How Do I Get My Puppy to Stop Whining When Left Alone?
Puppies use whining to communicate their emotions
How do I stop my puppy from having separation anxiety?
"My 80-year-old mother has a new puppy. It showed up at her house about three weeks ago (she lives approximately a mile down a gravel road with no neighbors).
The puppy stays in his own room, which is attached to the house. The room has a door that leads into the house, a storm door that leads outside, and a doggy door that goes into a fenced area.
The first two nights with the puppy, he whined a good bit; on the 3rd night, I put a radio in his room, and he stopped immediately, except when we went outside, and he could not follow. Now, he is totally fine if we go into the house through his room, but if you go outside and he can see you, he starts whining.
How do you train/stop this behavior? My Mom likes to work in the yard for exercise but she hates to hear the puppy whining. Thanks in advance."—Brian
Puppies Are Known for Whining
Hi Brian, thank you for reaching out in regards to your mom's new puppy who is whining when your mom heads outdoors to work in the yard and your puppy is left behind.
It's wonderful to hear about your mother's new furry companion! This puppy is very lucky, as it sounds like she's providing a loving home for him.
I can empathize with your mom because young puppies are known for their ear-piercing cries that carry out far distances. I can see how it may cause a disruption in her desire to work peacefully in the yard.
One very important first step in tackling a puppy's whining is identifying why the whining is happening in the first place. Whining is ultimately a form of communication, and it may convey a variety of emotions.
If the whining is, for the most part, happening when left alone, there's likely an element of anxiety/distress at play that requires intervention.
With time and gentle guidance, your mother's puppy will likely become more accustomed to being alone without feeling the need to whine.
Let's delve deeper into the subject and see what can be done to ameliorate the situation.
The Adaptive Value of Whining in Puppies
A puppy's whining is a highly adaptive behavior. It's a form of communication that is highly linked to survival. It all makes sense if we take a look back into a puppy's past history in the wild when they were exposed to potential threats.
Altricial Versus Precocial Species
In the realm of reproduction, animals come into existence into this world in two main ways: through a long pregnancy that yields fully developed offspring or through a much briefer pregnancy that yields immature offspring.
The latter scenario characterizes dogs, which are categorized as an altricial species. This means that when puppies are born, they are in a pretty much helpless, undeveloped state.
Born deaf, blind and unable to regulate their body temperatures or move around, they totally depend on their mothers for sustenance and survival.
This is in great contrast with precocial species such as horses, cows, goats, chickens, ducks, geese and sheep. When these animals come into this world, they are almost immediately mobile from the day they are born or hatched.
The Survival Role of Vocalizations
Newborn puppies rely on their distress calls, which have an et-epimeletic function. This fancy term simply means that it solicits caregiving instincts in mother dogs. These caregiving instincts are largely influenced by hormones, namely estradiol, oxytocin, prolactin and progesterone.
A puppy's distress calls are meant to signal to their mother that they are in need of warmth, nourishment, or protection. These distress calls carry over distances and can help puppies reunite with their mother should they happen to get separated.
Why Do Puppies Whine in General?
While there are many different types of vocalizations in dogs, whining is considered to be a high-pitched sound that may vary in intensity, from soft whimpering to loud, ear-piercing vocalizations.
Whining is typically associated with puppies and has been described as resembling the infantile vocalizations observed in human infants. Adult dogs may whine, too, in specific contexts.
Whining is ultimately a form of communication. It's a puppy "using his words" to communicate his feelings. Following are several potential causes of whining in puppies.
Unmet Needs
Puppies have several needs, and when their needs aren't met, this may lead to bouts of whining. Since puppies are spared from the gift of voice, it is up to us to put our investigative hats on and try to decipher what they may need at a given moment.
Is the puppy whining because he needs to eliminate? Can he be thirsty? Can the puppy be cranky because he hasn't slept enough? It's often underestimated the amount of sleep a puppy needs in 24 hours. Can the puppy be bored or lonely? Can he be feeling sick? These are just a few examples of the many causes of whining in puppies.
Anxiety
Anxiety is a future-driven emotion. It takes place when we anticipate that something unpleasant is about to happen.
