Over Excited Puppies

Discussion in 'Labrador Puppies' started by pippa@labforumHQ, Jul 31, 2018.

  1. SianMJ

    SianMJ Registered Users

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    He Bret, the biting does stop but you can’t avoid a biting phase. I totally get that it’s a very difficult and unpleasant behaviour to deal with, my pup was like it for a few months and I didn’t quite think the level of her biting and ripping of clothes was normal at one point. You are right to hate the idea of a shock collar, they are an animal welfare issue and should never ever be used. They are illegal here in the uk. Stick with Pippa’s advice and it will eventually stop. It’s so difficult being a young animal learning how to behave in a human environment yet you certainly don’t need force to help them learn this. Puppies are hard work and the biting is upsetting and painful and unacceptable I fully understand but harming you pup isn’t the way to go. It will get better, if we are consistent, which is the challenge, it will stop. All the best and hang in there, so many of us on here understand what you are going through and have come out the other side of it.
     
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  2. SullyBear

    SullyBear Registered Users

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    Very right. After few weeks Sully is finally simmering down on the mouthy sharky phase. Yes it is SO easy to be frustrated. Puppies are exploring their world and unfortunately they do it with their mouths. I have to admit from when I got Sully on March the 20th until now April 10th (I got him at 8 weeks and he is 11 weeks tomorrow) the mouthy stage is now a 10%. It was very difficult dealing with it. Redirection redirection redirection then crate for calm space to lower the arousal ontop of training. He is finally getting the HANG of it.

    Hang in there!
     
  3. Olliep

    Olliep Registered Users

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    I also have excitable yellow boy lab just turned 7 mths and 28.2 kilos, if we are walking pulls towards other dogs, paws the dogs which they do not like, seems to be over excitable towards dogs and anyone that pats or talks to him. Very friendly just to excited. Help...
     
  4. Kelly78

    Kelly78 Registered Users

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    we have a similar situation. Eddie is a (nearly) 8 month black lab and weighs 29.2kg.
    He’s a darling at home and very happy on and off lead sniffing in the grass, his recall is pretty good but as soon as he sees another dog he becomes so excitable, pulling and gasping to the point the other dog wants nothing to do with him.
    He is very food orientated so we always have treats on us but when in this excitable state he couldn’t care less about the treats or us.
    Any help and ideas appreciated.
     
  5. pippa@labforumHQ

    pippa@labforumHQ Administrator

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    All dogs need to learn to ignore other dogs unless given permission to go and play. This is a hard lesson and takes time. Teaching your dog to ignore other dogs is quite a long process. You need to set up lots of situations where you have control of the outcome. Start simple and work your way up.

    Teach your dog to look away or turn away, from other dogs at a distance first. Have plenty of high value treats on you. If your dog is too excited to eat roast chicken, you are too close to the distraction. Use friends and relatives - get them to sit with their dog on a leash while you walk past at a distance. This is a learned skill and you have train for it. Set your dog up to win by doing everything at a distance to begin with. It is also important that your dog responds to an attention cue at home, before you try to get his attention in public.
     
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  6. TheLabInBlack

    TheLabInBlack Registered Users

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    We have a 15 week old puppy and ever since he has started his walks he is very barky once he comes in from his walks. He gets taken before we have breakfast and dinner. After his walk he gets to run around the garden for a bit but then once he is back in, he goes in his pen in the kitchen and he barks for ages. We have tried taking him out again for another wee in the garden after 15 mins but he doesn’t go for a wee. And he just barks again when he comes back in.

    Does anyone else have this and how do they calm their puppy down? It is so noisy and he gets himself into a state. We ignore him and click for calm and give him a fuss for about when he does have occasions that he stops.

    Registers as 98 decibels sometimes!
     
  7. TheLabInBlack

    TheLabInBlack Registered Users

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    Me again.. he gets fed after his walks. About 25 mins later in morning and between 5 and 10 mins later in evening.

    I’m not sure if his excitement is about his meals. Although he doesn’t do this before his lunch which he also gets after we eat.

    Before his breakfast and dinner he still gets super over excited. I’ve been working on click for calm and sitting on his bum whilst I’m prepping his food and sitting near him with the tub with his food, which he will do when it isn’t his meal time whilst I’m training but he is way over excited when it is meal time. Does anyone have any tips please?
     
  8. Edp

    Edp Registered Users

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    Hello, I am not sure if I have got this right ? He is fed twice a day ? After his morning walk he goes in his pen then waits for 25 mins for his breakfast and that is when he barks ? If that is correct he is probably really hungry. At that age we were still feeding 4 times a day, dropping to 3 meals at about 4 months and down to 2 meals at about 6 months ish. I would take kibble from those meals for training. I think its a lot to ask a growing pup to wait till after his walk for his breakfast. Could you change his routine for a bit and see if he more settled. Breakfast, potter about a bit, then go out. They don't really need much in the way of walks at that age, need more mental stimulation with training and going out for socialisation.
     
