Over excitement

[Bish]

Hello, my name is Bish and I’ve only just come across this forum and registered.
I’ve got a desexed four year old short haired German Shepherd named Leo. He’s a very well behaved pet and a joy to be around! I got Leo from a licensed breeder with all the paperwork. I’ve taken Leo to puppy school, then obedience classes and finally took him to an advanced class where he learnt to heel and recall in addition to other things all off lead.
Ever since we used to go to classes, all the trainers quickly pointed out that Leo was a very hyperactive dog, to the extent that when they would tell other members that they should used a high pitched tone with their dogs to excite them, they would turn around to me and tell me to try be as boring as possible when giving commands or playing with Leo as he’s already overly excited. No amount of exercise, fetch or any sort of game would exhaust him, he’s always willing to keep playing and go for long walks. I must admit that I’ve noticed that he has started calming down a lot more with ago though.
My query is in regards to when I go out to take him for his walk or even when I go out into the back yard where his kennel is. As soon as I walk out and he see’s me it’s almost as if he gets possessed! He starts panting very very heavily like he’s run a marathon, starts running around and doesn’t know how to contain himself! I’ve tried going out and ignoring him until he calms down before I give him any attention or before we set out on our walk, what happens is that he would start to calm down after a good 10-15 mins, but as soon as I acknowledge him or he notices that we’re about to go for the walk it’s back to square one again. I’ve tried doing this exercise for almost 2 hours once but still he would get excited and start the heavy panting again. Has anyone experienced that sort of behaviour before or can please provide any advice on what I can do? In case it helps, he gets fed once a day and its usually a mix of dry food and canned dog food/mackerel/raw minced meat.
If the answer is walking him more often or more exercise that’s ok, but I just want to know how to get him in a calm state as soon as I step into the backyard and he sees me before we go on our walk....

[elisabeth_00117]

I would try something more along the lines of mental stimulation.

Try hiding his ball or food and making him find it. Try hide-and-seek and other things where he must THINK before he DOES.

[Lauri & The Gang]

Originally Posted by Bish

... but I just want to know how to get him in a calm state as soon as I step into the backyard and he sees me before we go on our walk....

Bring him inside the house.

Seriously, he's so excited because he wants to be WITH you. Having him away from you for a large period of his day makes it that much harder for him to be calm when he sees you.

[Bish]

Originally Posted by Lauri & The Gang

Bring him inside the house.

Seriously, he's so excited because he wants to be WITH you. Having him away from you for a large period of his day makes it that much harder for him to be calm when he sees you.

I get what you mean but unfortunately I can't do that as the rest of the family don't allow him inside because of his constant shedding and our house is fairly small and he’s a pretty big boy

[cptduke]

Originally Posted by Bish

I get what you mean but unfortunately I can't do that as the rest of the family don't allow him inside because of his constant shedding and our house is fairly small and he’s a pretty big boy

Please do not take offense to this.

So what about the hair? We all deal with that. Daily brushing and vacuuming takes care of the bulk of it. As for the rest of the family, tell them to shove it and bring him in the house. He doesn't need to be in the house 24/7 but he does need to be in the house. German Shepherds are not the typical dog. They NEED to be a part of the family.

I have a very hyperactive boy and I have noticed he is more calm when he spends time with me. If I spend a significant amount of time away from home, he is a psycho when I walk through the door.

[Cassidy's Mom]

Originally Posted by Bish

I get what you mean but unfortunately I can't do that as the rest of the family don't allow him inside because of his constant shedding and our house is fairly small and he’s a pretty big boy

Well, unfortunately that's the best solution. If you can't or won't do that you may just have to live with the problem.

Are you a minor living with your parents?

[Lilie]

Originally Posted by Bish

I get what you mean but unfortunately I can't do that as the rest of the family don't allow him inside because of his constant shedding and our house is fairly small and he’s a pretty big boy

If it is agaisnt the house rules to have the dog in the house, see if he can be allowed to be kenneled at night in the house in a crate.