Whining/crying

[annej]

I have noticed a on a few occasions recently that sometimes Otto whines for no apparent reason. Sometimes it seems to happen when he has played with a toy (squeeky one especially) - he was just doing it now and earlier he did it when he had a (real) bone.... It is only a few whines for a few seconds.

Today he has had a lovely walk at lunch time, been chewing a 'new' marrow bone most of the afternoon, and had a play and bit of training in the field this evening and then had his dinner. Seemed exhausted.
But then that little bit of whining. He can get outside as all the doors are open....

Do you think he is frustrated about something? Not sure what though....!

[trinared]

Duffy does this sometimes when she is indoors and when I go to the back door and open it she goes straight out for a wee.

You say your doors are open but could he need actually taking out outside? I dont know how old Otto is though. What does he do after he has had a little whine?

[eileenandmolly]

Not sure....how old is Otto? Sorry not to know, but wondered if he might be teething......or, if older have a tooth problem???

My younger doodle Saffie has always spoken "whine" She whines when she's hungry, when she wants attention, when she's tired and just wishes I'd keep still so she doesn't have to be on alert in case she misses something and can have a snooze, when she wants a walk, when she wants me to get up, when she wants me to go to bed so she can go to sleep, when she wants Molly to play, when she wants to go out in the garden (toilet time!).......all the whines sound much the same, but I am learning!!!! She also does bark language ....she's such a vocal girl

I hope you get to the root of Otto's occasional whines

[annej]

Otto's whines have well and truly been put into perspective now!! He is clearly a very mild whiner!

He is 15 months old, so not teething. He does whine by the back door if he wants to go out, and he can get out now so would not whine for that.

He seems fine in himself - went to look at him and he looked perkily up and tail wagged....maybe it is just a bit of attention seeking. But usually for that he comes up and pushes my hand or arm or just pulls things off work surfaces, causes a few 'incidents'...!

[Clairejen]

Some dogs "talk" to their toys, is it possible this is what he is doing?

[eileenandmolly]

Otto's whines have well and truly been put into perspective now!! He is clearly a very mild whiner!

Sorry! Didn't mean to out-do Otto in the whining department!

The thing is, with Saffie, she has used whine language from Day 1, and so we have learned her language. With Otto, it is something that is unusual, otherwise you wouldn't have mentioned it. So I don't in any way want to trivialise your question by detailing Saffie's extensive whine-language!!!

Molly rarely whines - and so if she started to whine I would question what might be the matter.

So I am bumping your thread so you can get some better suggestions than mine

[KateW]

I think it all depends on the individual dog; some are vocal but the usual reasons for whining are habit, boredom, attention seeking or pain/discomfort. If this is new behaviour for Otto (and it sounds as though he has had a lovely day ) I think I would be checking him for any bumps, stings, sprains....

Rufus is a quiet dog, only barks if he needs to alert us to something but he has been whimpering tonight after his ear procedure which is a clear indication that he is uncomfortable.

Katherine

[annej]

Many thanks for suggestions, thoughts.

I wonder if he whines with certain toys - for example his squeeky bone and also he has a punctured football which he enjoys squeezing the air out of - and these are two toys he does whine with - just occasionally. Since they must feel similar I am wondering if maybe they cause him to whine.

As I say it is only occasional and just a couple of seconds.

Poor Rufus, I hope he is starting to feel a bit better today.

[tynkerbelluk]

Archie started this little whine recently but I have worked out what he means. He does it when he has something precious like a carrot or new toy or chew. He was trying to let me know he wanted to take it in the garden - he seems to like the privacy (Don't know why he can't take it to his crate) Maybe you will eventually figure out what Otto is trying to tell you. It is strange because the whine is very low key so it is not like he is agitated just trying to communicate something.

I wonder if this is common to doodles as my last dog didn't have this particular trait.

Sharron and Archie

[annej]

Interesting. Yes, Otto's whine is very low key and just a few seconds and when he has a squeezy toy - so it must be something to do with that particular type of toy

[KateW]

Mmmm....Very odd, I wonder whether he is responding to a noise that we can't hear as air is expressed from the toy.....

Katherine

[eileenandmolly]

There's a fascinating book - I think it was Bid who recommended it, but I might be wrong........it's "How to speak dog" by Stanley Coren. It describes, amongst other things, the various types of whine, and does refer to the sort of whine that indicates pleasure/excitement/anticipation, eg when something the dog likes is about to happen. So Katherine's theory about the noise "whish" may well be right.

It says this type of whine drops in pitch at the end or simply fades. It distinguishes this sound from the one that rises in pitch towards the end, which signifies " I want.....I need...." and from the soft whimpering which means " I hurt".

Saffie does have other variations She could write another book to compete with Stanely Coren

Edited to say she is a very happy girl, honest

[Saramel]

Dexter sometimes whines at the end of the evening. He has a little whine and then, if I look at him, he wags his tail with a big thump on the floor. When I look away, he waits for the moment before whining again and so it goes on until bed time. I'm never sure whether he is trying to attract my attention or telling me it is bedtime but either way it is quite effective!!