  9. TheLabInBlack

    TheLabInBlack Registered Users

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    He has 3 meals a day. He starts barking as soon as he goes back in his pen! I’ve tried feeding him after 10 mins to see if he gets used to the timing and stops, but still barks.

    Hadn’t thought about feeding him before his walk. He does have some food before then though as I do training with his kibble with him whilst my partner is out with our other dog.

    Thanks for the suggestion, I’ll give it a try!
     
  10. Edp

    Edp Registered Users

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    Sometimes its a case of trial and error. Just allow chance for breakfast to digest and maybe keep a bit back for training along the walk. Good luck.
     
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  11. Swagato Chakraborty

    Swagato Chakraborty Registered Users

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    Hi. Thanks for the great advice. I am struggling with overly aroused behavior of my 20 weeks old ( about 40 pounds ) male lab puppy.

    The main problem is in any new environment he is overly aroused. It can be walking in a new street , meeting other puppies , meeting new people or even a walk down the PetSmart aisles.
    He will suddenly start pulling hard with all his might. He wears a body harness which is not the great choice for pullers .

    One the other hand for most days in the neighborhood he walks pretty well on mostly loose leash unless something interests him.

    someone suggested to use a Herm Sprenger prong collar. But I don’t want to use it without being properly trained.
     
  12. Swagato Chakraborty

    Swagato Chakraborty Registered Users

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    I have similar issue with my 20 weeks puppy too. I am trying to follow a mix of ignore and Look At That training and seeing some improvement when the distance is sufficient. The key will be to fully understand his threshold and gradually try to increase proximity. If he happens to get close to a dog with the other dog owner’s permission - I have seen he is usually pretty gentle with larger dogs and mostly try to sniff them everywhere. With small dogs ( irrespective of age, he is close to 40 pounds already) he starts that way but any sign of excitements or fear or submission from the other dog turns his rowdy and somewhat dominant mode on.
     
  13. Swagato Chakraborty

    Swagato Chakraborty Registered Users

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    Today I tried something new and very risky during zoomie time of my almost 5 mo. old lab . We were sitting and chatting in the family room and he was sniffing around quietly after a busy day and didn't have a leash on him, he already finished his dinner and walk without any trouble so I thought we are getting a zoomie-free day. Suddenly he started his zoomie run inside the family room . We have a big construction project going on so the house is a mess and not quite safe for him , so I had to stop him and since he didn't have his house leash on it wasn't easy. I manage to get hold of him and held him tightly close to me and rubbing his chest ( I usually do this to calm him down after play time). He wiggled and tries to nip like a maniac for a few seconds and then I could feel his heart rate slowing down and him calming down . At that stage I ( shouldn't have done it) put my hand inside his mouth in a way that he is aware that he has my hand in his mouth and then he completely quieted down and started licking my hand. It was a stupid thing to do but somehow worked. But also in earlier cases when he was having zoomies if I could lift / hold him tight against myself and rubbed his chest he did quiet down, even once outside during his walk. One thing I have noticed these zoomies are usually the last activity before his nap. Right after this he walks to his crate , drinks a lot of water and falls asleep.
     
  14. BlueMoon

    BlueMoon Registered Users

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    I am confused because I am not sure what over stimulation is. My ten week old is extremely rambunctious after dinner. wild and bitey and jumpy. For example she took a toy and jerked it back and forth so wildly and for such a long time and would run and jump on us and bite and kind of scary -- keep lunging at me on the couch. I had been taking her outside and playing for a long time to try and tire her out before this period. Now I wonder if i am over stimulating her/ should we play less? during this wild time we have been putting her in her crate because she is just too wild. we are at our wits end with her. any advice or input appreciated. my daughter is very unhappy with having the puppy.
     
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  15. Reds

    Reds Registered Users

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    My 6 month old Bella also has the Zoomies at about 8PM. I read that it’s normal. I will catch her and put her in her crate with a bone for about 10 minutes. When she is let out the zoomies are gone
     
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  16. Outi Lehtinen

    Outi Lehtinen Registered Users

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    To me that sounds like overstimulation. I would try to avoid engaging in this kind of play. Ignore the jumping biting action if possible, stand up and cross your arms if sitting on a couch, maybe even turn away. If that's not possible or it gets too rough to bare, move to another room for a few seconds to see if that helps. Or better still, step behind a baby gate. When shes calm again, praise her and give treats. Even when shes just hanging out casually and not following commands.

    Our lovely puppy would turn into a ferocious monster when over stimulated and excited, just by seemingly normal puppy play. I was literally scared of her. Shes a lot (I mean, a lot!) calmer now at 9 months so I guess we managed to do something right.
     
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  17. Aileen Buick

    Aileen Buick Registered Users

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    Mac has been very bad at the biting and it definitely gets worse when he is excited. I keep him on.a houseline and when I see him heading towards meltdown I now pick him up and walk around with him in my arms talking to him quietly telling him he needs a little nap. Progress finally!!
     
  18. Aileen Buick

    Aileen Buick Registered Users

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  19. almahmoud84

    almahmoud84 Registered Users

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    my rockey is a labrador , he's always wants to play with me
     

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