# Overstimulated, becomes mouthy...



## solinvictus (Oct 23, 2008)

The solution is to not let Fin get to the point of over stimulation. 
At this point really evaluate at what point this happens and do not let Fin get to that point. Then decide what behaviors you want Fin to have during these times and practice those behaviors over and over first in very simple (low distraction times) then add in more distraction. As Fin gets really good at these behaviors you want you can then get closer to this boy but still under Fin's threshold and practice these behaviors. 
After lots of practice you can then attempt the point where Fin gets over stimulated if he follows your requests for the behavior you want then practice them in that setting if not you know you have to back up the training to where he will totally listen to you. 
Remember dogs don't always generalize so after lots of practice Fin listens in front of the neighbors house he may still need to work on meeting the little boy on the other side of the street or near the park etc. 

The solution is simple the effort and time it takes to get there is time consuming and hard for us people we want things to happen fast.


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## go4thegold (Dec 25, 2008)

I think it's extremely important to practice exercises with the dog that help instill impulse control and arousal control. That way, the dog is re-programmed to react differently when triggers are present, and is less likely to go over the top. Exercises like Doggy Zen or Go Wild And Freeze teach the dog how to handle their own arousal and impulses. And honestly, keeping him away from that one problematic 3-year-old for awhile is probably a good strategy, since every time that kid triggers an unwanted behavior from your dog, your dog just gets more and more practice behaving that way. Before you know it that 3-year-old will be 4, and from the dog's perpsective, a 4-year-old kid is completely different. Whatever little bizarre behaviors the kid's doing now are likely to be very different or completely gone in six months, and I would venture to guess the dog won't react to him the same way after he's aged another half year.


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