[nagdu] Improving house behaviors of ENERGETIC dogs

Tue Aug 18 02:06:28 UTC 2015

My dog also has a lot of energy, and I mean A LOT. His house behavior
is much better on the days where he gets more exercise, particularly
working since this engages him both mentally and physically. I often
take leisure walks with my dog just to get some exercise; however, my
dog is in harness, occasionally leash-guiding, and working most or all
of the time. I would rather work my dog than use my cane and I am not
comfortable using no mobility aid at all.

When it comes to playing, my dog's favorite game is fetch which
understandably relieves the most energy in the least amount of time. I
will allow my dog to play with other dogs, but this doesn't happen
extremely often since it's difficult to find a suitable dog as well as
a fenced in area to play. He likes to play with the puppy, but he has
a lot more energy than she does and gets tired of being bitten
(playful though it is) after a while. Interactive toys or chews keep
my dog occupied for the longest amount of time, which means he stays
out of trouble. His favorites are a kong with peanut butter and a bone
with holes for small treats or kibble, resembling a honey comb. Thai
will not give up on a toy if there is food inside, but such toys might
be a bit more frustrating for dogs that are less food motivated. The
puppy will give up on an interactive toy if the food is too hard to
reach. Raw bones are muy chew of choice, and they keep my dog
entertained for hours at a time. I also will practice obedience,
particularly recall, and teach new behaviors when Thai seems a bit
overexcited. Every once in a while, I will take Thai swimming. It's my
only time I will allow him to free run, and it makes him behave
exceptionally well for a day or two.

I don't allow most people to pet my dog, but I will let most people
throw toys for him. I make sure that I throw the toy more often and
that my dog is generally more focused on me, coming over to me more
than the other person/people. His excitement is focused on the toy
rather than the person, so he doesn't get excited and crazy when he
sees them the next time. If you would like your friends to interact
with your dog, make sure they know the rules, E.G. ignore the dog when
he jumps and continue playing when all four paws are on the floor.

Thai used to run in crazy circles quite often after working. This most
often would happen when we came home from school after laying down and
being on his best behavior for eight or more hours. I usually just
gave him an appropriate toy (since he will pick up what ever is nearby
to carry around when he is excited) and let him run. He hasn't done
this much recently. I never really worried too much about this, except
to make sure he avoided coming close to my much smaller pet dog so he
wouldn't inadvertently stress/injure her.

Danielle, Thai, and Bonnie (GDF puppy in training)

