Does your puppy dog get out of control every time friends or family come to visit you at your home? Are you reluctant to even go near that door before you have a chance to lock your dog in another room, so that she doesn't scare your visitors away? If that's the case, read on!

Puppy Overly Excited When Friends Visit

Hi Daniel,

We have a 4.5 month old female golden/poodle. She is very much the ALPHA dog and we are working on many issues with her. She seems to be getting better about a lot of issues. I have raised 5 Goldens in my time and never had a puppy like this.

The one problem that we don't know how to deal with is when friends come to visit, she becomes very excited, jumping, nipping running, barking (not since she wears a bark collar) piddling on the floor, basically out of control and unmanageable. This goes on for awhile and slowly she calms down.

How I currently am dealing with her on this is to put her on the leash, command her to "down", and will let her off after a few minutes, and if she goes to bother the friend, back on the leash she goes.

I am afraid to bring kids to the house for she is terrible. Not out of anger, just too very much excited. Please help

Eddie

Secrets to Dog Training Reply:

Hi Eddie,

Thanks for your email. It sounds as though you have a lovely dog whose behavior can get out of control in certain situations!

There are a number of things that should help you.

1. Please use the Alpha techniques to teach your dog that you are in charge. This should help with her obedience, which will help you get her under control if she is acting up.

2. Check your dog's diet for food preservatives, food colorings and large quantities of grains/cereals. By replacing a diet high in those substances with one that is void of colorings, preservatives and low in carbohydrates, many dogs have been known to calm down almost overnight! While this might not be the cause of your dog's erratic behavior, it is still important for her health and well being that she is fed a well balanced, nutritious diet.

3. Please ensure that your dog gets lots of exercise! She obviously has some energy to burn, so by providing her with lots of play and exercise time, you are helping her to use up some of that excess energy! You should also try to have daily obedience lessons with your dog to help with her obedience, and to keep her both mentally and physically stimulated. Dogs not only need to exercise their bodies, but also their minds! Pay particular attention to the down-stay command.

4. Remember to remain calm yourself. If you try to deal with an excitable dog by getting worked up, it's likely that this will encourage her hyperactive behavior. Instead, remain cool calm and collected =:) In the wild, the Alpha determines how the pack will react in various situations, so if she sees that you are relaxed, she should follow suit.

The next time you have a visitor, when they knock on the door, attach your dog's leash, and take her to another room. Then once your guest has settled in, calmly bring your dog into the room and put her in a down-stay. Ask your visitor not to look at your dog, or speak to her. If the dog begins to act badly, reprimand her by making a loud noise such as clapping or shaking a can of pebbles and combining it with a guttural growl ("AAHH"). As soon as she stops the behavior, quietly praise her so that she knows the difference between bad and good behavior. If you continue to introduce your dog in this gentle manner, you should find that pretty soon she learns that having visitors is really not all that exciting and the hyperactive behavior will become a thing of the past.

Good luck Eddie, and please let me know how you progress.

Kind regards,

Daniel Stevens and the Secrets to Dog Training Team
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