Dog Overly Excited

[horsekid1234]

:dogtongue2:Hi everyone. My name is Hayley and i have a blue heeler mix named Raven. She is about a year old and is a great dog most of the time. The only problem is she gets so excited to see me that she looses all control. One time I had my dad hold the leash while I threw something out and he dropped the leash as I came back and she tackled me and knocked me to the ground. I was only gone for like 2 minutes. Or just when I see her at the house. She will grab anything near her and just hold onto it. She has grabbed my arm a few times but has only left bruises but it still not a good thing for her to do. I don't know what to do because as soon as she finishes freaking out she sits and waits to be pet. Any advice is welcome.

 

[Jean Cote]

:dogtongue2:Hi everyone. My name is Hayley and i have a blue heeler mix named Raven. She is about a year old and is a great dog most of the time. The only problem is she gets so excited to see me that she looses all control. One time I had my dad hold the leash while I threw something out and he dropped the leash as I came back and she tackled me and knocked me to the ground. I was only gone for like 2 minutes. Or just when I see her at the house. She will grab anything near her and just hold onto it. She has grabbed my arm a few times but has only left bruises but it still not a good thing for her to do. I don't know what to do because as soon as she finishes freaking out she sits and waits to be pet. Any advice is welcome.

Hi Hayley!

:welcome: to the website!!!

I'm glad to hear that your dog really loves you and is excited when you walk through the door, however I'm curious as to what you mean when you say "She will grab anything near and just hold onto it". Is she holding things in her mouth? I hope you didn't mean that your dog is grabbing your arm in her mouth.

Please clarify. :doghuh:

 

[horsekid1234]

If theres a shoe or toy nearby she will pick it up and just hold it in her mouth, but if there is nothing nearby she will grab my jacket or my arm. She never really bites down just kind of holds onto it.

 

[CollieMan]

She never really bites down just kind of holds onto it.

I don't mean to be alarmist but, in my book, if her teeth touch you without an invite from you, it's a bite, regardless of how gentle it may be.

Did you do anything to encourage this rushing behaviour in her younger years? Generally speaking, dogs tend to continue behaviours when it rewards them to do so. When it doesn't, they generally get forgotten about by the dog.

What do you do when the dog rushes you when you return? I've always completely ignored my dogs when I return, whether it be after being out for a minute or eight hours. I don't give eye contact, I don't speak to the dog, and I don't look at it. Only when I see the dog is completely calm do I acknowledge her and give her affection.

 

[Jean Cote]

I agree with Collieman, your dog's behavior is totally unacceptable. It sounds like you may have encouraged this kind kind of behavior when your dog was a puppy, and now that the dog has grown up, it's not so cute anymore.

Your dog might be this out of excitement rather than aggression, but nonetheless, you should work towards stopping this behavior.

Like CollieMan pointed out, you should expect your dog to be calm when you get home. From now on you should completely ignore him for the first 5 - 10 minutes after getting home, obviously you should let him outside if he has been in the house for a long period of time, but you shouldn't interract with him until he calms down.

If your dog is overly excited, you can keep a can with rocks in it by the door. The moment he does something unacceptable, shake the can to startle him and then move on and go do your usual business. It's important to shake the can the exact moment he does the bad behavior.

Once your dog is calm then you should go pet him, and spend time with him. He has to learn that being overly excited like that isn't going to get him anything. When two dogs play and one of them is too rough, the other ones just goes away and lies down.

It is very simplistic but it will work.

 

[horsekid1234]

Thank you all sooo much. I'll start working on that. Other then that she's a really good girl and I love her sooo much. Thank you again for the advice.

 

[bocephus]

If there's a shoe or toy nearby she will pick it up and just hold it in her mouth,

As I read this post I was very humored until I read the last part.

For this reason;
My Pup does this EXACT thing!! When I arrive home he MUST have something in his mouth. Usually one of his own toys from the porch, but occasionally a shoe gets sacrificed. Never chews them simply holds them in his mouth.
Now this was taught to him by me.
Let me back up just a bit.
I had rescued BOcephus when he was 13 months old. His previous owners paid High dollar for him over $1000 due to his lines. The day my daughter and I convinced the people that their lab needed a home with us believe it or not was the VERY FIRST DAY this poor boy came out of his 8'x10' chain link kennel. I believe that created his issues with being left at home. For a long time as I returned home I was greeted with a pup that would uncontrollably urinate(out of excitement) till he calmed down usually a good 10 minutes.
Along with the urinating was the LICKING. Some may think it is okay but it is not allowed in our house.
It worked very well to have him get his toy before he got his attention. It totally stopped the licking problem almost immediately and within another week the urinating was over.
Today when excitement hits Bo's head ; going outside, me arriving home, or anything that gets him going, BOcephus will not exit the gate until his stick or toy is firmly between his jaws. When I arrive home he will not even attempt to come up to me until he has his jaw stuffed. I believe he has found , along with me , it to be his cure to the licking obsession.
I find this in no way harmful or a bad habit. It to me in fact is just the opposite. But if bitten it would be a problem.
Now as I arrive home I usually am greeted with four pups Dancing like Circus clowns with a stuffed mouth.

There is ABSOLUTELY no way (without prescribed drugs) my pup would be calm when I arrived home.
Ignoring him , Not a chance
Beat him with a stick, never would, but it still wouldn't work.
Only way to calm him is to give him his fix!
That being greeted from his best friend with lots of Love and hugs. 30, 10 heck even 5 seconds of I missed you to buddy I love you but go lay down I'm tired is all it takes. He just needs that assurance that I am here for him, once he knows he's fine . Allot of that due to his child hood abandonment.

My best advice would be get her some toys,
If she cannot find a toy to hold in her mouth she doesn't have enough toys!!

 

[drivingtenacity]

I like your take on things, Bocephus. I'm the same way with Zena. She came from an animal rescue, and when I first got her, she had abandonment issues. I couldn't even go in the yard and leave her in the house with my husband without her whining and pacing.
She never jumps on me, or does anything wrong, but a lot of people don't understand why I greet her excited self first thing when I get home.
She doesn't have seperation anxiety anymore, but she's still happy to see me and wags her whole self (not an easy feat for a shepherd)
Different things work for different dogs.

 

[horsekid1234]

Raven has gotten somewhat better. If I ignore her for a bit she will sit by my side. Its the funniest thing ive ever seen cause her butts wiggling but shes still sitting.

 

[leema]

Have a look at anything by Jan Fennel. She has a rather 'pack focussed' mentality, but I think her method might suit your dog. Jan believes that any instance that a pack remeets, the alpha ignores everyone. So when you come home to your dog, you ignore it. Once it settles down (i.e. lays down somewhere) then 5 minutes later, you engage with the dog by calling it to you.

Jan would say - your dog is freaking out because it thinks it's alpha and is worried about what you are doing/what dangers you are encountering when it's not there to protect you.

I would say - your dog finds your return too exciting/rewarding at the moment. Hopefully by ignoring the dog, this excitement is removed and the dog doesn't really care anymore about you coming and going.

 

[horsekid1234]

Thanks for the advice I'll check it out right away.