On 8/17/15, Julie J. via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> On puzzle toys...it depends on the dog and the toy as to whether or not they
>
> immediately ge with other dogs, but the play sessions must be indoors t what to do.  I have several toys here that I'd call puzzle
> toys.  One was a fabric cube with balls in it.  It was destroyed long ago.
> With that one all I had to do was to show Monty the toy and put the balls in
>
> while he was looking.   He understood and would play with it after that.  I
>
> should have supervised more closely though.  that's why it is no longer.
>
> the toy that has the little cups with the treats underneath he took longer
> to understand.  However treats were involved so he was highly motivated to
> figure it out.  Belle was not so treat motivated and she had a different
> attitude toward trying new things.  She required a lot more help to figure
> it out.  Monty will get frustrated with things if he can't figure it out,
> but it will give it a very good try first.  Jetta watched Monty do the toy
> and she got it right away.
>
> The toys I have here that you stuff food/treats into and they can play with
>
> independently, they all have figured those out entirely alone and very
> quickly.  The main thing with those is to make sure they don't roll under
> the couch or something.  the dogs get very frustrated when their treats are
>
> just out of reach.
>
> I think the thing to watch for with the puzzle toys is the level of
> frustration your dog is experiencing.  It should be challenging to the point
>
> where they are still actively engaged with the toy, trying new approaches,
> but if it crosses into serious frustration then a bit of assistance is in
> order.
>
> About being overly excited when you first come home...I think this is pretty
>
> normal.  He's been putting in a lot of energy at being good.  He needs to
> let loose...sort of like when you come home from a long day and just want to
>
> kick off your shoes, turn up the music and dance around the house.  Or maybe
>
> I'm the only one who feels that excited to be home?  *smile* If it only
> lasts 10  or 20 minutes, I'd probably let my dog have at it, as long as he
> wasn't in danger of breaking stuff.   I don't think it's stress as in a
> problem, but stress as in applied pressure that he needs to release, if that
>
> makes any sense.
>
> When people come over and he gets super excited, I'm guessing that is purely
>
> over excitement.   Training will help.  If I know people are coming over I
> generally put both Monty and Jetta in their crates.  after the people have
> been here for 5 or 10 minutes I will let the dogs out.  they are able to
> remember their manners at that point.
>
> Good luck!
> Julie
> Courage to Dare: A Blind Woman's Quest to Train her Own Guide Dog is now
> available! Get the book here:
> http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QXZSMOC
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Julie McGinnity via nagdu
> Sent: Sunday, August 16, 2015 7:26 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Cc: Julie McGinnity
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Improving house behaviors of ENERGETIC dogs
>
> Hi all,
>
> Great suggestions!  :)
>
> Julie, I looked at dog puzzles today when I was picking up a toy for
> him.  I like them, but I am afraid he will destroy one.  Do dogs
> usually understand what they're supposed to do with the dog puzzle
> pretty quickly?  I think he would but have never seen a dog with one,
> so I have misgivings...  I think I will try peanutbutter in his cong.
> They suggested I freeze it and maybe include some of his dry dog food
> too.
>
> Debbie, I do let him run in circles.  I am happy to let him do this.
> And I do agree that sometimes the high energy stuff gets to be too
> much for both me and Billy Bob.  One of the things that his trainer
> told me was that he is like a little kid sometimes; when he needs to
> go to bed and be calm, he can act more energetic and refuse to listen.
> That is when we don't allow playing, and he goes in his crate.
>
> Julie, actually, yes, he gets the craziest after we come home and the
> harness comes off.  The other time he goes the most insane is when
> people come over.
>
> Raven, I would let him play with other dogs and used to let my first
> dog run in my dorm hallway when I lived in one with her.  But I have
> neither hall nor stairs outside this building.  We don't even really
> have a lawn...  And it wouldn't be safe for him to run out here, since
> we have had problems with littering--and I mean glass on the ground
> among other things.  I don't like my dogs to run in yards unless I can
> chase them or I have a person to watch what they're doing.  Too much
> experience with a dog who could throw up at the slightest strangeness
> in her stomach.  So that rule I doubt I will ever break, but I would
> love a place to take him on long line, especially so I could work on
> his recall.  I think a leasure walk might be good.  I used to allow a
> friend to run with him, but due to some of the work issues were
> experiencing last year, I don't feel comfortable doing that yet.  But
> I can certainly take him on walks or even jogs.
>
> I'm so glad I'm not the only one who has had to deal with this!
>
> On 8/16/15, Raven Tolliver via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> I personally am in favor of bending the rules a bit. I believe in
>> letting my dog be a dog, as long as he abides by my rules. I have let
>> him free-run, and I have let him run off leash in our yard, friends'
>> yards, my college's athletic field, and the play areas at LDB.
>> However, he has a solid off-leash recall. Nine times out of 10, he
>> comes running when I call him. Of course, I ensured that this was
>> established before I let him off leash anywhere. And fortunately, my
>> puppy-raisers did the same, so it was easy to train.
>>
>> Letting your dog run off leash, or at least on a long line, and
>> allowing them to play with other dogs provides them with ways to burn
>> off steam.
>>
>> When I lived in my college dorm and apartment, I played with the
>> Golden Guy in the hallways, running up and down the halls and the
>> stairs, playing fetch, and practicing recalls indoors, putting him in
>> a sit-stay down the hall while I walked to the other end, and calling
>> him to me. No one ever had an issue with us playing in the halls or
>> stairwells.
>>
>>
>> On days where we don't work much or at all, I take the Golden Guy for
>> 4-5 mile walks. Not that you have to walk that far, but going for
>> leisure walks might also help. The Golden Guy really likes being
>> outside, and going for long walks allows him to get in good exercise
>> and burn off steam. I usually walk him out of harness during 80% of
>> the walk, and I let him walk on a long leash ahead of me. If I ask him
>> to heel, he does, so his loose-leash skills haven't been affected by
>> this at all.
>> --
>> Raven
>> Founder of 1AM Editing & Research
>> www.1am-editing.com
>>
>> You are valuable because of your potential, not because of what you
>> have or what you do.
>>
>> Naturally-reared guide dogs
>> https://groups.google.com/d/forum/nrguidedogs
>>
>> On 8/16/15, Julie J. via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>> I just had another idea about this behavior...does Bill by chance do
>>> most
>>> of
>>>
>>> this super energetic behavior when you first arrive home and take him
>>> out
>>> of
>>>
>>> harness?
>>>
>>> Julie
>>>
>>>
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>
>
> --
> Julie McGinnity
> National Federation of the Blind of Missouri second vice president,
> National Federation of the Blind performing arts division secretary,
> Missouri Association of Guide dog Users President
> graduate, Guiding Eyes for the Blind 2008, 2014
> "For we walk by faith, not by sight"
> 2 Cor. 7
>
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