Why does my Yorkie whine only when I’m driving the car?

DEAR JOAN >> Coco is our 16-month-old Yorkie. She’s a doll, we love her, she’s well behaved, but she has one very curious behavioral trait: She whines when we drive around with her in our car.

Not a little whining. I’m talking extended, serious whining. She’s not a whiner by nature, but the car ride triggers her. It’s taken some time, but we’ve very conclusively narrowed down the interesting circumstances under which she whines.

Specifically, she only whines if I am the driver in the car and generally only if we are leaving home. She often seems to sense when we are going back home.

It doesn’t matter if she’s in the front seat or back seat, or whether it is morning, noon or night, or whether my son or my daughter is holding her and so on. The one and only constant is that if I am the driver, she whines.

If my son or wife is driving and I am holding her, she’s quiet as a clam, sleeping or looking out the window. I should mention that in our household, Coco definitely looks to me as the “alpha” in the house. Not sure how that affects things, but worth mentioning perhaps. — Tim Riener, Fremont DEAR TIM >> Maybe she really, really doesn’t like your driving.

Just kidding. This is an interesting story, and I’m impressed by all the research and observation you’ve made. You’ve included a couple of things that are very revealing.

First, let’s look at whining in general. Dogs whine for a variety of reasons, but most are related to one of two things. Either there is a physical reason for the whining — they are in pain, suffering from an upset stomach — or the reason is emotional.

It’s clear that little Coco isn’t in pain riding in the car, so the likely reason is emotional. Dogs can whine when they are excited or anxious. A dog might be so happy to see you come in the door, she whines and twists around because she’s so excited she can’t contain it.

Dogs communicate a lot with the type of whine and how it’s delivered. They also might be trying to speak to us, copying as best they can human language.

Because Coco sees you as the leader of the pack, she could be trying to tell you that she doesn’t really like riding in the car and she wants you to focus on her and comfort her. As you are, rightfully so, occupied with driving, she’s trying to get your attention and tell you she’s anxious. When she’s sure the trip is over and you’re headed home, she is less urgent about it, knowing she’ll soon be out of the car and back on your lap.

My dog also hates riding in the car and gets very anxious. I’ve found that rolling the window down a bit calms him and he’s more relaxed. He, too, seems to know when we’re headed home and he’s completely calm.

You might try to acclimate her to trips by taking very short car rides with just you in the car. Have her sit next to you in the passenger seat. Give her a treat when you get in the car, drive around the block and back to the house. Give her another treat when you get out. Slowly extend the length of the trips and add people, moving her into different positions in the car and giving her a treat before and after.

With luck, that will end the whining.