[Sole0102]

Hi everyone,

Our training sessions have came to a stop for around 8 weeks now because of things outwith my control. There are a couple of things that I really need some advice on and wondered if you guys have any tips.

Firstly, Skye gets really overexcited and hyperactive and vocal any time he gets ready to leave the house. He bounces, zooms, whines, barks and generally just won't stay still. I have tried changing my routine before leaving which was suggested to me but nothing has changed. In fact, he is becoming even more vocal. He used to sprint out of the front door and would be barking. I now have him being able to sit quietly outside the door but it's before we leave that's an issue. I would like things to be calmer.

The 2nd issue we have is if we are all out together and I nip into a shop and leave him outside with one of my children or if they walk away from me with him, he does the same yelping and whining noise then gets overexcited and vocal when I return. I ignore his excitement and only pay him attention once he is calm.

A little bit of backstory, he previously lived in a rural location and never went on many walks, playing in the garden instead. When he first came to live with us, he was stuck to me and was like my shadow. This isn't the same now, he happily spends time on his own, will wander upstairs with the kids, will leave the house without me and if I go out and leave him at home with the kids, he doesn't whine or pace or get destructive or anything.

Sorry for the long post and all advice is welcome as usual. Pictures for tax x

 

[Sole0102]

Hi everyone,

Our training sessions have came to a stop for around 8 weeks now because of things outwith my control. There are a couple of things that I really need some advice on and wondered if you guys have any tips.

Firstly, Skye gets really overexcited and hyperactive and vocal any time he gets ready to leave the house. He bounces, zooms, whines, barks and generally just won't stay still. I have tried changing my routine before leaving which was suggested to me but nothing has changed. In fact, he is becoming even more vocal. He used to sprint out of the front door and would be barking. I now have him being able to sit quietly outside the door but it's before we leave that's an issue. I would like things to be calmer.

The 2nd issue we have is if we are all out together and I nip into a shop and leave him outside with one of my children or if they walk away from me with him, he does the same yelping and whining noise then gets overexcited and vocal when I return. I ignore his excitement and only pay him attention once he is calm.

A little bit of backstory, he previously lived in a rural location and never went on many walks, playing in the garden instead. When he first came to live with us, he was stuck to me and was like my shadow. This isn't the same now, he happily spends time on his own, will wander upstairs with the kids, will leave the house without me and if I go out and leave him at home with the kids, he doesn't whine or pace or get destructive or anything.

Sorry for the long post and all advice is welcome as usual. Pictures for tax x

Just for clarification, when running out of the front door and now sitting outside the door, he is always leashed not just roaming free x

 

[Nana06]

Cannot help but wanted to say that we have exactly the same issues. The first one does not bother me too much as it is only for a 20 seconds before we go on our morning walk but the second one is annoying!

 

[Sole0102]

Cannot help but wanted to say that we have exactly the same issues. The first one does not bother me too much as it is only for a 20 seconds before we go on our morning walk but the second one is annoying!

I feel your frustration 🙄 it feels as if it takes us so much longer to actually get out the door than it would if he would just calm down 🤦‍♀️ x

 

[Rose n Poos]

I have tried changing my routine

Have you tried just stopping the second he erupts and go do something else until he calms down? Try again and each time he erupts, stop.
He will figure out that only when he's calm will the activity proceed.

My boys get ramped up when it's time for a walk. I ask them to "show me where their outfits are" (harness, collars, leashes) and after they do, they're required to sit and wait. If they don't, the outfits go back and we start over. The next step is going to the door. There they're required to sit a bit behind the threshold. If their rear leaves the ground, the door closes and I wait. I still sometimes have to close the door several times til the rear stays down. Last step is they must wait for me to step out and see if there's anyone else walking close enough that we'd cross. If they step out before I tell them OK, back in we go. They're much better than they were but not yet where I'd like them to be.

Staying calm is for all of us, not crossing the threshold until I say OK is for their safety.

This method requires the "trip to nowhere", so only when you aren't actually trying to go somewhere .

There should be a way to modify this strategy for when you're all out together that doesn't reward him by bringing you back. Have the children tried redirecting him by going thru some of his skills to occupy him?

 

[Minie]

We had a period of heavy rain for weeks. I keep my gum boots just outside the front door. Matteo and Luca always have to sit before we go out the door. Then we had the weeks with rain, which gave us an extra stop just outside the door, whilst I put put on my boots. Quite unintentionally, Matteo stopped getting too excited going out the door, because I was so slow. The result was a perfectly behaved pup going out the door.

 

[Rose n Poos]

which gave us an extra stop

A very interesting idea, almost like building in a bit of boredom or a physical block to the excitement.

 

[Spottytoes]

I definitely understand poodle excitement. 😉
When we go for walks or anytime we leave the yard, I put Joey’s and Bobby’s stuff on first then I get myself ready. I have them sit if getting excited and if they start getting too excited with jumping I turn around and do something else until they settle. I try to keep things calm. No excitable talk as that revs the boys up. I don’t even ask if they want to go for a walk. I just start getting us ready, saying very little. I am so boring.😉 I thinking the delay as I get myself ready after they are ready does help.

While I’m not a person who thinks dogs always need to go through a door after me I do find it helps in certain situations. Whenever we go out for a walk or leave the yard for anything dogs must sit, wait and look at me until I say “Let ‘s Go.” We do this before we go out the door and we do this before we go out the gate and then one more time after we are out of the gate but before we walk. So basically three times before we walk. Probably overkill but it really does help with focus, calmness and also prevents them from just bolting for their walk.

I also did a lot of work with them at the door and gate. I would open the door, have them wait and if they started to move forward I would shut the door/gate. I would do this over and over. They have learned to look at me first before we step out. We did this a lot and we still practice this. They can only go through when I say it’s ok. My poodle boys can get pretty excited but having them focus and wait really does help settle some of that excitement. 😊