If your husky keeps whining, you might want to know why and what can be done about it.
In this post, I will show you a number of reasons why it might be doing it and what you can do to stop it.
So, why does my husky whine a lot? Possible reasons are that it wants attention, is ill or injured, needs more exercise, is frightened or that you have inadvertently rewarded the behavior.
There are actually many reasons why your husky might be doing it and there are many things that you can consider to help you figure out why it does it. When you have a good idea of the cause, it will become easier for you to get it to stop.
Why your husky whines a lot
The different reasons that your husky does it will likely come with some clues in the way that it does it and in the timing.
Below, I’ll explain a number of reasons why it might whine a lot and what would make them more likely.
It is ill or injured
The reason that your husky has been whining could be that it is ill or injured. This would be more likely if it has started whining suddenly and if it has been showing other signs of illness or injury such as limping or vomiting.
If it does seem like illness or injury might be the cause then the best option would be to take it to a vet.
Boredom
Huskies are a breed that are meant to get a lot of exercise daily. When they do not get enough exercise it can cause them to develop behavioral issues and it could be why yours has been whining a lot.
Generally, it is recommended for them to get at least an hour of exercise per day. If yours is not getting that much then it would help to make sure that it does.
Related: Why is my husky always crying?
It wants attention
The reason that it whines could be that it wants attention. This would be more likely if it whines more when you have not been giving it much attention or if you tend to give it more attention when it whines.
Instead of rewarding it with attention when it whines, try to give it attention throughout the day by training it, walking it and playing with it.
It wants something
The reason that it whines could be that it wants something from you. This would be more likely if it does it at around the same time that you would normally give it something such as food or a walk.
Stress
It could be the case that something has been causing your husky to be stressed. This would be more likely if it started doing it suddenly after an event occurred that might cause it to become stressed. Such events could include someone mistreating it, another pet dying or an owner moving away.
Related: Why is my husky aggressive?
Fear
The reason that your husky has been doing it might be that something has been causing it to become fearful. This would be more likely if it does it at times where something might be scaring it. Such things could include fireworks, someone being around that it doesn’t like or someone being highly emotional.
Excitement
Sometimes huskies will whine out of excitement and this could be the reason why yours does it. This would be more likely if your husky whines in situations where it is likely to be excited such as when you are about to walk it or when you come home.
You have been reinforcing it
It might be the case that you have been inadvertently reinforcing the behavior. This would be more likely if you tend to give it things that it wants when it whines such as toys, treats or attention.
Instead of giving it things that it wants, when it does it, try to reward it when it does not whine and to aviod rewarding it when it does.
How to get your husky to whine less
The best way to get your husky to stop whining will depend on the cause of it doing it. Below, are a number of options that you have. You will likely find that a combination of them will work well.
Give it exercise
If you have not been giving your husky much exercise then it would help to make sure to do so. You can give it exercise by walking it, playing fetch with it or by getting a dog walker to do it for you.
Reward it for not whining
An effective training technique is “positive reinforcement training” this is where you reward your husky for displaying the behaviors that you want to see from it.
To use positive reinforcement training to get your husky to stop whining you would reward it when it does not whine when it normally would and stop rewarding it when it starts whining.
Avoid reinforcing the whining
As mentioned above, it would help to avoid giving it things that it wants when it whines. Instead, it would help to use positive reinforcement training to get the behaviors that you want and to notice when it is about to whine and to redirect its behavior when it is about to. One way that you could redirect its behavior would be by training it to come to you on command.
Give it distractions
In addition to doing the things mentioned above, another thing that you could do would be to give it things to be distracted with such as toys or chews.
Make sure that it is not ill or injured
If it seems like it might be ill or injured, you can’t figure out why it has been doing it or it has started doing it suddenly, it would help to take it to a vet. By doing so, you will be able to get expert guidance tailored towards your particular Husky.
Things to consider
When the whining started
It would help to consider when your husky first started doing it since it could be the case that something happened that triggered it to start doing it.
If it started whining suddenly then it would be more likely to be due to things such as illness, injury or something happening that caused it to become stressed.
Whereas, if it has been doing it for a while then it could be that you inadvertently trained it to do it, it does it due to excitement or wanting something.
When and where it whines
The timing of when and where it whines would also be something to consider.
If it whines at random times then it could be due to any of the reasons mentioned above. But, if it whines more at certain times, then it would be more likely to be due to things such as wanting something or being excited.