Why Is My Dog Whining At Night? - PawMaw

What is Dog Whining?

Before you can understand why dogs whine at night, you must first understand what dog whining is.

Dog whining is a dog’s distinct attempt to communicate with its owner. This could be about an unmet need or something that makes them restless. It is a repetitive, high-pitched nasal sound that they release with their mouths closed.

Sick or injured dogs will exaggerate this sound to a yelp or whimper, but dogs who are simply trying to convey something will do it just loud and persistently enough to catch your attention as though they are trying to speak with you but in a foreign language.

Before you can deal with them, you have to understand what they need entirely. You might be asking, “why does my dog whine at night?”. While most dogs whine at the silliest things, there are several other reasons why they do that. Here are some of them:

1. Appeasement

This behavior refers to dogs who whine excessively in the presence of other people or new dogs. Apart from that, this form of whining is often accompanied by submissive postures like a tucked tail and a lowered body.

This may mean that your dog feels intimidated or cautious around an unknown visitor or furry friend.

2. Greeting

In contrast to appeasement behavior, another reason why a dog whines is when it serves as a greeting. Some friendly dogs who get too excited when visitors arrive tend to whine in glee. Moreover, this is often observed when owners come home after being away for hours.

3. Attention

If you’re wondering, “why does my dog keep whining at night?”, then he’s probably begging for your attention.

The two previous cases often happen during the daytime, so if your question is about persistent whining, specifically during nighttime, this may be the reason. At night, some dogs constantly whine to gain their owners’ attention.

This may even happen during meals or when they want to play or get a treat.