If you’re living with an excited dog who barks, lunges, spins, or seems unable to listen, you’re not alone.
Maybe your dog explodes at the end of the leash.
Maybe they grab treats, nip hands, or bounce off the walls when something exciting happens.
Maybe car rides, visitors, agility fields, or even walking out the front door feel overwhelming.
If that sounds familiar, you don’t have a bad dog.
You have an excited dog who is over-aroused and misunderstood.
Today I want to help you understand what’s really happening inside your dog, why common advice often makes things worse, and what actually helps an excited dog learn to stay responsive in real life situations.
What’s Really Going On With an Excited Dog
Over-arousal is not about age, stubbornness, or a lack of training. I see excited dogs like this in puppies, adolescents, and adult dogs of all breeds.
An excited dog may bark, lunge, spin, vocalize, nip, or grab food frantically. Some dogs look wild and fast. Others look slow, frozen, sticky, or disconnected. Both are signs of the same thing.
This behavior is not disobedience.
It is an emotional state.
When excitement takes over, your dog’s thinking brain goes offline and the emotional brain takes over. In that state, learning, reasoning, and decision-making are not available. Telling an excited dog to calm down does not help any more than it helps a stressed human who is already overwhelmed.
Why Common Advice Makes an Excited Dog Worse
There is no single fix for an excited dog, but there is a lot of advice that unintentionally makes things worse.
Corrections, yelling, or physical restraint add stress to an already stressed dog.
Adding more exercise often creates a fitter, excited dog who can stay over-aroused longer.
Trying to force calm in every situation ignores the dog’s natural temperament.
Flooding a dog with overwhelming exposure risks damaging confidence and trust.
Helping an excited dog is not about control.
It is about preparation, clarity, and emotional safety.
Why Some Dogs Become Overly Excited More Easily
Most excited dogs did not choose this state.
Contributors include genetics and natural drive, diet and additives, adolescence, early training experiences, over-socialization, frustration, and punishment during learning.
Some dogs respond to frustration by shutting down. Others escalate. Neither response means the excited dog is enjoying themselves.
Dogs are doing the best they can with the education we have given them in the environment we have put them in.
The Real Goal When Training an Excited Dog
Helping an excited dog is not about eliminating excitement.
It is about teaching responsiveness within excitement.
That means lowering the perceived value of triggers, increasing your excited dog’s ability to respond while stimulated, and accepting who your dog is instead of trying to force them into a role that does not suit them.
The 10-Step Protocol for Helping an Excited Dog
These ten steps are designed to help an excited dog learn how to stay connected and responsive, even when the environment feels overwhelming.
1.Revisit whether your dog is over-faced
Look honestly at your excited dog’s behavior without judgment. Ask what the behavior is telling you about the environment or the education you have provided.
2. Identify and manage triggers
Make a list of triggers that send your excited dog over threshold. When possible, avoid the biggest ones for several months while you build skills elsewhere.
3. Become the calm anchor
One of you must be calm, and it is unlikely to be the excited dog at first. Create physical and mental anchors that help you regulate yourself so your dog can borrow your calm.
4. Teach key foundation behaviors
Prioritize games like Hot Zone, ItsYerChoice, and Collar Grab. These games give an excited dog clarity and self-control without suppression or punishment.
5. Condition calm as an emotional anchor
Use collar grabs, gentle touch, food, and quiet releases to help your excited dog associate human contact with safety and settling.
6. Make exercise thoughtful and contingent
Exercise should flow through you. Build in sits, downs, calm moments, scent work, and reconnection rather than mindless activity.
7. Use calm exposure sessions
Allow your excited dog to observe triggers at a distance they can handle while staying relaxed and engaged with you. Over time, those triggers lose emotional weight and become background noise.
8. Build responsiveness with excitement layers
Ask your excited dog for simple, well-known behaviors while you add movement, energy, or novelty. Clarity under excitement builds confidence.
9. Create distance when needed
If your excited dog goes over threshold, increase distance from the trigger. Distance is information, not failure.
10. Accept and love the dog you have
Do not force a square peg into a round hole. Teach skills while honoring who your excited dog is and what they were bred to do.
What Calm Really Looks Like for an Excited Dog
A calm dog is not a dog who feels nothing.
A calm, excited dog still has enthusiasm and joy, but can also think, listen, and respond. Calm comes from clarity and confidence, not from suppression.
When we stop trying to shut down excitement and start building connection and understanding, behavior changes naturally and sustainably.
Gratitude
Today I am grateful for the dogs who struggle the loudest.
Excited dogs remind us that behavior is communication, not defiance.
They challenge us to become calmer, clearer, and kinder teachers.
When we meet excitement with understanding instead of control, we do not just change behavior.
We build trust, confidence, and joy.
And that is always worth the effort.