Dogs have the uncanny ability to predict what happens next. This doesn't make them clairvoyant. It just happens that, as good observers, they are able to link one event to another.
In the case of a puppy who whines when an owner is putting on shoes, the puppy may anticipate that the owner is about to head outside without him, which may lead to—you guessed it—a bout of whining.
Fear
While anxiety is future-driven, fear is present-focused. If a puppy is persistently whining when left alone, he may be responding to the event of being socially isolated.
Being left behind is a potentially aversive experience for young puppies because, in a natural setting, being isolated means being vulnerable to threats.
It is natural for a puppy to whine due to feelings of fear and distress when being left alone, especially if no steps were taken to properly acclimate the puppy to being separated from their caregivers.
If the fear is intense and overwhelming, the puppy may even panic as a result of being separated from an attachment figure.
Frustration
When puppies are separated from their caregivers but can still see them through some type of barrier, whether it's a baby gate, pen, window or door, the puppy may experience frustration.
Frustration is an emotional state that occurs when a puppy's expectation or desire is thwarted. A barrier that prevents the puppy from accessing his caregiver may lead to bouts of frustrated whining and barking.
Attention-Seeking
Puppies are blessed with a remarkable ability to learn that their whining evokes responses from their caregivers. Just like toddlers, dogs may act up when we are on the phone or watching TV in hopes of getting attention.
Drawing from their past experiences with their mother, who attended to them when they vocalized, puppies instinctively anticipate similar responses from their human caregivers.
Greeting
Puppies may also whine when they are greeting a human or other dog. Their excited whining is accompanied by happy body language.
Medical Issues
Persistent whining when all the pup's needs are met, and in contexts where whining may not be expected, may be a sign of the puppy not feeling well. The puppy may be ill, in pain or enduring some type of discomfort.
The greatest fear dogs know is the fear that you will not come back when you go out the door without them.
— Stanley Coren
Why Is My Puppy Whining When Left Alone?
As we have seen, puppies have a tendency to whine because of some unmet need or when they are not feeling well, but a common reason for whining when left alone is because they feel anxious or insecure.
Studies have found that the bond between dogs and their owners is similar to that between a child and his parents.
The secure base effect, where a caregiver acts as a secure base from which the dog can explore the environment and gain confidence, therefore takes place in dogs, too.
When a young puppy is separated from a caregiver, this will often lead to whining. The function of this whining is similar to the whining seen in young puppies when separated from their mother; basically, an attempt to reunite with the caregiver.
Distress Whining When Left Alone the First Night
Puppies are known for whining and crying excessively the first night they are introduced into their new home. The abrupt transition to unfamiliar living conditions triggers these cries of distress.
When introduced in a new home, not only are puppies exposed to a plethora of novel sights, smells, and sounds, along with unfamiliar individuals, but they also realize the absence of familiar littermates and their maternal presence, which intensifies feelings of anxiety and fear in the puppy.
Compounding the situation, puppies are often placed in distant areas during the initial nights, which only contributes to the pups' sense of isolation and distress.
Thankfully, this tumultuous phase is for the most part transient. Most puppies adjust to their new environment with the tincture of time and care.
Letting the puppy sleep in the bedroom and informing them of our presence is often sufficient to help them feel safe and reassured.
Puppies often whine and whimper because they miss the warm bodies of their mom and siblings. When pups are young, they often sleep piled up.
Supplemental measures such as adding a surrogate in the form of a warm water bottle wrapped in a blanket can help. I personally like to use the original Snuggle Puppy Behavioral Aid that comes with a removable heat pack and a real-feel heartbeat for young puppies who struggle to adjust to sleeping during their first nights.
Stress Whining When Left Alone
Just when puppies start to adjust to sleeping away from their littermates and moms, they start to struggle when we leave them alone during the day, even if just for a few seconds, such as when we go into another room to grab something or need a bathroom break.
This whining once again may stem from fear of being isolated, but there may also be an element of frustration, especially when they can see us and cannot reach us, as it may happen when there is the presence of a barrier that keeps the puppy confined.
Attention-Seeking Whining
Attention-seeking whining may take place when a puppy is seeking human interaction. On top of this, if a puppy's needs for play, exploration or mental stimulation are not adequately met, whining may take place as a form of communication or to manifest frustration.
