I have touched on the subject off over-excited dogs before. A recent, short interaction, on Facebook with another trainer/behaviourist, prompted me to revisit the topic.
The other trainer had posted a short video of 2 dogs playing and she was discussing how to identify good play as opposed to problem behaviour. For example, one dog becoming too excited and worrying another dog. She then went on to talk about redirection and other methods. Most of what was described was reasonable.
I gave an observation and a suggestion to how a difficult dog in a play situation might be dealt with. I use a simple method. Whichever dog is creating a potential problem; I always put that dog on the lead to allow it to calm down; a time out. In behavioural terms, this can be considered a ‘punishment,’ removing a dog from a situation where it is causing a problem.
The other trainer took exception to the term punishment, suggesting that the dog will associate the lead with punishment. This is wrong. The dog who has been put on the lead is not told off, it is just asked to calm and sit. As soon as the dog is more relaxed, they can go back to playing. I have used this method for years. Never has any dog become worried by the lead.
