Why does my 10-month-old puppy whine when playing with toys?

It is possible that your puppy is just excited while playing with his toys, and so makes happy or whiny sounds. Some dogs and puppies will "play growl" as they play tug of war or other games and just do it due to excitement. This is a very normal behavior unless you are seeing signs of stress or pain during the play session. If you'd like your puppy to whine less when trying to get to a toy, you can try an activity of having him sit and wait, and then give the toy once he is calm. (This may take a few minutes for very excited puppies!) This will help to teach him that sitting and being calm will get him toys, while being too excited will not.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! He may be over excited and would likely benefit from increased activity. Sometimes it just had to do with their age. I recommend that you perhaps increase the length of his walks and also the frequency. Also, you could consider activities such as playing fetch to try to burn some of his energy. I think this will help you with him. Good luck and have a great day!

This is common dog behavior. They whine for various reasons and you must look at the rest of the body for clues to what it means. They whine for attention, anxiety or excitement. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Okie. It sounds like he is painful. Has there been any history of recent trauma? If not, he could be experiencing neck or back pain. Another consideration is if he has a developmental bone/joint disease. It is sometimes difficult in puppies as they can cry in response to a behavioral issue as opposed to being painful. Try to keep him quiet before his appointment so that he does not exacerbate anything in case he is painful. Be sure to not give any over-the-counter pain medication as these can be toxic to dogs. I hope this information helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There are certainly things that you can do to help with this. One thing that can help is taking him for long walks and playing with him often. Another thing that may help is getting him plenty of toys that he can play with instead of whining. Part of this really is just a puppy thing that will eventually go away on its own but hopefully these things can help with this issue. Good luck and have a good night!

Puppies will bark or whine due to hunger, fear, boredom, pain, infection, if too cold/hot or if they have to go outside. Check to make sure he or she is not experiencing any of the above. If the behavior persists or worsens, consider an exam with your veterinarian.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I am sorry that Dodge is having these issues. Whining and crying is often due to pain or stress. If he is still eating and drinking well, and not having any other issues then it could be that he has arthritis and that is causing some pain or discomfort. Try to keep a journal of when he is crying/whining including time of day, as well as what he did that day (did he have a big walk, was he outside or inside all day, did he do a lot of stairs that day, what food did he eat that day, did he get a lot of treats that day, etc) This will help determine what the problem is. This information will help your vet determine the problem. Best of luck with Dodge.