Some of you will call this crying while others shine. It is the same thing actually. Dogs can’t cry as we can with tears but they can whine which means something is wrong. Why does my dog keep crying? Even if it looks like there is no reason for that, there is. In most cases, it is one of these 6 below. Once you know the reasons, you can react and help your dog. The goal is to make him stop crying as soon as you can.
5 Reasons My Dog Keep Crying
1. Dog Is Excited
This is one of the more common reasons and one that you need to understand first. When a dog sees you grabbing your coat, he will think that you are taking him for a walk. He will start whining because he is too excited. Why does my dog keep crying? He wants you to take him for a walk and he is happy or excited about it.
You will have to give him a ‘’quiet’’ command and then appraise him. The goal is to train your pet to know when you will take him for a walk and when not. It will take some time but your dog will eventually understand.
2. Your Dog Is Looking For A Toy Or Something Else
Think of your dog as a small child. When he loses something he will cry. A dog will do the same thing, despite the fact he or she is an adult. Perhaps the ball he likes is under the bed and he can’t reach it. Maybe you are not in the room and he wants you. One way or another he will cry because he wants something and he can’t get it. If this is the case, he will stop crying as soon as he gets the thing he wants.
3. Your Dog Is Scared
This is one of the most severe reasons and it means you should react as soon as possible. A dog can fear loud noises such as fireworks. Others fear certain people. Some dogs fear other dogs! There are countless examples. You will notice panting, trembling, and pacing at the same time. The first thing you need to do is to determine the cause of that fear. Once you know it, you can keep it away from your pet. Try using a crate in the basement or some room where there is no loud noise and you two are alone. Most dogs will relax if you give them a bone or a toy to play with so try this as well.
4. Your Pet Seeks Attention
This is actually called attention seeking whining and it is common. A dog will want to spend some time with you and he will wine until he gets it. It is not acceptable behavior and it is something you should work on as soon as possible. Try this. Wait until he takes a break from all the whining and then reward him. Repeat this as many times as you can.
5. Separation Anxiety
Over 14% of dogs have separation anxiety so it is far from a rare issue. It means that the dog will be sad and anxious when you are not next to him. Obviously, you will try to spend as much time with him as possible but you can’t be 24/7 close to him. All dog owners who have dogs with separation anxiety should take them to a vet. If he is healthy and there is no medical cause for this, proper training is mandatory. This does take a lot of time but it is something you must do.
Your Dog Can Cry When He Is In Pain?
Here we can see that the issue can be more than just severe. Although most dogs will cry due to one of the reasons above, pain can cause this behavior as well. This is the main reason why we will recommend you to take him to a vet as soon as he starts whining and he won’t stop. You want to rule out anything that is severe.
Keep in mind that if the pain is the cause, you need to look at other symptoms. For instance, some dogs will whine only when they climb stairs. Others will whine when you touch them on a specific spot. All of these are just examples and there are a lot of other examples we can give to you. Keep in mind that you don’t know if the cause of the pain is very severe or less severe. The best thing to do is to take him to a vet and find the cause and also start the treatment if your dog needs one.
When Should You Ignore a Whining Dog?
There is actually only one case when you should ignore your dog. It is when he is doing this to get your attention. Odds are high that you have been giving him attention every single time when he whines and he knows that. Now, you will have to ignore him and reward him when he stops whining. This training will take a lot of time but it is successful and it works well with most dogs. Also, avoid eye contact. This is one of the small things you can do that has a huge effect on the overall result.
In other cases, ignoring your pet is not a wise thing to do. As you were able to see, there are serious causes and some can be very problematic. You always have to help your dog and solve the problem that causes him to whine.
The Final Word
Why does my dog keep crying all the time? He needs something or he wants something. It is also possible that he is scared or he is in pain. The best thing you can do is to look for other symptoms and if you notice them, take him to a vet. Even if everything is fine with the vet, you can check his health and make sure he is feeling fine.