Sometimes, the whining may increase and take the form of a protest, similar to a "temper tantrum." This escalation in whining behavior typically happens when the puppy was used to getting attention when whining and is now being ignored. The owner may be ignoring by chance or may willingly ignore in hopes of extinguishing the behavior.
Such escalation in whining is termed an "extinction burst," and its function is to regain the previously rewarding attention.
While keeping on ignoring the attention-seeking whining during an extinction burst may eventually lead to a dramatic reduction in the whining since it no longer "works," it's important to recognize that the process is likely to result in frustration before it declines and finally stops.
On top of this, it's important to consider that if the puppy's whining is primarily driven by emotions such as anxiety and or fear, these involuntary emotional behaviors do not typically respond to this type of intervention, explains board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Carlo Siracusa in the book Blackwell's Five-Minute Veterinary Consult.
High-pitched vocalizations may be indicative of co-dependence or the behavior being inadvertently reinforced by the owner.
12 Tips to Stop a Puppy From Whining and Crying
As seen, there can be various causes for a puppy whining when left alone. Several different strategies to reduce whining may be employed depending on the underlying cause.
A quick fix may be all that is needed if dealing with just some frustration, while in the case of underlying anxiety, the process may be more involved. A combination of methods may be helpful for increasing the chances for success. Following are several options and tips.
1. Ensure All Needs Are Met
It's important to make sure that prior to being left behind, the puppy has access to water, has eliminated (peed and pooped), has slept enough and has received opportunities for exercise, play, and mental stimulation.
Here are several ways to provide dogs with mental stimulation and encourage independent play: 17 ways to keep dogs mentally stimulated.
2. Exclude Medical Issues
With new puppies, it's important that they are checked out by a vet. The vet will determine whether the puppy is healthy through a careful veterinary exam. He or she may also suggest deworming and important vaccinations to keep the puppy healthy and safe.
3. Try a Visual Blocker
If the puppy is mostly barking out of frustration, using some type of visual blocker may help so that the puppy doesn't see your mom outside. A visual blocker may consist of frosted window film or the placement of furniture to block the puppy's line of sight to windows or doors.
If your mom walks into the room where the puppy is to head outside, it will be preferable to use a different room so that the puppy isn't enticed to follow and feel frustrated once she exits the door without him.
4. Block Sound
Any sounds that predict your mom is going to head outside should be reduced in some way so as to prevent anticipatory anxiety. For example, having a white noise machine, a calming CD, or the radio on (like the one that you have astutely used to calm the puppy during the night) may help buffer outdoor sounds.
5. Acclimate to Absences
The process of getting a puppy used to being left alone requires gradual and incremental exposure to alone time in a safe and comfortable environment.
This gradual, incremental approach is necessary to help the puppy develop confidence while also preventing separation anxiety.
While a gradual approach is key, it's also important to prevent the puppy from recognizing that our absences are getting longer and longer with time. My go-to method is to mix in shorter stays here and there so that the puppy doesn't recognize a pattern of increasing difficulty.
For example, I may initially leave the room for 2 seconds, then 5 seconds, then 1 second, then 6 seconds, then 2 seconds, then 7 seconds, then 3 seconds, then 4 seconds, then 1 second, then 10 seconds, etc.
6. Provide Food Puzzles
It's important that during the process of getting a puppy gradually used to being alone, the puppy has positive experiences. We can help them by providing them with something tasty to enjoy while we leave.
When working on a one or two-second-long absence, we can toss the puppy a few kibble or treats as we walk away, and then we can progress to a cookie or hiding several treats around the room and then releasing the puppy to find them, as we progress closer to a minute-long absence.
At this point, you may wonder, how can I progress to longer absences, such as when I must leave for 10 to 15 minutes or maybe even 20 minutes? In such a case, we would feed the dog some longer-lasting treats such as a stuffed Kong
For longer absences, I like to use a Kong toy that I have prepared in advance and have frozen. The Kong website offers a variety of Kong recipes. It's important to check with a vet if there are any allergies or food sensitivities.
