# too excited when meeting other dogs



## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

Carry really tasty treats with you. Any time you are coming up on another dog, tell her look and when she looks at you, say "yes!" and give her a treat. You will need to start this at home so she knows what you want from her. If you do this every time for at least a couple of week, you will find that you don't even have to say "look". She will see another dog and automatically look at you. Make sure you continue to mark the behavior by saying "yes!". Within another week or two you will be able to start weaning off the treats. You will still want to give her one here and there, because you don't want her to realize that you have stopped giving them to her even when she offers the behavior. After a couple of months you will be able to go without treats completely.


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## chloe920 (Apr 5, 2009)

I was thinking maybe cheese? that should be ok for her age?


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

chloe920 said:


> I was thinking maybe cheese? that should be ok for her age?


 Yes, or you can boil up some chicken breasts, slice them up into really small pieces and toss them in the freezer. Then you can take some out with you on your walks. The problem with cheese is that it's high in fat and calories (and sodium), and it's kind of hard to work with when it gets warm.


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## chloe920 (Apr 5, 2009)

ok..i'll try the chicken...the boys had hotdogs for dinner tonight (not a usual meal..just as a treat as DH is at work) and Chloe was going nuts in her kennel the whole meal...maybe some hotdogs would catch her attention too.

thanks..i'll let you know how it goes.

L.


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

chloe920 said:


> ok..i'll try the chicken...the boys had hotdogs for dinner tonight (not a usual meal..just as a treat as DH is at work) and Chloe was going nuts in her kennel the whole meal...maybe some hotdogs would catch her attention too.
> 
> thanks..i'll let you know how it goes.
> 
> L.


I used hotdogs when I was working on Danny's heel. It was the only thing that kept his attention 100% (he was not even a year old at the time). I would take them slice them into tiny slivers and put them in the microwave and nuke them for 10-15 seconds at a time. They get dried out and make great training treats! But they are high in sodium, so you don't want to over do them and you want to make sure that you have plenty of water on hand after using them (I found that one out the hard way, lol).


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## Molly's Mum (Apr 1, 2011)

I found this old thread because I'm having a similar problem with Molly. We're getting better at being able to walk past another dog, but our problem is more that when the other dog owner stops to say hello and chat Molly is getting way too excited. The other dog will sit or stand quietly next to it's owner whilst they talk to me but Molly is all over the place, jumping up and leaping at the other dog trying to engage play with them. Any ideas how to encourage her to sit or stand quietly and calmly? It would be nice to have a short chat with other dog owners along our walk without looking like the owner of an insane and wild puppy! Other people comment now that she's a puppy and just wants to play, perhaps that's right, but I dread this problem when she's bigger and heavier and I'm not sure I want to simply wait to see if she'll grow out of it.


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## vcm5 (Apr 20, 2011)

Are you going to puppy classes or basic obedience? If not, give that a shot. It will teach her to focus on you and ignore the distractions of other dogs.


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## Molly's Mum (Apr 1, 2011)

We have been to a puppy class which is now finished. The next obedience class is in October. I need to work on this in all situations so need some ideas for when I'm out on walks. Right now I'm thinking to keep her in "sit" and feed her loads of treats as I'm talking so that she keeps her focus on me and not the other dog. I think the clicker will be useful as well, hopefully she'll be focused on waiting for the click followed by the treat.


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## vcm5 (Apr 20, 2011)

It sounds like you are doing a great job. Make sure that you are not tensing up and getting worried as other dogs approach, anticipating that she might jump and tug. This will just excite her. Keep very calm and relaxed.


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## Wendy427 (Apr 4, 2009)

Some great ideas here! Over the past couple of months, Lacey has jumping out of her skin when she sees other dogs on our walks. I'll definitely try the frozen chicken breast idea.


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## Wendy427 (Apr 4, 2009)

*YAY! Success with frozen chicken pieces!*



Wendy427 said:


> Some great ideas here! Over the past couple of months, Lacey has jumping out of her skin when she sees other dogs on our walks. I'll definitely try the frozen chicken breast idea.


I've recently been working with Lacey on our walks, training her not to go completely "nuts" when she sees other dogs. Yes, I boiled up some boneless/skinless chicken breasts, cut them up into small pieces, and froze them. My gosh, she was riveted to me in our training sessions! :bowl:

Now, even without the treats on our walks, if she sees another dog, all I do is stop (she knows to sit immediately when I stop...I'd say she's about 90% ok with this), say "Look" and bring my fingers to my mouth, and she just focusses on my face/fingers. It totally "snaps" her out of her frenzy, so when I release her, and if the other dog is still within eyesight, she's still calm! 

Of course, it's still a work-in-progress, but so far so good!


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