Wear Your Dog Out
Of course, it’s easier to keep your dog from being over-excited if she doesn’t have the energy to do it in the first place, which is why the walk is so important. It provides directed exercise and channels your dog’s excess energy while draining it.Just letting your dog out in the yard to run around and do her business is not the right kind of exercise. In fact, this kind of activity can often leave her more excited when it’s over and not less. Likewise, the purpose of the walk is not just so your dog can do her business and come home. It mimics the movement of the pack on a mission together to find food, water, and shelter. This helps your dog stay connected to her primal instincts, stay focused on moving forward, and drain her excess energy.The return home — where the food, water, and shelter are — becomes the reward for going on the excursion with the pack. By bringing your dog home with excess energy drained through exercise, she will associate her feeling of calm with this reward.
Provide an Outlet — With Limitations
Keeping your dog’s mind stimulated can also help reduce excess energy. This is when playtime comes in. Things like playing fetch, having your dog search for a hidden treat, or running him through an obstacle course are all good ways to stimulate his mind and drain his energy.The key here is that you control the length and intensity of the activity. That’s where “limitations” come in. If your dog is getting too excited, then the game ends. This is a gentle sort of negative reinforcement. While rewarding calm behavior tells your dog, “When I settle down I get a treat,” creating limitations tells your dog, “If I get too crazy, the treat goes away.”
Don’t Encourage Excited Behavior
The worst thing you can do is to pay attention to an overly excited dog. He’ll just connect being excited with being rewarded. Instead, you should ignore him when he starts acting up. This means no stroking or patting, no talking, and no eye contact. If your dog attempts to jump up on you, immediately push him away and turn your back on him.
Learn how to manage and train an excitable young dog
My special knowledge is all around dog training. I love trick training especially and have recently become a Canine Hoopers instructor. I think training shouldnt be about your dog obeying commands, but about your dog having fun learning with you. Ive worked with dogs for around 15 years and trained at the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. My own two dogs are completely different to each other! I have one little Maltipom called Rascal and a large German Shepherd called Fen – both are adorably daft! My two cats rule the house really though. Whats so great about having a pet is that no matter how rubbish your day has been, they are always there to make you feel better! A house isnt a home without them.