the issue of dominance rather than house training. Although the result of the problem is the same as the result of poor house training it is not the same cause. This is one of the most widespread problems among dog owners and is difficult to know what to do about. Here you will find some practical advice on dealing with this common problem.
First things first. We need to find out if this is truly a scent marking problem or a general house training problem. Your dog is probably scent marking, and not just peeing, if:
The amount of urine is very small and is directed at specific objects rather that just on the ground. Some common marking areas are doors, furniture and walls.
If you have a male dog over six months old and he hasn't been neutered yet he may be thinking he is becoming the alpha. Unneutered dogs tend to be very territorial and you may want to expect a little bit of scent marking. Neutered and female dogs may exhibit some marking behavior, but much less frequently. Spayed females will rarely, if ever, exhibit this behavior.
If it doesn't matter how often you take him out for a bathroom break.
If he often pees on new things in the house. These might include new clothes, shoes or other possessions. New furniture is an almost definite. He may also target your friends shoes if they take them off, especially if they have dogs.
If you live with multiple dogs and there is a conflict, or dominance issues between them. This is particularly true if there are unnuetered or unspayed dogs in the house.
How do I fix the problem?
The first step you want to take is to spay or neuter all dos in the house as soon as possible. Neutering your dog early, preferably around six months, might help you to stop the problem before it starts. Dogs that already have the problem may not stop from being neutered, but it will calm there urge to mark and make it easier for you to stop.
Always clean the marked areas as soon as you can and as thoroughly as possible. There are a great many products on the market that are designed specifically for this. You should try to avoid using an ammonia based cleaner, or any other cleaner that smells anything like pee. This will just make the dog come back quicker because he thinks someone else covered his scent marking.
Dogs will usually remark the same places over and over. You should try to change the way your dog thinks about these places so that he will stop trying to scent mark them. There are several things you can do to help:
Start feeding the dog next to a spot he commonly marks
Put his doggy bed right next to the area
Start playing with him there
Groom him in that area
Spend time there to show your dog that it is actually YOUR area
Since this is really an issue of dominance the best way to curtail it is to establish yourself as the dominant one. This will help in the case of having one dog, but will be particularly helpful if you are dealing with a power struggle between dogs. In the case of the power struggle you can use your position as alpha to settle the dominance dispute. All you need to do is to favor the dog that you consider dominant. You should choose the one who generally wins there little competitions for toys or staring contests. You can favor him by letting him eat first and always greeting and giving him affection first. The other dog will learn.
Establishing yourself as the pack leader will help with the issue of scent marking in all instances. If the dog sees it as your territory, he will not mark it. He will expect it to smell like you, not him, since you are the ruler there.
There are many ways to establish yourself as the alpha, or pack leader. To learn more about this topic please read my article How To Gain Your Dog's Respect
