Help Crying & Over excitement Before A Walk!!

[Warren092]

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Hi everyone joined the forum today. I'm desperate for help with two mixed breed terriers. I moved in with my girlfriend recently and her two terriers are a nightmare. They are lovely dogs but both have a couple behavior problems that need fixing. One is when we take them out they both cry and the other one barks and gets to over excited. Which is the best way to calm them down and take them out in a calm manner. The other problem is the other one crys constantly. Crys when me and my partner hug or kiss. Crys if we stop and talk on walks. Crys when it comes home for a walk because he knows he gets fed so he sits and crys for his food. Because they are in routine before a walk they cry and go mental in the mornings. The problem is me and my girlfriend are having a baby in the next couple weeks. We are desperate to help we love the dogs and just want them to be calm and good they get two walks a day.

 

[JoanneF]

This is quite a tough one to answer without knowing the cause. Is the crying asking for attention, anxiety, something else? And what ages are they, has this always been a problem, what have you done so far? What do you do with them separately as well as together? Without seeing it we can only guess, or if you say the area you are in we might be able to point you towards a behaviourist.

 

[DixD]

Dogs usually do things by association, so, if they associate barking and excitement with something good that’s what they will do. I think, in fact, you mentioned that in your email, so you’re aware of it, even if you haven’t thought specifically about it. So, it is about replacing these actions/emotions with quiet/calm ones. Making a new association rather than just extinguishing the one you don’t want. This is how I work with my dogs, but, even doing this, I started a behaviour recently with the little dog coming home in the car because my husband was treating them for rushing straight into the house, while I locked the car. My wee one would start mumbling and grumping, as we were coming along the road, and we got near the house, something he had never done before. He got off with it a couple of times, so it got a little bit ingrained. So, we had to start sitting in the car till he was quiet before I let him into the house, and then my husband asks both dogs to sit and “watch me” (him) before he treats them.

Ask yourself what happens if the dog cries when you hug your girlfriend, stop to talk when out walking. Do you stop paying attention to your girlfriend and interact with the dog, even just to tell him off. And do you start off moving again in the park. Again, the behaviour is having the action the dog desires.

That works for me and mine, anyway, associating good things with calm, quiet behaviour.