Helping a Greyhound that is Whining at Night

Witching is a colloquial term to describe undesirable behaviour at a particularly undesirable time, which for most people, is nighttime.

People often will describe their dog as ‘witching’ when they are unsettled at night, and a behaviour that is commonly reported in unsettled dog dogs is whining. Whining is the high-pitched noise dogs that dogs can make when they are emotionally activated (such as when excited, fearful or anxious).

Similar to why a greyhound might bark, a greyhound may whine for a variety of reasons. Usually, this will be at times of heightened emotion, when the dog’s emotional state has deviated from being calm and neutral. This comprises both positive and negative emotional states.

For example, a dog might whine when they're being reunited with a familiar person or a dog after an absence. A dog may also whine when uncertain in new environments or anticipating a negative event.

Every dog is an individual, and the duration for which they may whine will completely vary. Usually, the whining will stop when the dog has met whatever emotional needs they are expressing by whining.

So, if that's being reunited with a person or a dog, once the excitement of that interaction is worn off, usually the whining will too.

If the dog is uncertain or fearful or anxious, the whining will usually dissipate once the dog has recovered to a calm or neutral emotional state.

If you find your dog is whining at inappropriate times like at night or seems to whine for prolonged periods of time, it's a good idea to look at the behaviour and try to figure out why the dog might be doing it. Satisfying the greyhound’s emotional needs (such as encouraging calm behaviour during reunions) is the best way to reduce undesirable behaviour.

For example, if a dog is whining at night due to bladder discomfort, taking them outside will address the issue. Alternatively, a dog may whine if there is a lot of outside noise at night (such as from wildlife) which could be rectified by creating a buffer to reduce the dog’s exposure to nightly disturbances and rewarding calm behaviour.

If, in addition to whining, your dog seems generally unsettled and anxious, it might be worth consulting with a veterinary behaviourist. This will help reduce your dog’s overall anxiety and consequently any associated behaviours (like whining), whether that's through a behavioural plan, medication, or adjusting the dog's lifestyle.

It really depends on the cause, but whatever addresses the underlying emotion will help with the whining.

At GAP NSW, each dog that enters our program is checked over by a vet and undergoes a behavioural assessment. Learn more about how we help greyhounds that enter our program.

We’ll match you to a greyhound that suits your preferences and lifestyle. We do indeed, have a whole bunch of sleepy pooches!

We offer a 6-week trial, which is a great length of time to move past the settling-in period and transition into a happy, well-domesticated life! Plus, you can contact us at any time for behaviour support.

Ready to meet your new best mate? Head on over to our greyhounds for adoption page to view the poochies!