Is it ok to pick up a dog to avoid having her go over thresshold when there is no escape (walking past another dog on a narrow path)? I have a 12 lb. chiweenie who when picked up will not react, but if I leave her on the ground, she will because the distance at which she can handle the other dog trigger is much greater than a small path will allow. I would guess this is just considered management and is better than the alternative (allowing her to go over threshold).
My 2 yr old male Cavalier King Charles is scream barking when we try to walk out the door, randomly in the car and when we approach familiar places like the dog park. We tried the following things that worked once but no more: Making him sit and wait to stop barking, Treats, Picking him up, spraying with water. It’s getting really frustrating.
i have trouble finding distance. We are in switzerland and loose/no leash dogs are literally everywhere whenever there’s a patch of greens. My 2-yo literally would start “looking out” for dogs minute we leave our apartment courtyard. Every pedestrian she’d screen from afar, if they have no dog, it’s cool, if there’s one, even far away, she’s already barking and standing on her back legs to look at them.. until they’re out of sight, then she’d only look at me then. I wouldn’t even dream of walking pass another dog on a side walk, i’m always the one turning around away from approaching dogs, detouring, whatever it takes to get my dog away from passing by other dogs. If she’s off leash at the parks, she’d only bark at the ones she’s scared at, usually bigger and fluffier. others, some of them a quick sniff and everyone walks on. but on leash, it’s impossible to calm her. All it takes is one glance. 🙁
i’m in Recallers too. she’s great at home unless she sees another dog (90%) or cats downstairs on the grass (we are on 4th/top floor). these 2 days she has been particularly sensitive,. maybe it is hunting season for the beagles?
Thank you so much for this article-it confirms what we have been learning for our poodle Max. He has reactivity based on fear with anxiety. He is our 4th poodle. Max is 4 years and has been through BAT classes. We take him each summer for refresher training-for all of us. Your article gives great suggestions-I especially like the info. on movement.
Hello – please explain what over faced means, as mentioned in the 10 Step Protocol. Thank you!
It means asking too much from your dog, their understanding of what you are asking is not clear.
You always give the best dog training advice, thank you!
I have a 21 month old jack russell who gets over aroused by light reflections on any surface. It is so conditioned into her that she now looks for light reflections that aren’t there in my home and in my office. I get the sense that she can’t settle at times because she is anticipating their presence. Animals of any form either real or cartoon like on the t.v. also set her off. Is this any different than the excitement that you are referencing in this blog? While I am sure that the steps outlined will help, should I be doing anything more specific for this type or arousal?
Just for reference, she also exhibits barrier frustration with birds and squirrels that she sees out the window, but I don’t find that to be unusual for her natural instincts. As a rule, when out and about and when exposed to people, animals, and activities in the environment, she does not get overly excited. She has a natural curiosity, but easily redirects her attention back to me.
Hi, we have the same light problem,just started ACE freework only at the begining but seemss to help google it Also been doing 5mt lead sniffing walk at ordinary park & see goes to sleep for 1-2 hours when we get back, own choice off to spare room bed some heel walking on paths & practicing recalls but other wise just sniffing walk for about an hour
I’m at a loss with my 27m old field Lab. We can walk into a ring calmly but then it’s like a race horse. The minute I go to face the first obstacle he loses it. 0-60 in 1 sec. He has a hard time even looking at me, crouched ready to spring and barking. In training he has an amazing start line stay but he is ring wise and I can’t figure out how to replicate that environment. Once on the course he is responsive and stays connected. But If I try to reset at the first, or any, obstacle it just amps him up even more and barks so he can’t even hear me. He is unable to. Suggestions?
Is “over arousal” the same as a “reactive” dog? I’m not sure, because my dog is more reactive on the leash and yet does go crazy at the doorbell, or when someone with a dog goes by on the sidewalk, or barks when the postman comes to our shared locked mailboxes that are just outside our front window… How do I know the difference? He’s now 5 years old and has calmed down a bit on the walks. In fact one day last week he was just a normal dog for the whole 40 minute walk. No barking, lunging or reacting at all!! He just looked at other people and dogs and went back to his sniffing! I have tried everything that I learned from Susan and anyone else about being the calm one in the equation and it’s working. I try to massage him and talk softly to him, rub his chest and neck around what I believe is the vagus nerve and down his front legs. He’s much more calm than he was a year ago. But, I have heard that a “reactive” dog may always be a reactive dog. I know his triggers and I avoid them as best I can. That works best.
Hi Trish – do you happen to have a link to a video or something describing the doggy massage you do?
Wow — THANK YOU for this article! I’ve been dealing with a super excited dog myself, and it’s refreshing to see exercise and instinct-based engagement discussed rather than just “tire them out.”
One thing I found that helped my high-drive dog calm down quickly and positively was structured chase play. Short, focused sessions where the dog has to track, stalk, and then catch — followed by a calm release — made a huge difference in helping him settle afterward. It’s different from fetch because it taps into their natural prey drive without over-stimulating them.
