OVER-EXCITED DOGS
Dogs showing over-excited behaviours towards dogs or humans can be problematic.
Jumping, barking, lunging and nipping behaviours based on excitement can be just too much for some people and dogs to deal with and one of the most common actions we choose to engage is not letting the “problematic” dog be in situations with other people and dogs.
This can easily give you the sensation of relief because we do not need to deal with the problem and so all is well.
But doing this can actually make the problem worse.
Not letting over-excited dogs experience other dogs and humans will in many cases increase the excitement towards them and as a result, increase the intensity of the problematic behaviours.
Obviously, we cannot let the problematic behaviours get reinforced but avoiding the situations at all is also not the way to go.
This is where Habituation plays an important role.
Watch the video to know more about this, and let me know your thoughts and/or experiences.
Thank you,
Dog Behaviourist Ricardo Ministro
connectedbehaviourcom.wordpress.com 