I like to place the Kong in an area that the puppy can see but not get to for a couple of minutes prior to leaving so as to build some anticipation, and then I provide the Kong right as I head outside.
7. Avoid Complete Separation
During the initial stages of getting the puppy used to being alone, it's important to avoid leaving the puppy alone for longer than he can tolerate.
Leaving a young puppy for extended periods of time or abruptly may cause undue stress that may potentially lead to insecurity and the onset of behavioral issues such as separation anxiety.
If there is a need for complete separation, it may help if a family member can spend time with the puppy to distract him.
8. Try Dog Appeasing Pheromones
Dog-appeasing pheromones are available in the form of collars, sprays and diffusers. These products contain the synthetic form of natural appeasing pheromones that are secreted by mother dogs and are known for exerting calming effects in dogs of all ages undergoing a wide variety of stressful situations.
In a study, dog-appeasing pheromones were found to be as effective as the drug clomipramine, which is used for the treatment of separation anxiety along with behavior modification.
9. Monitor Remotely
It's a good idea to remotely monitor the puppy during absences. This can give us an insight into how well the puppy is coping with absences and whether any adjustments to the program need to be made.
If the puppy is whining and not interested in chewing, this tells us he's not ready for that level of separation yet, and we therefore will need to work on making our absence less aversive.
Nowadays, there are even great cameras like the Furbo camera that allow us to talk to our pups and even deliver them goodies while we are away.
10. Prevent Separation Anxiety
Separation anxiety is a condition that negatively impacts the lives of many dogs and dog owners worldwide. It's important to take steps to prevent this.
We can help foster a sense of independence in puppies through training (like holding sit-stays/down-stays while we are out of sight, fun hide-and-seek games, and exercises to boost confidence in dogs).
As always, it's important to work at the pup's pace and progress very gradually. If a puppy struggles at any time, that's a sign that we have progressed too quickly and need to take a step back. Here are several exercises that may help: exercises to prevent separation anxiety in puppies.
11. Avoid Any Form of Punishment
It's important to refrain from punishing the puppy for any destruction, barking or messes that may occur during an absence. Punishment-based methods and tools risk exacerbating anxiety.
12. Don't Let Puppies "Cry It Out"!
It may be tempting to ignore a puppy's whimpering and whining in hopes of the anxious puppy getting exhausted and falling asleep. But the method of "letting puppies cry it out" can backfire.
Research among human babies has found that letting babies cry it out may harm their development. With young puppies, ignoring their cries may send the message to the puppy that he's not going to get the support he may desperately need.
As seen, there are several strategies that can help reduce whining in puppies. If, despite various approaches, the whining doesn't decrease, it's important to consult with a behavior professional.
Providing a Kong every time we are about to leave may increase departure predictability. To prevent this, it's important to provide the Kong toy as well during other times of the day when we are physically present.
References
- Lezama-García K, Mariti C, Mota-Rojas D, Martínez-Burnes J, Barrios-García H, Gazzano A. Maternal behaviour in domestic dogs. Int J Vet Sci Med. 2019 Jul
- Stolzlechner, L.; Bonorand, A.; Riemer, S. Optimising Puppy Socialisation–Short- and Long-Term Effects of a Training Programme during the Early Socialisation Period. Animals 2022
- Simpson BS. Canine communication. Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract. 1997 May
- Gaultier E, Bonnafous L, Bougrat L, Lafont C, Pageat P. Comparison of the efficacy of a synthetic dog-appeasing pheromone with clomipramine for the treatment of separation-related disorders in dogs. Vet Rec. 2005
- Kim YM, Lee JK, Abd el-aty AM, Hwang SH, Lee JH, Lee SM. Efficacy of dog-appeasing pheromone (DAP) for ameliorating separation-related behavioral signs in hospitalized dogs. Can Vet J. 2010
If your puppy or dog shows signs of potential aggression (lunging, barking, growling, snapping, biting), please consult with a dog behavior professional for direct in-person guidance. Articles, videos, and general information provided online are not meant to replace in-person training/instruction. By using this service, you are waiving any liability claims or other types of claims related to any of your dogs' behaviors against you or others.
© 2024 Adrienne Farricelli CPDT-KA, Dip.CBST