I use a tool designed for this type of play that’s sturdy enough for bigger, intense dogs, and the daily sessions have made a noticeable impact on both energy levels and impulse control. For anyone with a dog that gets especially revved up, having a reliable way to safely satisfy that instinct has been a game-changer
Any other readers find structured chase play helpful with their dogs?
Hey how did you learn how to play the chase gMe? What you/equipment do you use for that? I’d love to try it with my high drive dog who likes to fetch but I haven’t taught other forms of outdoor exercise that require more focus.
My 3yo GSD is often over-aroused when she’s not at home. This morning I took her early to a dog park hoping it would be quiet; we practiced our recall a bit and then I let her run around. A couple of times I called her back and put her on the leash for a bit, but at some point, I could see that the recall just was no longer going to work. Squirrel chasing and taking dips in the creek with half an eye on me was the best I was going to get. She wants to be around me, and would follow me by running past me, so I kept changing direction until she got tired and I could leash her up and get out of there. It’s a drive to get there so I hate to make it too short, but I see this time I was there too long for her to be able to be responsive. I’ll just have to keep it shorter for now and make sure she doesn’t get to that point again.
She has been exhausted since then.
I think you esp work on steps 7, 9 and 10. I’m going to try all of them but emphasize those for my barking poodle mix! 😃
My puppy’s trigger ( 8 month large breed) when training is food, and her toy play is limited . She still grabs treats quite roughly when training. It is very difficult to avoid food totally… We do do a lot of scent work, and slow sniffy walks to calm her down.
Great information but hard to bring a bird dog down arriving to field, etc
This was good information, but I still don’t know how to get my excitable chihuahua mix to not go crazy when the delivery man comes or a someone else comes to the door.
Hi Brandy, yes, these tips alone do not stop your dog from going crazy in a one-minute-fix. But if you understand this background, you can look for ways to reduce the trigger deivery man and anybody else is for your dog. Perhaps you can start by throwing treats on the dog bed first while its calm. So you dog can run to the bed and get the treats. Then you start going to the door (no door bell ringing yet), touch the door handle and then throw treats on the dog bed – your dog learns: when you go to the door, the great treats are showing on the bed! Yeah! – Once that works great without distraction and your dog runs happily to the dog bed, you can add the next layer: have somebody ring the bell (without coming in) – you walk to the door and the treats keep raining on the dog bed. If you do that many times without somebody really coming in, the excitement for the door bell will reduce and the dog will love to go to his bed and wait for the treats to come. You get the way? Break it down into small steps that the dog can handle without going over the top. – Of course Susan explains all this and lots more in the recallers course in details!
Great read our problem is the trigger is things i can t see …. scent from wildlife and pee mail
We have an overarousal issue with our two Aussie 2 year olds. when my eldest daughter comes home her dog turns into an excited barking leaping mouthing mess and then the second one grabs at him. We have tried teaching sit, food scatters and send to get a toy which is probably the most useful. Would you suggest the hot zone for this or something altogether different ? Barking and jumping start sometimes when they hear her ca or at the front door. We have bay gates and I think it kinda makes it worse because they see her but cat immediately get her so builds the arousal.
Thank you for your words. I will trotzdem this with my dog
7. needs to be done cautiously to avoid flooding. Learning to disengage starts at home with low value triggers, way before environmental exposure.
I would add that in the moment, when your dog is over-aroused, you can do something different that is more appropriate but matches his arousal, and then gradually reduce the arousal using the skills the dog has. An example would be if say you are on a leash walk and your dog sees a trigger, moving away on the leash at a run will likely get your dog’s engagement and you can use that to bring down arousal by moving in a pattern eg. figure of 8, by adjusting the pace slowly and looking for a match in arousal level. once calmer using hand touches and collar grabs will keep that focus and engagement on you.
Thanks for these reminders!
Wow! This was a very timely message. Thank you. We rescued a 3yr young whippet mix 3 months ago and have experienced many challenges and growth. I often feel I’ve failed Gypsy. She is very over-excited, nervous, reactive, and high anxiety. She has become a very time-consuming learning curve for us. Recently, I have been working on my energy. Not easy to be the calm when under so many pressures, time constraints, and an over-excited puppers. These 10 steps are timely and so helpful in shaping my perspective right now. Thanks again.
Thank you for this article. I am working with an over a roused OES in agility. He gets more amped up as we run the course or work on drills and skills. His over arousal is displayed through barking mainly. Some maybe frustration wanting the reward before completing the skill. Wondering if I have him complete a short series of hand touches, sit down etc and then reward to get him back to focus. I am also working on back chaining to reward more often. He’s large, fast and thinking 3 steps ahead of me for sure.
Love the is piece of advice. My 18 month Border Terrier is naturally an excited dog and after reading this I suspect she has been over socialized.
Thank you Susan for the great teaching.
Thank you for this information today— I am working with an adolescent dog and making our lives together as beautiful as possible as she gets older