Hi, My lab pup is now 9 months and he has become ridiculously over-excitable and reactive, it's been that way for the past few months and no training I've attempted seems to be working. He has moments when he absolutely loses it and will start jumping at you at full force and nipping. We've tried ignoring it e.g. turning our backs to him but he'll tear at our clothes, skin etc and it hurts like crazy. Then he'll go tearing about the house at full speed, barking, jumping, grabbing things he knows he shouldn't (shoes!!) and go racing off with them. We take him on long walks daily, but that doesn't seem to even make a dent in his energy. Also, he is insanely reactive with other dogs. Not aggressively, he just wants to play, but if there's a dog in his line of sight all his training goes out the window, well and truely over threshold. On walks I dread passing other dogs because he will pull and pull trying anything to get to the other dog. He hears and sees nothing but the other dog, there's no hope of getting him to listen to anything else. He previously went to puppy school and would always get extremely excited around the other pups but not over threshold, I'd eventually be able to get him to listen and once I do he'd interact and socialise with the other dogs just fine. His behaviour has been so frustrating I've been reduced to tears a few times, now I'm at a loss for what to do, any advice, training tips etc. would be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Whilst my 9mth old is not quite as bad as yours he can be this way, especially around other dogs. Also, when we have had a particularly exciting walk, meeting dogs he knows well and with whom he always engages in boisterous play, he has the zoomies when we get home. It is certainly not a result of boredom or lack of exercise. What does seem to make a difference is taking him on walks where we meet few, if any, dogs. He then contents himself with sniffing and exploring and is much easier to manage. He is also calmer on return and sleeps more. I think if mine were just that bit harder to handle I would book a few sessions with a one-to-one trainer. I hope that helps, even to know that yours isn't the only one.
In some ways it sounds as if he could be over-tired or over-stimulated. Puppies will often get over-excited when they're tired, making it seem as if they haven't had enough exercise or play, when in reality they've had too much and have got a bit fractious, like an over-tired toddler. It might be worth trying shorter walks, or making sure that you expect him to rest after his walk - don't encourage further play and give him a kong/treat to encourage him to settle. If you know someone with another easy-going dog that you could arrange to meet and walk with it would help to socialise him, but meanwhile try to avoid passing another dogs. If you spot another dog in the distance, train him to sit (before he sees it!) and distract him with treats. Keep the training and play sessions short too, again expecting him to rest afterwards. It's perhaps better to have several short sessions rather than a longer one which makes him over-tired. Puppies go through a 'teenage' stage (just like children!) and it can seem as if every bit of training has been forgotten, so don't despair!
