Why does my dog whine on car rides?

A dog owned by a member of the LGBTQ+ community is seen in a...
A dog owned by a member of the LGBTQ+ community is seen in a... / SOPA Images/GettyImages
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Do you like to take your dog for rides in the car? Have you ever noticed your dog whining randomly while sitting in the car? Do you want to know what that whine might mean?

When it comes to taking our dog for car rides, there are times when they make vocalizations that have us wondering if they actually like being in the car. What if our staff pup actually hates going on car rides? While we know that our pup loves getting in the car and going for a ride (she tends to make her car ride demands known and will jump in the car to make her point), some times we hear her whining and we wanted to know why.

So in order to find out why our staff pup is whining while on car rides, we reached out to some experts for answers.

Why does my dog whine while in the car?

In order to find out more about why our dog is whining in the car, we asked the expert two specific questions. Specifically, we asked the following two questions: Why does my dog whine while in the car? What can a dog whine mean?

According to professional dog trainer, Ashley Reely, "Dogs whine in the car for various reasons—they could be anxious or just excited. Sometimes, the destination matters. Trips that always end at the vet might make them anxious, while outings to the park could have them buzzing with excitement. To help them feel more at ease, try mixing up their car rides. Even short, aimless drives can teach them to not always expect an eventful destination."

Honestly, it makes perfect sense that they might be whining out of excitement, especially for pups that enjoy being in the car.

Dr, Kathryn Dench from Paw Origins confirmed that excitement or anxiety are the main reasons our dogs might be whining while in the car, but she took that information a step further. According to her, "Dogs whine in the car for a variety of reasons ranging from excitement or anxiety to feeling nauseous. A whine is a communication tool that something isn’t right or they need something. Based on my experience, addressing this often starts with understanding the specific cues your dog is giving and then gradually acclimating them to car rides, ensuring they are comfortable and secure."

It certainly makes sense that the other reason our dog might be whining is because they are feeling car sick. And figuring out why they are whining might have to do with figuring out when it starts and if they react (as in getting sick) when getting out of the car.

We appreciate both of our experts for answering these questions as it helps us to better understand our dogs and their needs.

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