Excited about the walk.... - Page 1

Curious if it's just my dog(s) or if others have dealt with this too.  I take them both on a walk early in the morning every.single.day.  And every single day, the 2yo GSD gets just as excited as she did the first time we went.  She's a spaz, barely able to contain herself, just can't wait to get out the door (it's not for elimination as I always let them out in the back to relieve themselves before we go.)  Of course, I'm trying to work on the behavior and make her sit politely before she can go out, but the before-hand stuff is ridiculous.  I'm glad she's excited about the walk (I don't think she went on too many before she came to us), but had hoped that she'd tone the enthusiasm down a bit now that she's realized we do it every day and will most likely continue to do so.

She knows the routine and once I grab the keys and poo bags, she kicks it up.  I can't really change the routine too much due to time constraints, but I've tried putting the keys in a different location (so she doesn't realize I've gotten them), but she knows, LOL.  If I get her in a sit/stay, that just builds the...suspense?...and then she starts with what I call the pleading (not quite a bark, but a "come on already, PLEASE let's go, I can't wait anymore!" noise of some kind).  Once we're outside and leashed up, she's much better.

My other dog likes the walk too, but will just follow me while I gather my things.  So, any ideas on how to curb the GSDs exuberance for this or should I just embrace it for now and hope she outgrows it?  Curiously, she doesn't have the same reaction to the evening walk.  She likes it and is excited to go, but not the same antics getting out of the house as in the morning.

I have had 3 just as you describe. Isa, who is gone now, and Ezra and Capri now. They are 9 month old pups. The more I try to calm them down, the more intense it gets. If you try and not get excited or wound up yourself, (because you know what's coming), you can try to slow them down. But I doubt it. LOL  In the morning mine are so fired up, they try to break the door down. It's getting better only when loudly disciplined. I make them sitz and they do, but just start building energy. As much of a hassle as it is, I wouldn't have it any other way! Isa used to grab the lead in her mouth and try to walk me.  Good Luck and Take Care     Pete

Try giving yourself a little extra time or even on the weekends and get the keys and poo bags then go sit down and don't go anywhere.  Next, step open the door but don't go out, then go sit down an don't go anywhere.  Maybe after she sees you pick up the keys and poo bags and not go anywhere it will help calm her down.  It may take a few days, week or weeks.  But give yourself the extra time to work on it with her.

Isachev - If I had to drag her out the door for a walk, that'd be miserable, so in that regard I wouldn't want to change it :)   I do love her energy and the fact that she enjoys the activity (walks, fetch, etc.).  I just wonder if she'll ever figure out that this is a daily thing and perhaps one day we can get out the door without all the fanfare each morning, LOL.

Missyfly96 - Thanks for the ideas.  I hadn't actually thought to stop and sit down before leaving, just to mix it up a bit.  Perhaps that'll work and I'll give it try.  Thanks!

Jra,
You said it yourself – it’s a routine - therefore she sees it as her right not a privilege and that’s why she behaves this way. She is just bossing you around to hurry up... in a GSD kind of way.

My girl started to develop the same attitude so the right for the walk had to be taken away. If she doesn’t behave – she stays home. You should see her face when I left the house alone carrying her leash for the first time...  Excited is OK but misbehaving is bad. She learned fast, however there are still times that I leave without her even tho I planned on taking her with. I have to make sure that next time she will remember to behave correctly. After few years she actually knows what behavior I’m expecting so I don’t even have to give any commands. She knows that if she wants to go – she has to go thru her ‘routine’. Good girls go, bad girls stay... Simple as that but takes a lot of effort – no easy fixes.

My oldest GSD, Zane (who is way oversized at 33" atw and 58Kg) used to play up in much teh same way as described. He would jump around like a lunatic and grab the lead off me. Of ourse everythign was fine and dandy once we wereoutside the front door.

So I went throught he attempts at leaving without him, hiding my keys elsewhere or having them in my pocket already etc.

Now at 3 1/2 years old he sits by the living room door, trmbling with excitement. I clip on his lead whilst he's sitting there, open up the living room door into trhe hallway and put the lead into his mouth. He takes it very gently, goes out into the hallway and sits by the the front door, lead in gob!

I may take the lead very quickly and we'll go straight out or I may command him to sit there for a while (up to about a minute is the maximum). Then we xcan leave the house as calmly as when we first started.

That's just Zane though. The others are still at the stage of being complete muppets when they know it's walkies time!

jra...no you are not the only one....
 my male would get so excited that he would knock anything that is in his way, he is like a cow on ice....feet everywhere, once you jerk him to snap out of it and he hears you say "sit" he will tremble and whine the whole time, he knows a word "shut up" very well but can't help himself, he will snap his jaw....i had left him behind before because he could not contain himself (after i got a collar on him and than took it off) in the back yard and walk with another dog...he was so vocal i was able to hear him a block away...so now he only gets to go when we drive somewhere and even then its a pain in a butt process i been trying to work out for years now, it progressivley got worse from the time he was 7 months till 12 months..and remained this way for past 3+ years.
Now we start slowly i put on his collar 2-3 hours in advance, just the sound of chain collar gets him riled up....so you would think after 2 hrs of prancing around and being excited he would be tired...nope...we open a car door and do not allow him in..so he stays by a car starring at the open door and if you accidentally tilt your head towards the car or move a hand in a gesture he will leap in like a lightning...so we can walk away from the car we just don't point, look, or talk about a car while he is waiting by it...and when you think he is finally somewhat relaxed you just look at him and give him the head tilt and he is in it...than when we have time we leave him in a car for a while till he calms down and stays laying down and stops whinning..we get in quietly i usually pull his lead to front seat because he will get very vocal and i would have to jerk his leash and say 'shut up" he will than grumble about it....we went as far as putting him in a car and driving in the back yard, when he starts getting all vocal and shaky we stop open door and kick him out..so he knows what happens when he does not listen..so now he listens and stops but only for a short time...we even took him for 2 hrs drive and back w/o a destination...he calmed down about 30 min after we left but if we come to a complete stop at the light, it starts all over...

so, yeah....we are in the same boat....thank god out of 3 dogs he is the only one that does that...others are a pleasure to take with you, no fuss no muss... any genius suggestions or exercises would be welcomed and tested..LOL.

P.S....once we are out walking he is fine, he may pull for a block a bit but responds immediatley to every correction...so no issues walking or comming back..its the getting ready part, the leash part, the car part..and its funny he only does it when we think or talk about taking him..when i plan on taking someone else he would not even lift his head from his bed, bailey would be by the door waiting while i put shoes on, I would take leash off the hook and he wont even budge even thought he knows i am going for a walk....if we talk about taking all of them he responds or just him...

I really don't see the problem with the dog getting excited when she knows it's time to do something that she enjoys.

It's a working dog! Sure going to be excited to go out! I don't see a problem either....

Aahhh - something I'd forgotten to mention. Jenzi, my WL bitch oes somethign the othes have never done. She's be absolutely golden on a walk and when we get back home she'll happily go into the house. I will take off her lead and hang it up and she will sit by the front door. Taht's it. She will NOT move for ANYTHING. She's been offered treats, kongs, etc to move towards the iving room but nope - she's going nowhere.

She thinks if she sits there long enough she'll get to go out again - which in theory is true I suppose. Maybe I should leave her there and she if she'll sit there until the next walk!