Have you ever wondered why your dog whines? It whines at night, while you eat, from inside and outside at the door. How often to do you understand what your dog is telling you? Do you wish your dog did not whine so often?

Well, there is something you can do to stop that whining. First you need to understand why Border Collie dogs whine...

Why your Border Collie Whines

How often do you find yourself saying, “It’s okay”, to your dog when it whines? A lot, I’ll bet. Comforting your dog when it whines is rewarding the behaviour, and a whining Border Collie dog is a dog that is demanding something. When you reward the behaviour you have taught it that whining works.

A whining dog can mean a lot of things, such as:

• “I want your food”, if you are eating.
• “Let me out”, if it is in its kennel or its crate.
• “Let me in (or out)”, if you dog is whining at the back door.
• “I need to go to the toilet,” if you dog is housetrained and is inside.
• “Give me a treat,” if it is staring at the treat jar.

It is usually easy to work out what you Border Collie wants, and every time you give into your dog’s demands the more your dog will whine.

How to deal with your Border Collie’s Whining

You need to teach your dog when its whining is acceptable, for example, when it wants to go outside to relieve itself. Most other times are unacceptable. As soon as your Border Collie understands when it is alright to whine, it will not whine as often. Here are some tips to help you:

• Whining to go out to relieve itself is obviously alright. Let your dog out and let it back in but do not make it a play time.
• All other times are unacceptable. When your Border Collie whines, divert its attention by giving it a command like sit or drop. Take the opportunity for a mini training session and calmly reward the good behaviour.
• Give your Border Collie praise when it is quiet.
• Use a crate that you have made comfortable with a blanket and its favourite toys. Put your dog into the crate for short periods at a time so it gets used to its crate. Most dogs learn to love their crate and willingly spend time in there of their own accord.
• Your dog may suddenly start whining for no apparent reason and it is either for attention or it may not be well. If your dog keeps whining, take it to the vet for a check up.

Whatever you do, do not give in. Every time your dog gets what it wants you teach it that whining works. It is very much like a child that whines for something. The parent that stays strong has a child who does not whine much, but a parent that gives in, even occasionally, will have a child that knows it can manipulate its parents with constant whining. The same with your Border Collie.