# Controlling Overexuberance/Adrenaline Rushes



## luv2laugh (Oct 6, 2011)

So, we love our little boy. We always say our main struggle in training has been over exuberance.

The boy is almost two years old and in day to day tasks just such a well behaved little guy. When people come over, however, or when other dogs come visit, or when we visit others, he just spazzes out in the beginning. It's an odd case of zoomies, he acts a bit ADHD and has a lot of difficulty calming down and listening. Within an hour, he does calm down enough to listen and by the end of the night he is exhausted. 

We've pretty much gotten into a rhythm with visiting other people's houses. He's on his ez walk and regular harness inside and then can spazz outside, maybe that's what we should do at our house too, actually.

Lots of exercise before hand and mental stimulation doesn't seem to do anything when it comes to the adrenaline rush. 

Anything that has helped you?

Oh and some recent video of the boy - zoomies in empty house (similar to not so empty house when people arrive)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ssaweySPkc


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## redrover (Mar 17, 2011)

Jasper is the same way. Even with the most delicious and exciting treats, he'll be so overstimulated at first he'll get halfway through a command and then run off. It takes him about 10-15 minutes to calm down, and then he gets so bored and tired at the end he just ignores everybody. And activity beforehand only puts a slight dent in this behavior, but not completely. We certainly do still try to physically tire him out at first, though.

I would say it has helped to expose him to the same house and the same people multiple times. We frequently all gather at one friend's house, as it's the largest, and Jasper is usually calm within a minute or so. We also try to get there early so we're the first ones there, and he can greet new arrivals one or two at a time. The same goes for when we go home to my mom's house or when he goes to the office, but again, he's had tons of exposure to those places and people. Also, taking treats and getting everyone there to make him run through his commands. That has helped him calm down more quickly, even right at the beginning when he's distracted, since it forces him to focus for more than one second. And I usually let him explore the house for about a minute or two before I try to handle him, because he's trying to get the lay of the land and make sure he knows where everybody is. If I try to make him focus before he has a good handle on what the whole situation is, he'll be a little more agitated.

Someone recommended the Thundershirt, because it can help calm an overstimulated dog, even if it's not nervous anxiety (such as caused by thunderstorms and fireworks), but rather just excited anxiety. We have not tried that yet, but worth a shot?


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## lonestar (Jun 2, 2013)

Sounds pretty normal to me..and that YT vid made me smile, it's just so...Vizzy. You can work with behavior that results from learning, but you really cant do much about basic temperament....and frankly, you shouldnt try. Maybe encourage a bit of self control, offer treats, some words...and some patience. If it gets really out of hand, snap a lead on (make sure you're not angry wiht him or make it seem as of youre punishing him).

Your dog sounds pretty well behaved (and well loved) otherwise. My advice here is to just enjoy his reaction..maybe it's contagious, we can all use a bit of that sometimes.


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## luv2laugh (Oct 6, 2011)

Thank you for both your responses! Dog lovers find it endearing and are just fine with it. I'm just a bit worried for those rare people who just don't think he is the most adorable thing in the world, especially if we end up having small children over in the future. I think the answer is just being consistent. I have a few ideas.

I like the idea of embracing the excitement, rather than us being nervous or self conscious about it. We can ALL be excited to see each other.  With kids, Oso can be put in another room before opening the door or put outside. 

A thundershirt is a great idea if it becomes a bigger problem in the future. Definitely something to try! I don't mind him being excited, but when he loses his head like that, the spazz, adrenaline rush, he doesn't listen to us at all. That could be unsafe for him (if he got out the protection of our home) or for guests (if they are scared or nervous of dogs).


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

Loved Oso's little video! ;D

Yeah, I agree that it's kind of typical Vizsla excitement. Willie is six now and still fairly excitable like that. I think they just love life!! Oso sat down immediately when you told him to.


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## Mcunnin4 (Jan 15, 2013)

I was JUST going to post something along these lines, my V is the same way. Its extremely embarrassing at the vet or somewhere where hes the most hyper dog in the room. He wants to meet everyting and see everything and then jumps about 5 feet straight up into the air if he cant get anywhere from me holding onto his lead.

A vet tech had the nerve to say "someone needs obedience training" in front of me and it pissed me off. Apparently she hasnt studied up on her breeds. I know vizslas are an "excited" breed and I know what to expect. He gets daily exercise but even this wont put a dent into his excitement when entering somewhere new. He wants to jump and see everyone and go explore but I wont let him and he gets vocally frustrated.

I just dont know what to do anymore...Im sick of people thinking hes not trained. Ive taken him to multiple classes he knows his commands but his little mind just races for 30 minutes or until he knows where everything and everyone is. 

I loved the responses up above, and its endearing to a fellow vizsla lover but to someone who is used to calm dogs and I have my dog entering they assume hes untrained and untame and its bothersome to me as a dog mom.


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## MeandMy3 (Feb 27, 2013)

Hi...We have three dogs - two labs and a vizsla. We have the same excitement issue at our house when someone stops by, especially if we are not expecting company. Our house is set up so the front door is close to the garage door. For some reason, all of the dogs think it is a great adventure to hang out in the garage. When someone stops over, we put the dogs in the garage for about 10 minutes until the visitor is settled in the house. When we let the dogs in, they say a quick hello and go about their own business unless encouraged to interact with our visitors. Its worked for us so far. I dread the day that it stops working because all three of our dogs are under three and very excitable. ;D On a side note, when my dad comes over, he ignores the dogs and they don't really pay much attention to him. That's always been his way of dealing with them. After about a 10-15 minute wait, he will then greet the dogs and they are much calmer than they were to start out with.


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