Quote:
Originally Posted by
twelvepaw 
Scissors, a run only works the body and won't be enough for an active smart dog. An activity such as nose work or rally that exercises the brain and necessitates a high level of focus is as valuable as a walk/run, and will potentially tire the dog out more than physical activity- or at the very least is necessary to keep the dog engaged and burn off the need for mental exercise.
Quote:
Originally Posted by runswithscissors
LOL I can't believe you think giving food treats when someone gets home from work calms the mind and exercise doesn't.
And that's what was recommended. Even though the OP said THEY RUN THE DOG and her issue was ONLY about the short time when she walks IN. The OP's QUESTION was about when they WALK IN THE DOOR.
We'll just have to disagree on that.
I don't know why you people love to disagree/debate with me or think you're going to "educate" me since I'm NOT EVER going to change my core beliefs. Just state what YOU think about YOUR ways and let me state MINE. I never said there was no place for mental stimulation but THAT is NOT the question.
I'll go with MY experience as a dog walker who does literally THOUSANDS of walks per year.  |
Scissors, I don't wanna change your beliefs but I am gonna comment on this merely for educational purposes for the many who lurk on C-D. BTW, that is the very reason some of us often counter comments here...to provide rationale for and against what others post. We are not trying to change individual poster's ideas but trying to provide food for group thought.
This is a well known concept among agility trainers: 1) toys used as a reward enhance speed and drive 2) food used as a reward enhances thought and/or position. That said, there is certainly overlap between the two and exceptions for individual dogs and specific situations.
Examples:
1) I throw a toy beyond the exit of the weave poles to speed up my dog in the poles and to encourage him to drive forward with intensity. His brain isn't thinking much at all but his body is screaming.
2) I reward my dog with food low to the ground between his front legs and a little bit behind his front paws when he is in the 2 on/2 off position for contacts (A-frame, dogwalk, teeter) to encourage him to lower his head for his 2o/2o position which teaches my intense, speeding dog to think about rocking back on his rear end during the descent to be able to slow down to achieve that 2o/2o position. His brain is thinking and his body is responding.
A common example of how exercise doesn't work the same for all dogs: some high drive agility dogs run much more focused if well exercised before a run whereas others just ramp up higher after that exercise and instead require some thoughtful obedience (heeling, stays) before a run to settle down and focus.
Since the dog is in a heightened state (both brain and body) when the OP arrives home, exercise at that moment is prolly only gonna ramp things up for most dogs. But practicing a behavior that requires thought at that moment can bring the dog's brain down from a frenzied state into a thoughtful state. The body then follows the brain. The question is how to shift the dog's brain from frenzy to thoughtful.
A tired dog is a good dog. No doubt about that. But frenzy upon the owner's return home can be a separate issue since even well exercised dogs exhibit this behavior.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BellaLind
It's hard to ignore a dog that springs up from standing on all fours to eye level and tries to lick your face at the same time. Lol
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As others have suggested, I would ignore this dog upon arriving home. Yeah, it's hard when she's jumping up to your eye level but you can do it. To do otherwise is encouraging her brain/body frenzy. I would just keep turning my back. Even if this takes 10 minutes. Patience is a key factor that we humans often lack when training our dogs. If we would simply wait it out (when it is safe to do so, of course) while maintaining our training protocol (ignoring the dog and removing our attention, for example) instead of expecting an immediate response we would enjoy more success.
This works for most dogs. But a few smart, obsessive dogs can learn to enjoy this ("I jump and mom turns! I jump and mom turns!") as a new game. Especially if mom neglects to reward the first moment of calm...I cannot stress how important that is! If you don't teach the dog what works then you are risking teaching her a new fun game.
The instant she calms you can reward her with something that doesn't send her into a frenzy. Something that requires thought. Not something that ramps her up. If you petting her ramps her up then you do not pet her. If the ball ramps her up then you do not show her the ball. You could try giving her a bully stick the moment she calms. Most dogs adore bully sticks and they are a very safe chew. That means you must have the bully stick on you when you come in the door so that you are able to reward her at the exact moment she calms (keeps all four feet on the floor, for example) instead of having to walk somewhere to get it since your walking could ramp her up again. And for her to understand that her calm (all four feet on the floor) is what got her the bully. The bully then will encourage more calm by encouraging her to "chew the excitement out" (as scissors wrote) as she sets about chewing it. Once she has practiced this a lot you can try switching to another less desirable chew like a Gumabone/Nylabone if you don't wanna continue giving bullies.
Every dog is different and there is no single way to successfully address such behaviors for all dogs. A bit of trial and error is the norm.
Another easy way to address this is to crate the dog every time you leave...and OP I am sorta surprised you aren't doing that since she is so young and there is so much potential for her to get in trouble/practice undesirable behaviors when unsupervised...and simply not allow her out of the crate until she calms. It can look like this:
OP comes home and dog is going crazy in the crate. OP patiently waits it out until dog calms in crate and then reaches to open crate door. Dog starts going crazy in crate again or just tries to push out. OP takes hand away from crate door. OP waits until dog calms then reaches to open crate door. Dog goes crazy again or just tries to push out. This can take some repetitions until dog learns that each time she ramps the door won't be opened...patience is vital and easy once you get the hang of waiting. Once dog has calmed then OP starts to open crate door. Dog starts going crazy in crate again, etc. OP closes crate door. Process repeats until dog learns that each time she ramps the door won't be opened. Once the dog remains calm for the crate door starting to open then OP opens crate door further. Dog starts going crazy in crate again, etc. OP closes crate door. Do you see the process? Eventually the dog will learn that she doesn't get out of the crate unless she is calm and doesn't try to push out. This lesson sticks because there are no commands and no corrections beyond the dog not getting what she wants...the dog learns *for herself* what she has to do to get what she wants. This process is non-confrontational since the OP is saying nothing and merely removing the opportunity to get out of the crate. The beauty of this is that the dog has changed from a frantic state to a calm state before you are even physically available to her. The other beauty is that it teaches her some self control. All without commands, without food, without toys and with using what we call environmental rewards.
