over excitability on leash

[weekst8]

I have a one year old Sheltie male(Tetley) that is over excitable whenever another dog or car passes by. He will spin around and bark aggressively which is a little embarrassing when other dogs are so relatively calm. At the moment, I'm using a Gentle leader which has helped somewhat with his pulling but not with the agitation. I have also tried something called Easy Walk but he pulled too much and was harder to control. Has anyone else experienced this and found a way to calm the dog?

What is odd, though, is that when I allow him to occasionally sniff another dog he all of a sudden acts quite anxious when approached. I think Ceasar Milan would call him "anxious avoidant".

When at home, in a fenced in yard, he becomes extremely upset whenever someone walks or drives by, as well.

 

[trini]

Welcome to SN. Most over reactive behavior is based on fear. There have been a couple of threads recently on this topic...take a look at them and also the link provided in one of the threads to rehab an over reactive dog. Confidence building for Tetley is very important. Besides working on the issue yourself if you can find a local trainer who uses positive training and is knowledgeable in working with this issue, I would recommend taking Tetley to classes for general socialization and confidence.

http://www.sheltieforums.com/showthread.php?t=24575

http://www.sheltieforums.com/showthread.php?t=24542

Trini

 

[Buffy & Trixie's Mom]

I have an almost three year old Sheltie-girl who twirls on the end of her leash. A trainer studying dog behavior gave me some instructions on how to positively reinforce her leash walking to stop the twirling. As she saw it, since my dog mostly twirls as we leave the house but not as we return to it, she doesn't want to leave home. Noise also bothers Trixie. Once a man up the street opened and closed his car door as we passed and she got so excited she crossed in front of me and nearly tripped me.

So we are trying to work this all out. The behaviorist said it might take walking her no more than ten minutes, praising lavishly when she doesn't twirl, and giving treats.

 

[Chris]

I'm always impressed by the quality of advice folks give on the forum. I would add this: dump Caesar Milan. He isn't at all useful for Shelties.

 

[Buffy & Trixie's Mom]

Have you ever allowed me to feel vindicated!!!!

I know rescues do great works, but despite my excellent references and also being the Mom of Buffy (a rescue Collie-mix), I was vetted by a Sheltie rescue volunteer who didn't like the training I had planned for my future little adoptee (if they were to let me adopt Buffy's little sister from their rescue.) She pushed and pushed Caesar. I pulled and pulled away from any thought of him. I honestly can't say why. I guess because I liked the "bonding-style" training that I had in mind better. It worked for Buffy......I was comfortable with it....and Caesar seemed somehow harsh.

That and other reasons caused me to withdraw my application.

So thank you......I waited another month or two and contacted the fantastic lady who connected me to Buffy when she still had her rescue in 2009. She connected me to Trixie after several years ago rescuing Trixie off Craig's List.

Happy endings for all of us -- !

 

[Silaria]

So we are trying to work this all out. The behaviorist said it might take walking her no more than ten minutes, praising lavishly when she doesn't twirl, and giving treats.

I agree with this statement. Keep it short and keep it positive. If you have make it less than 10 minutes if that's all Trixie can handle. It's difficult but you need to keep her from reaching the point where she stresses and twirls. If possible, start by taking her out at the quieter points during the day so she gets comfortable with the surroundings. Slowly move her into situations with more and more sound.

Have you ever considered trying a Thundershirt on her while working on her twirling issue? It's an anti-anxiety vest that works through a similar idea as swaddling an infant. You put it on as snug as you can make it. The pressure of the coat has a calming affect on the dog. (Sheltie's look kinda funny in them because it squishes the fur but if it works it's worth it.) I use one on my dogs for fireworks and thunderstorms. One of my guys needed it for car trips also but has since grown out of that need. It really does work HOWEVER it doesn't work for every dog. The best part about trying the Thundershirt is it comes with a full money back guarantee. From their Return Policy page:

We stand behind our product! If for any reason our ThunderWorks product isn't the right solution for your dog, return it within 45 days for a full refund of your purchase price.

 

[Caro]

As she saw it, since my dog mostly twirls as we leave the house but not as we return to it, she doesn't want to leave home. Noise also bothers Trixie. Once a man up the street opened and closed his car door as we passed and she got so excited she crossed in front of me and nearly tripped me.

So we are trying to work this all out. The behaviorist said it might take walking her no more than ten minutes, praising lavishly when she doesn't twirl, and giving treats.

I don't agree with the behaviourist. I'm don't think she is aware of the Sheltie spin, which is a uniquely Sheltie trait (although some dogs will turn around when anticipating something exciting, it doesn't have the vigour of a sheltie spin) - this Youtube clip is a good example of the Sheltie spin

. What the behaviourist is thinking of is the obsessive turning in circles some anxious dogs do: it is not the same thing.

She's spinning when you leave the house because she's excited. If you cut her walks down to 10 minutes you'll just exacerbate the problem - she'll get even more excited about walks because she's got too much pent up energy. I'm also not keen on treating a dog when it's in an excited state, so I wouldn't be dishing out treats unless she is calm.

The noise issue is also a Sheltie thing - they love barking at noises, it doesn't always mean they are anxious about that particular noise (although the barkers are likely to be disturbed at some noises - it's a matter of learning your dog's body language to distinguish).

As I mentioned in the other thread, focus on calmness. Make sure she is calm before you leave the house; ensure your dog is calm and focused on you when there's something that may set her off, that's the only time I'd give treats - for the calmness. Shelties are a very excitable breed, some more so than others.

Honestly, I have a Sheltie spinner, he loves to do the spin at anything (arthritis and all). Only way to prevent it is get him to focus on me and calm down. If I gave him treats to stop it he may look at me to get the treat (he is a food hound) but then he'll be on the look out for the next opportunity to spin.

 

[Hanne]

"She's spinning when you leave the house because she's excited. If you cut her walks down to 10 minutes you'll just exacerbate the problem - she'll get even more excited about walks because she's got too much pent up energy."

I totally agree with Caro - it was also my thought when I read the advice.

In general, I do not quite agree with several of the advice you received from this "expert"

 

[Cara Sandler]

I agree that the sheltie spin is NOT an anxiety issue - this is a herding behavior bred into shelties, and indicates excitement or pleasure, not anxiety.