Are your dog’s behaviours a sign they are hyper aroused?!
This image illustrates just some of the signs that your dog may be hyper aroused.
Hyperarousal signs from the Vet Behaviour Team
If looking at this you are now thinking, my dog is hyper aroused, you probably want to know what you can do to calm them down?
Here are two games I love to help calm your dog down, start both of these games at home and once they are comfortable and confident in playing them you can take them with you when you are out and about too.
If they struggle to play them it is a sign they are not comfortable enough to play in that particular environment, so give them space and time. Remember you work at your own dog’s pace, nobody else’s!
The Sharing Platter
Game Goals: Giving your dog the opportunity to learn for itself to have patience and tolerate some frustration.
Skills Developing: High degree of focus = Eye & Orient, Patience, Listening to cues, Spatial Awareness.
Resources: Small pieces of food and a snuffle mat.
The full predatory sequence is:
Eye > Orient > Stalk > Chase > Grab/bite > Kill/bite > Dissect > Consume
What to do:
Sit on the floor with the dog in front of you, facing you with your snuffle mat between you. Take a piece of food place it on the snuffle mat, say ‘one for me’ keep your hand covering it until your dog hesitates and stops pushing, licking or scratching. At this point mark this behaviour with your marker word “yes” and say “one for you”. After you have said “one for you” you can give your dog food from your hand.
Build the self control, and good focus, by repeating and putting more on to the mat, one for me, one for you. Increase the time between adding pieces of food gradually. If your dog holds the position in front of you but no taking food off the snuffle mat, then you can continue to mark and reward them “yes”, “one for you”.
To end the game you would say “take it” and let your dog have the snuffle mat.
The second game is one called Take Your Time
What you will need: your dog, a quiet area, your marker word and some high value rewards.
1) Hold out a fist with food in it. When your dog stops sniffing it, say ‘time’ and open your hand let them have the food. Repeat three times successfully
2) Add in ‘your time’ then open your hand. Repeat three times successfully
3) Add in ‘take your time’ then open your hand. Repeat three times successfully
4) Your closed fist with food becomes a visual cue that when we want our dogs to calm for a moment you can show them the fist, then say ‘Take – [pause] – Your – [pause] – Time’ then open your hand.
Start adding in duration between each of the words, 5 seconds, then 10 seconds and build up to at least 20seconds between each word.
If at any point your dog can’t focus on the full phrase, take it back a step to where they will be successful and build up slowly again.
What else can you do to help?
Picture Games
These are simple, safe, familiar & predictable games you can play to help your dog focus on you, despite the distractions around them. Here’s a few you can try:
Up and Down
The aim of this game is to help your dog to focus on you when waiting in one place, perhaps letting others pass by.
Protocol:
- Drop treat in between your feet and let dog get it.
- Wait for dog to look back up at you.
- Mark looking back at you.
- Repeat.
Goal: To have dog repeatedly move their head up and down rapidly.
Repeat per session: Repeat 10 times. Vary locations.
Offered eye contact
The aim of this game is to have your dog offer you eye contact as a default behaviour.
Protocol:
- Wait for eye contact – don’t prompt it.
- When you get it, mark and feed to their mouth.
- Repeat 5 times – then toss last treat away from you.
- If your dog comes back – repeat from 1.
Goal: To have your dog offer eye contact as a default whenever they are not being asked to do something else.
Repeat per session: Repeat while your dog keeps returning, up to 5 sequences. Repeat in different situations and places.
Let’s Go / This Way
When your dog looks at you, point in the direction you intend to go, then say ‘This Way’
- Walk in the direction and when you get there and your dog catches up, place a piece of food down.
- Repeat as and when you want to get them to move with you.
Hopefully these training tips and games can help you get your dog to be spending less time humping and hyper aroused, to being a calmer my confident relaxed dog.
If you think that you and your dog would benefit from having some scheduled training time to work through their teenage years then you can get even more information and support with your training by joining my Teenage Tearaways course. The next course is booking now via my website, and you can get your slot here: Book Online (nosetotrail.co.uk) Classes are held over Zoom and will start on the 22nd of September at 6:30pm – 7:30pm for 6 weeks. If this time slot is not suitable for you, please do get in touch and we can run a bespoke session, or a day time course if there is enough interest. You can contact me directly at info@nosetotrail.co.uk