When excitement becomes a problem

It’s easy to see a dog bouncing around, lunging on the lead, or barking when they spot another dog and assume they’re just excited.

But when an emotion grows bigger than your dog is able to cope with, even if it starts from a happy feeling like excitement, things can soon feel pretty hideous for everyone.

Frustration is the most common underlying cause of the behavioural struggles I work with.  

Frustration is an emotional response that’s triggered when a desire, goal, or motivation doesn’t get the expected outcome, or when their efforts are being blocked.

The higher the excitement levels, usually the higher the frustration levels.

A simple desire to get to another dog can turn into total carnage if they’re blocked by a lead, and the greater the desire to reach the dog, the higher the level of frustration when they can’t. This is why frustration levels can skyrocket for our teenage boys from around 10 months old…an increase in hormones means an increase in motivation for other dogs, and therefore an increase in frustration when they can’t get to them.

This week I had a session with a dog I’ve been working with for a few months. 

Everything has been going well,  he’s been enjoying off-lead adventures with an excellent recall and lovely connection, his lead walking is pretty good, he’s socialised well and regularly since being a puppy, and he’s been able to calmly (for the most part!) walk past other dogs without greeting.

Within the space of two weeks he’s had a fight at daycare, he’s run out of sight to get to another dog that was a field and a half away (twice!), and he’s lost his marbles on lead when a couple of dogs appeared, also miles away.

He has just turned one year old.

I told my client that at the moment, I’m not worried...and here’s why:

• We’ve been working together since around four months, and on the whole, it’s been going really well. 

• He has months of quality social experience under his belt. 

• He has a solid recall and connection outdoors. 

• All these changes have happened all at once, within the space of two weeks, which tells us this is a developmental change, not a training or behavioural issue (yet!). 

Here’s what WILL turn this into a longstanding training or behavioural issue:

• Continuing or even increasing exposure to dogs under conditions that he is unable to cope while we have minimal training tools to support him and frustration levels are high due to a TEMPORARY physical change. 

So here’s our plan for now:

• Continue socialisation with familiar dogs in controlled environments. 

• Go back to early recall foundations with easy wins, no testing, just rebuilding what the whistle means for him. 

• Increase activities on walks to include more breed-specific outlets that boost connection, reduce environmental focus, and meet his needs. 

• Use a long training line so he can continue to experience “off-lead” walks, but without the freedom to rehearse unwanted behaviours. 

• And most importantly, give him as much space as he needs from other dogs so he isn’t practising losing his marbles every time he sees one. 

That will mean changing habits and walking areas for a little while. It will probably mean no more pub stop-offs after a walk for a while. It will be inconvenient and it will feel like they are missing out for a while.

But it won't nearly as inconvenient as a lifelong struggle with reactivity.

We’ll reassess in a couple of weeks and see where we are.

Raising teenage dogs is hard, and it is most definitely inconvenient. But generally, if you’re finding it tough, it’s usually because they are too.

If you’re in a similar situation right now, here are a few things I'd recommend:

Sleep:

Make sure they’re getting plenty of it. If you relaxed your puppy sleeping schedule, it might have reduced their overall rest. Go back to a schedule that ensures they’re getting a good 16 hours of sleep each day.

Decompression activities:

Built-up frustration and stress aren’t good for anybody. Activities that involve sniffing, licking, and chewing are an essential daily tension reliever for our dogs.  Scatter feed in the garden to encourage slow sniffing. Use Lickimats and Kongs to promote licking. Offer long-lasting chews like hooves, horns, antlers, or bones for chewing.

Decompression walks:

Find somewhere you can go a few times a week where you can both switch off and relax, without worrying about distractions.

Play:

Whatever they love most, do lots of it. The relationship can take a real hit during this period, so play together in ways that fill both your cups.

Be consistent, and most importantly, be reasonable:

Just because your dog can do something doesn’t mean they can do it in all conditions.  A puppy with low hormone levels isn’t up against as many distractions as an adolescent with high hormone levels.  Just because you can’t see the distractions, doesn’t mean they are not there.  If your dog is struggling, stay consistent, but be willing to make environmental adjustments to help them succeed.  Don’t fall into the trap of building frustration by insisting on something that’s currently too hard for them.

The period between 10 months and 2 years is the toughest, and some dogs will struggle more than others.

Hang in there, it doesn’t last forever, and all your efforts and inconvenience now will be worth it for the future.

But if you’re starting to find things difficult around distractions, the sooner you get help, the sooner you can get yourselves onto the right path to help them through the most challenging developmental stage of all.  

If you’d like some support or want to chat about how I might be able to help you and your dog, you can BOOK A FREE CALL HERE.  It’s a great way to talk things through, to see what could make life easier for you both, and to get a better feel for if I’m the right fit for you and your dog.