young excitable dog!!!!!!!1?

Question

we have a 9 month old cross breed collie who gets very easily excited.to the piont of jumping round every where and over people. he knocks the children over as he jumps up them.
anyone out there with any solutions on how to calm him down. SENSIBLE ANSWERS PLEASE!!!!!

Answer 1

He sunds like ahappy boy. I wouyld suggest he wear his leash int the house so you have something to grab and help settle himdown.

Answer 2

Sounds like he is just too full of beans! Castration is a good idea especially for a male dog, this will calm him. Also what diet are you feeding, it is worth knowing how much energy you are putting into him. Some dry feeds have a lower energy content, such as skinners (you should be able to get from local feed wholesalers).
Probably then the most important things you need to look at are what constraints you have put on his behaviour. Collies are very intelligent and need mental stimulation and a lot of physical exercise. Take him to agility or obedience classes, he will probably thrive on it. Also take him for a long run in he morning this will calm him for the day. A crate is a good idea, similarily a kennel outside where he could go at times when you know you'll have visitors or are going out for the day. Also an area like a matt can work really well. Most importantly don't excite him yourselves, when you return to the room don't acknowledge him, same goes for other house members/ visitors. Acknowledgement also increases the likelihood of seperation anxiety. You need to make visitors coming to the house a normal experience that is no different to any other time. You will need to get him used to the whole process with you being calm and him being present. Practice inviting friends over with children who don't mind him, people who won't make you worried and anxious as you will influence your dogs behaviour. The behaviour he is demonstrating is encouraged by your actions and could result in you being so anxious by visitors you would prefer not to have anyone. Then your life is being ruled by your dog! If you take the time to sort it now it will make your lives together much more enjoyable.

Answer 3

Sounds like time to start some training. They are very intelligent breed used for working and therefore if they are not kept occupied will become bored and boisterous. Try agilty training and take family along too. Also lay down some rules like making dog wait for you to go through doors etc first. You need to be a dedicated owner for this breed but will have years of fun if you take things in hand. The more excercise and stimulation the dog has the better

Answer 4

Border collies are very excitable and really are an outside breed used for working. But saying that as long as you give pup plenty off enjoyable play off lead if poss pup will start to calm down. Also collies love obedience classes which aren't expensive which then you could always join an agility group which would then keep you fit and pup obedient and happy.

Answer 5

I am an animal behaviourist and have some experience with excitable collies. My advise to you is to take your dog to training classes, even if you already train at home, they may give you new ideas, and they will give your dog something to think about. Collies love to be active in body and in mind. Also lots of exercise is essential of any young dog, especially collies. I think he may be a little too young at the moment, but at around a year old i would consider agility classes, training and loads of exercise all in one. I tried dogs is much more response to training. Hope this is of some help.

Answer 6

Take him to training class. If he has collie in him then he needs his brain exercised - this will channel his energies and also give you more control over him - so that when there are people and children he wants to say hello to, you can tell him to sit, and get him to stay sat, and not jumping. They are the most fun to train, it's really rewarding to see the dog get what you have been trying to teach him.

Answer 7

You need to enrol him into obedience training. You have a high energy dog, topped with him still being a puppy, he will take awhile to settle down. I have gone through the puppy stage for two purebreed border collies and trust me, obedience training is definitely required. I've found with my border collies that they will do anything for you, and that positive reenforcement training works really well.

Having a well trained border collie are a great addition to the family.

Answer 8

all you can do is give it as much exercise as possible. I have a border collie. she's almost 4 years old now and still behaves like a puppy. When i have enough of her jumping up on visitors i put her in the garden. can't really give more advice. Sorry :) but good luck.

Answer 9

All you need to do is get a stranger (we got a trainer at our puppy training classes to do it) to give them a firm but sharp tap to their shoulders (on the sides of your dog where the front legs meet their body) when they jump up. It really surprises them and they don't like it (but it doesn't hurt them as long as it's not done too hard!). You then only need to reinforce this yourself once or twice the next time they jump up at you and hey presto, they've learnt that jumping up means they get a shock they don't like and will stop doing it! Worked a treat on our dalmatian, but make sure it's a stranger that does the first one (our dalmatian now HATES the man that first did this to her!)

Answer 10

I had the same problem with my Labrador puppy, she didn't mean to hurt people, she just gets SO excited by EVERYTHING! I've actually found that playing mentally stimulating games really wears her out. hiding things and making her find them, dog agility type tasks (etc etc).
Also don't speak to your dog when he jumps up at you; turn your back to him and fold your arms. only speak to him when he sits. he'll soon learn that he gets no attention by jumping up. Master this at home then take him to a friends house and prep them to do the same.
Any dog with Collie in him is intelligent and masters things quickly. Unfortunately it's usually us owners who fall behind!
Good luck with it.

Answer 11

Is this happening when guests come over, and when you come home? One easy solution would be to crate him when you're not at home - this is for his safety, too. When you arrive home, ignore the dog for the first 10-20 minutes. If you make your arrival less exciting for him, there will be less jumping and insanity. All of your family need to turn around right away as soon as he tries to jump up. You don't need to knee him in the chest - just turn around right away. Waving arms and screaming will just encourage him to jump more.
A "go to your mat" or "crate" command would be great because you can teach this to your dogs and make it so rewarding for them to seek out their mat whenever you tell them to, wherever they are in the house. First, reward them a bunch with amazing treats when they choose to step on to their mat, or into their crate. Next, start holding them back from reaching their mat/crate (in a fun way - hold them by the chest, then release them so they're excited to race to their mat/crate for a reward) Keep repeating this, and then you can start to actually say "Get on your mat!" or whatever you'd like, when they are flying over to their place. Then, set up a "person ringing the doorbell" scenario with a patient friend. Have lots of yummy treats stashed (on yourself, and in a handy bowl that you can reach quickly) and keep practicing your "go to your mat" behavior. Remember that dogs don't speak English, so it's best to not say anything at all until the dog is reliably running to that great spot that you pay him so much to be in. Repeat with as many distractions as you can think of!