Over excitement on walks

3 August 2023

Your dog’s arousal level may be just too high to be able to focus on training. Here are some things to consider.

Have they had a walk today yet? They may have had a lot of pent up energy and are releasing it on their first walk of the day.


Think about the stress in daily life and try and minimise these. Integrate chews that they can enjoy, sleep time, changes to noises that they experience such as alarms going off or noisy doorbells.


If you are working on disengagement away from something then move further away from it. Don’t completely remove the trigger because that could reinforce barking behaviour from your dog but make sure they are further away.


If you are using treats on walks and your dog is seeking them out, then think about using some that are less exciting as they may be too enticing for your dog.


How to hold a long lead


A long lead can be a great tool to prevent frustration on walks and allow more freedom of movement. Loop the lead into sections and let it out as needed. Keep it over your wrist and inbetween your thumb and forefinger -this will keep your hand safe if they see something very enticing such as a squirrel!


Rewarding them for being in your magic circle

Reward your dog for being beside you and in the area that you are walking in so they are being reinforced for staying closer to you.



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