# Gets too excited at class



## Groundhog (Jul 26, 2008)

Takoda and I are in puppy class, does anyone know how to go about getting your puppy to NOT be so excited at class? I mean as soon as we get out of the car and walk in the room, he totally goes nuts and wants to play with every puppy there and our instructor doesn't give us a so called "play time" and he gets so frustrated because we have to sit and wait for her to talk, then we work on the task. Meanwhile Takoda is trying to play with the pups next to him , visa versa with some of the other dogs. I asked the instructor and she told me to move to a different seat! I don't really think that answered my question or solved the problem. 

We have another dog, so it's not like he never gets to play with dogs. The neighbors dog comes over and plays too, I take him to see one of his brothers, who a friend of mine got and they love to play. My sister has two Goldens and they get to see one another when I get time to drive there and visit, it's an hour away. 

Anyone have any advice? 
Thanks,
Deb


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## marieb (Mar 24, 2008)

Hi, I totally understand how you feel. I was shocked when I brought Maddie to her first puppy kindergarten and my sweet little puppy turned into a wild beast ... she was crazy and wanted to play with every person/dog there. I noticed that as the weeks went by, she calmed down a lot at class. 

Once she graduated, I enrolled her in another puppy kindergarten (for all Golden Retrievers through the local golden retriever club) she was only 4 months old and so they said it would be best to put her in puppy kindergarten again. I liked this class a lot better because for the first 10-15 minutes of class all the puppies got to run around together and get rid of some of their excitement/energy. 

So I guess my point is that, she should eventually start to calm down. Maybe you could make her tired before training class so she'll be a little bit more relaxed. I'm sure other people will have some great ideas too. Good luck!


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## mdoats (Jun 7, 2007)

Sounds like my Rookie! He's 18 months old and we're now taking our fifth class. The first night of class is always pretty bad. It's like he forgot everything he ever learned. He just REALLY wants to play with the other dogs. He also gets very excited in a new environment. Here's a couple of things that work with him:

- walk him around a bit right before class so he doesn't have too much pent up energy
- get to class a few minutes early so that he has a little time to get used to the environment
- bring 4 or 5 different kinds of treats and keep upping the ante during the class, I save chicken and cheese for the second half of class when Rookie starts to lose his focus. I can usually regain his interest with higher value treats.
- don't feed him before class, make sure he's hungry so that he's interested in the training treats
- if you don't feed him dinner on the night you have class, you can have a very free hand with the treats. Make sure they're small, but don't hesitate to give him LOTS of treats and give them frequently. Because he's still so easily overexcited, I click and treat Rookie just for sitting politely by my side or for laying there quietly while the instructor is talking.

Hang in there!! I remember puppy class having to cradle and massage when the instructor was talking and it was REALLY hard for Rookie. The other puppies were able to sit more calmly, but Rookie was really squirmy.

If you're not getting enough help from the instructor, push a little. If she doesn't have time before or after class for a little one-on-one, call her in advance of the class and let her know that you need some suggestions for how to get Takoda's attention. On the phone, she may have a few extra minutes to spend with you.

Good luck!


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## Groundhog (Jul 26, 2008)

Hi, 
The the school our Gracie went to, they had the first 10-15 mins a playtime too, but they have closed that school, so I had to find a new place nearby to go to. This is a K-9 OBT Club , so we have all different breeds in class, which is nice. Class starts at 9:00 am so I do let the two dog out to play so he can get some energy out of his system. I know the others at class have told me they wished there was some time where the pups got to socialize with one another more. 

We have one more class, then we move on to advanced puppy, maybe that class will be run a little different. Each instructor has their own way of doing things and hopefully he will calm down some, but he's a puppy, so not sure that is going to happen real soon. LOL


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## spruce (Mar 13, 2008)

mdoats said:


> - walk him around a bit right before class so he doesn't have too much pent up energy
> - get to class a few minutes early so that he has a little time to get used to the environment
> - bring 4 or 5 different kinds of treats and keep upping the ante during the class, I save chicken and cheese for the second half of class when Rookie starts to lose his focus. I can usually regain his interest with higher value treats.
> - don't feed him before class, make sure he's hungry so that he's interested in the training treats
> ...


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## 2StupidDogs (Aug 17, 2008)

You got some excellent advice here. I used to train dogs and puppy kindergarten was always my favorite class. Another suggestion I have is gentle massage while the trainer is talking....do slow rhythmic circles. Also, practice being calm at home. You can use treats to focus her attention on you...works great if she comes hungry.

That all said, golden puppies have boundless energy, so don't expect too much. In my opinion, puppies learn most from their first class by playing with other pups. Maybe there is another class nearby that offers some socialization? My Barckley was super energetic the first year.....but loved learning things because she loved treats,


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

Sounds like great advice. 

