Puppy dogs and extremely active behavior

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The puppy's wild and crazy time...

There are certain times of the day when dogs, and especially puppies, may display extremely active behavior. The times of the day, that this behavior is most frequently observed are in the morning and early evening, around sunset. With the later one usually being the most extreme.

While in this active extreme state, most owners will find that they have very little control over their dogs. At this time of extreme activity it may be observed that many dogs will have very poor control over their own behavior.

While in this period of extreme activity, dogs sometimes cause owners and caretakers a considerable amount of trouble. Often, this can take the form of a dog with some training acting as though it is untrained. When this happens, remind yourself, it is normal dog behavior and patiently work though the problem.

Owning a puppy dog can sometimes be a lesson in self-control.

Just as with many other behaviors, the behavior intensity can be increased or decreased. I would discourage reinforcing extreme activity at this time. This could be as simple as ignoring the dog. Remember ignoring your dog means no looking, talking or touching.

Some people try to punish their dogs at this time which can lead to reinforcing an avoidance response. Punishment can also get an appeasement play solicitation response from the dog, which will actually make the dog respond more actively, as it tries to solicit play to break the tension caused by your aggression.

If you are training your dog and you have done the proper preparation (both for yourself and your dog), times of extreme activity can be great training opportunities. Preparation for you begins with the having the proper mind set. The next step is to have any training equipment you might need ready and in place.

It is advisable to have equipment to deal with problems and emergencies that may arise. I would say that you should at least have a slip lead and food rewards for training at this time. It may also be a good idea to have a retrieve toy that can double as a chew toy. If you believe only in force training, you will need a training collar and probably a light line and training tab.

There are many ways you can work your dog when it is active, just as there are many ways to do obedience training. I suggest that you remain flexible in which techniques you employ.

If you have trained your dog to perform sit and down with food and it is highly motivated with food, then a short sit and down sequence can be a good beginning control exercise.

In my Basic Obedience Tape #1, I go over teaching the command "Off" using food. If you have done this type of training and the dog has good focus and knows all the verbal commands for the exercise, you can use this to gain control and focus during times of extreme activity.

When you begin the off exercise and the dog is very active, only go to a 2 or 3 count before trying to make the dog go to a 5 count. Do this the first couple of times, even if your dog is normally good to the count of 5.

Once your dog has good concentration with the "Off" exercise, you can vary the count from 2 to 5. As your dog gets better at self-control during these normally active times, you may want to sometimes start with a 5 count.

Another good exercise to use when the dog is in an active state, is handling exercises using food. If done properly these exercises will build trust between you and your dog. If your dog trusts you, it will be easier to catch when acting wild. These exercises are also covered in my Basic Dog Obedience Training Video Tape.

If you do interact with your dog during times of extreme activity, you should encourage calm social behavior with humans. I would not necessarily try to keep the dog from running (outside), but I would not allow it to slam into people or to jump on humans.

In my house, the rule is that the dog is not allowed to act crazy inside. If I lived in a situation where I could not let the dogs have free run of the yard, I would put play behavior on command. The command I use for this is "Play time". If you cannot let your dog run free in a yard, you may need to use a little more control and spend more time directing the dog's energy toward its chew toy.

While training and interacting with your dog, try to work though any avoidance behavior such as when the dog approaches you. This can be done with food training or by calmly touching the dog as it approaches.

When touching the dog you will want to convey calmness through your touch. Don't allow the dog to jump. If your dog cannot be touched without jumping or social mouthing, you should ignore the dog and/or work the dog in a training routine with a food or toy lure.

Training tips for controlling puppies during active extreme periods.

• Complement the pup's active extreme behavior with the opposite, extremely calm behavior in yourself.

• Don't punish the dog or get upset.

• Always have training supplies available (food rewards, toys, [leash?]).

• Make certain your dog has had its required exercise for the day. If your dog has excess energy and you have not given the dog an opportunity to burn off the energy, you're setting the dog up for acting crazy.

• Always build trust with touch and work though any avoidance responses.