How To Stop A Pointer Dog Or Puppy Whining
Brining a new dog into the family is an exciting time. However, this is not the time to forget about all of the things you will need to teach your dog. The sooner you start training with your Pointer dog, the easier coexisting together will be. If you have already noticed some problems, such as excessive whining, there is still hope. There is nothing that cannot be corrected through proper training, outside of medical conditions of course. If you find that your Pointer dog is whining all the time and it does not seem to be directed at anything or be a part of any pattern, you will want to make sure that you are having him checked out by a vet. There could be something causing your dog pain. If your vet says your dog is perfectly healthy, then it is time to move on with training.
Now, if your Pointer is not experiencing any medical problems, then his whining is a way to communicate that he is scared or upset. These are the issues that you will need to address. One of the most important things you need to remember now is that you should never punish your dog for whining. He is already scared or worried and your punishments will only increase his fears and worries. By punishing him for whining, you will make the situation worse and inadvertently make him whine more. Is this what you want to happen? Also, never return to your dog or give him affection in response to his whining. All you are doing is teaching him that by whining, you return to him and give him what he wants. So, when you leave for work, your dog will whine and he will continue to whine for eight hours until you return. Your neighbors will not be pleased.
In order to try to correct the behavior, you will want to turn away and ignore your Pointer dog each and every time he whines. This will show him that he is not getting your attention. When your dog returns to a calm state for a minute or two, then you can return to him and give him praise. This positive reinforcement training will show your dog which behavior gets him his desired results. He will learn that when he is quiet, he gets your attention and when he whines – he gets nothing.
Make sure that everyone in the home understands this method of training. In order for it to properly work, everyone has to be in on it. You want to make sure that everyone in the family is using the same training method so that you dog can succeed just as quickly as possible. Now, exactly how long it will take to be successful will depend on how consistent you are and your dog’s individual personality. Some dogs are able to catch on in as little as a couple days while others take a few weeks. It might be tough but just hang in there and you will see that you will eventually get the results that you want and you will no longer have to hear whining all of the time.