During one of Shadow's puppy classes they taught us how to "freeze" our excitable pups. We were to get the all excited and very playful and then say, "Freeze" and immediately give them a treat when they were still. To this day I can play with Shadow, get him all excited, and the minute I stop, he stops! It's funny to watch.


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## Groundhog (Jul 26, 2008)

Kimm said:


> Sounds like great advice.
> 
> During one of Shadow's puppy classes they taught us how to "freeze" our excitable pups. We were to get the all excited and very playful and then say, "Freeze" and immediately give them a treat when they were still. To this day I can play with Shadow, get him all excited, and the minute I stop, he stops! It's funny to watch.


I like that idea, sounds like something I can do at home too to help chill him out when our other dog , Grace , is tired of playing! I have been calling it "Chill Out" the last couple of days, Grace seems to get the idea, but Takoda still needs some work at it. I know it all takes time and practice. 

Thanks for all the advice and input.


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## Thor's Mom (Feb 25, 2007)

Thor is 4 years old and still gets excited when we first arrive anywhere. If we need him to be able to concentrate we get to the location early (like 15 minutes early), walk around, let him mark a bit outside the place, let him meet the other dogs and then he's fine - he could take a nap. My suggestion is to get to the training location early, walk around it outside a bit, then walk around inside a bit, meet other pups if you can.


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## SylviaB (Jul 5, 2008)

Tundra starts his first obedience class on Wednesday and I know he's going to go ballistic when he gets near other dogs. He always spins around, jumps, etc when we meet any dog....he just wants to play. He's 13 months old and weighs 80 lbs (we adopted him July 1st) so he can be a handful. I'm really looking forward to the class though...I'll probably learn more than he! What's nice about the class is that if your dog is adopted, you only pay half! I know a couple of other people that will be bringing their newly adopted/rescued dogs too so it'll be fun!


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

Danny will be 2 next month and is in Therapy Dog class and has his CGC, but he still goes nuts whenever he sees another dog. He literally jumps straight up and down and yodels when he sees another dog. Unless I exercise him first. That makes the difference for him. He is still excited, but not over the top.


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## amyandaustin (Sep 24, 2008)

My puppy does the same thing. In fact, her behaviour in puppy class is the worst she ever behaves. Half the time is spent using techniques to calm her down. I decided on her third class to bring her early so she was the first puppy there. She was allowed to sniff around and be introduced to each puppy as they arrived. She was a little better. I think the key is, as mentioned in a previous thread, to allow them to say hello and if possible, to play a little before the class. This might take the edge off so she/he is able to listen.


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## Groundhog (Jul 26, 2008)

*Takoda Graduated Puppy Class !*

Well we made it through Puppy Class and I took a lot of the advice that as posted here, Takoda still loves all the pups and people there, but seemed to settle down a bit, not a lot, but do able. 

I did sign up for Advanced Puppy class that starts first weekend in Oct, so we will have a different instructor, maybe the class will be run a little different. I was told that our instructor was a little more strick than the others, so guess it just wasn't me who thought so. But they all volunteer their time, so can't blame them for wanting to run classes the way they like to. 

Anyhow, here's a pic or two at our Graduation Class, they sorta make a big thing out of the first Puppy Class, which was a nice surprise. 
Thanks again for all the advice, I will be using it again!


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## BeauShel (May 20, 2007)

Way to go Takoda and mom. Love that picture of him jumping thru the hoop.


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## SadieBodean (Mar 28, 2008)

Gracie is 6 1/2 months old and we just had our 3rd basic obedience class last night. All that work we'd done at home went right out the window when we walked into class. She LOVEs to play with the other puppies. There's another GR puppy there and that guy walks his puppy a LOT before class to wear him out a little. I'm going to try that next time.


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

He is adorable! He reminds me of Danny at that age (actually, Danny was 5 months when he came in as a foster).


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## Thor0918 (Feb 28, 2008)

He looks as if he learned alot for a pup. JMHO


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## jonesyboy (Sep 20, 2008)

Aww, he's cute. Jonesy had his first puppy class Wednesday night and he was horrible. Absolutely horrible. Jumping up on me, knawing at me, barking his fool head off all during class. He just wanted every dog and every person's attention focused on him. He got to sniff two dogs briefly before we got there, but there wasn't a lot of socialization. That annoyed me a little because I was led to believe there would be.

He hadn't eaten dinner yet, and I thought that actually made him worse because he could smell the treats in my hand and when we were sitting & the instructor was talking he was all over me trying to get them - I figured he was hungry. Next week we're going on a nice long walk before we go & we'll be the first ones there to maximize play time. Hopefully he'll be better.

Sue


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