Why does my dog whine every night around midnight? Habit or health?

This could be due to a behavioral change (anxiety, fear, etc.) or it could be caused by an underlying health problem. Pain and discomfort due to a variety of causes can make dogs vocalize and seek human attention. I recommend taking him to your vet for a health evaluation to make sure that there is not a physical cause of this behavior change. Your vet can talk with you about ways to change the behavior if it turns out there is no underlying medical issue.

Sounds like Mike may be a bit lonely or bored. If he's whining or crying whether inside or out, then increasing his exercise throughout the day or right before bed may help tire him out enough to sleep through the night instead. Leaving him with a toy to chew on, or a blanket/old shirt that smells like you may also help him relax at night and sleep better. If you've tried this and he's still howling, checking the environment for things that might be agitating him, such as a strange animal in the back yard, rodents in the yard, etc may help you find the cause of his distress.

Whining can be caused by a number of different things - pain, anxiety, frustration, or loneliness are all common reasons that dogs might whine. It can also be an attention-seeking behavior in some cases, especially if she has learned that this is an effective way to get your attention. Older dogs may also whine more as a symptoms of canine cognitive dysfunction, which is similar to Alzheimer's disease or dementia in humans. If this is a recent behavior change for Sally Mae, I would recommend taking her to the vet for an exam to see if there is a medical reason for the whining - she may be painful or not feeling well for some reason. If this is normal, you could try a DAP pheromone collar along with a natural calming supplement like Zylkene or Composure to see if this helps, or make an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist to evaluate her in person and help determine what may be causing this behavior.

Thank you for your question. If you go to Aki every time she whines, she will continue to whine. If Aki stops whining for 15 minutes, just let her be. Once she figures out that you are not going to come, she will eventually stop and learn that bedtime is bedtime, and the whining will stop. Don't reward her behavior with attention. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

If he is seven years old and all of the sudden is now whining, I would be concerned that there is potential reason for this, such as pain or discomfort. Identifying the source of this is the key to determining if there is a problem. Unless you are certain this isn't the case, I think Steve should get a physical exam performed by your veterinarian to determine if they can find anything wrong. At 7 years, some vets will also begin recommended annual blood work to make sure there is nothing potentially laying in wait. If you are certain that Steve is fine and you feel this is a behavior problem, the best way to avoid this is to vehemently refuse to give in to Steve's whining, and only reward him when he stops. If you discover that the whining is purely behavioral, the use of a training clicker might be useful in making matters easier and more understandable for him. These can be obtained online and in some pet stores. Information on clicker training such as videos are widely available on YouTube. Hope this helps.

Poor girl. I am not sure if this strictly behavioral due to old age and a bit of senility or if she has an underlying issue. It would be worth while getting her examined by your vet to have a health profile done via bloodwork to ensure everything is normal, especially since this behavior is happening in consecutive days. If she is having senility issues, then that can be addressed with medication (i.e. Reconcile) or with a prescription diet (ie Hill’s B/D). Another possible cause for sudden whimpering in older pets is arthritis. This can be helped with joint supplements (ie Dasuquin, Cosequin, Rejuvenate) in mild cases or prescription pain control medication (ie Rimadyl, Galliprant) through your vet in more moderate to severe cases. I hope that things are well for your pet Mimi moving forward! Take care.

If you don't have any specific symptoms that need to be addressed, your vet will likely want to perform an initial general exam, including looking in the mouth, eyes, ears, etc, and palpating the body for any signs of pain. They'll also want to take a history of information such as when the whining started, if it's in a pattern or linked to anything, what he's eating, bowel and urinary habits, etc. If anything seems out of the ordinary, your vet will then likely recommend any specific tests to rule out issues.