How to REDUCE your dog's excitement for food or toys

[@estellel.6845]

I was stressed/frustrated about my dogs overarousal with food and toys but now I’m much calmer after watching your video 🤣 now let’s hope this works on the dog

[@nickybrown2050]

Thanks so much for this. We really need this. So helpful! I never have a problem getting my pups excited, that's their default behavior! Calm is my goal for a default behavior when needed.

[@tedjack9184]

Thank you! This is where it is all about: reinforcers and treat deliveries. I would not have figure this out without your help.

[@kikopup]

Thanks Ted :)

[@m.o4573]

Yay! I hoped Epic would bring a new energy and new work for capturing calmness. This is gold for my mini-poodle pup. Thank you Epic and Emily!

[@kikopup]

You are very welcome :)

[@crosita1]

That picture of Tug looking all crazed during the section break was killing me 😂😂😂😂. This is a great video and I need to work a lot more on this. I never really noticed before but I naturally get really excited by doing dog training myself because I am communicating! With dogs! And obviously that makes training very exciting for the dogs too. I need to also work on keeping myself calm during the fun stuff I enjoy most and not just the reactivity work. It's super obvious thinking about it now but somehow I never quite connected how the stuff I enjoy best is the stuff where my dog is so enthusiastic he gets way too rough and energetic with everything and smacks things across the room or punches me instead of a light paw. This will help a lot!

[@kikopup]

I also get too excited when I'm training haha

[@tulsisevadasi]

Ah Wish is sooooo beautiful. You can almost see her sensitivity. Love the way your hair matches her (and Splash and Halo).

[@organicintelligence3137]

Much needed! Tysm! My pup doesn’t share well. I’m on a new journey with this one. I know that I will be able to get through this. Patience & reassurance. I really appreciate you & your videos🐾🐾💚

[@slightlycrummy]

oh wow. This is the video I needed. I need to train myself not to be so excited with my dog as well. He and I are both high energy so we feed off of each other. I definitely need to work on this! Thank you for the very informative video as always!

[@kikopup]

Haha its funny because watching this video back, I thought I moved too fast! I said move slow and then I kept moving a little faster than I should hehe

[@carolepivarnik9316]

Really helpful! Also, quite amusing watching the eyes of the dogs on the sideline as you work with another dog. They are all sooooo good.

[@1316Salva]

This is exactly the opposite of what I need for my dog, but definitely want to reinforce these great videos, so I'll leave a comment. Obviously I still learned from the video, as always.

[@kikopup]

Heres the video for dogs not interested in food kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZ-8f5RmipqEkLc

[@1316Salva]

@@kikopup so nice of you to send the link

[@tinabarnes1488]

Hi Emily, your videos are amazing. I watched them for months before getting my new puppy and I was so sure I was going to be able to train my pup with relative ease. I was so wrong. I've been trying very hard for the past week to follow all of your suggestions to calm my puppy (9 week old English Springer Spaniel). I must be doing something very wrong. She nips and bites at treats and gets frustrated if she doesn't get them immediately (even when it is just her kibble). Luring has been impossible. I've tried holding the treats further with no success. I've tried just walking backwards slowly with my treat bag and giving her a treat for taking a step forward with out biting the air. She either jumps and lunges demanding treats or just lays down and refuses to follow me at all. The other thing she does is stop and scratch herself extremely often whenever I try to do any training. It seems to be anxiety of some sort. She does it when we play with toys also. Sometimes she chases and pounces on the toy excitedly, but other times when I say "get it" and toss the toy, she just sits and scratches herself instead of going to chase it. She is very good at "drop" when we play tug (but then takes the treat very hard). I know that tug probably ramps her up and excites her more but if we aren't playing tug she is constantly nipping at me or trying to chew on something inappropriate. She is also good at coming to me when I call her either in the living room or out in the yard, but in between each command to "come" she is non stop finding things to put in her mouth that she shouldn't (chewing on the carpet, eating wood chips or plants in the garden, chewing on weeds in the lawn etc.) I'm exhausted and super frustrated. I would appreciate any advise at all! Thanks for doing what you do!

[@kikopup]

Work on the settle, keep at it kzbin.info/www/bejne/j6jVZmuJoLmmj68 Puppies are overwhelming... around that age. Also the puppy has probably spent her whole life with the other litter mates tearing up everything in sight, hanging off eachother, nipping each other and barking at each other when the other puppy has a stick or food.... the first few weeks are tiring, Then you suddenly think its all over and around 5-6 months they go through another phase of wanting to chew etc. I suggest having a large pen for her to be left in so she can make good choices when alone - with a few toys and chews to play with. And outside the pen get some wintergreen oil, put it on a cloth and rub it on all the corners of wood table legs etc- it smells like mint and dogs dont like the way it tastes. The point is not to trick her into chewing on it, shell walk by and smell its not a tasty smell and then start to associate that smell with all the stuff not to chew. so anytime you get something new you can rub a bit on it. Take care it is oil so stains cloth. But what I do is rub it on a cloth and just rub a tiny tiny amount say on the corner of a couch. But dont hold it against me if it stains :)

[@tinabarnes1488]

@@kikopup Thanks so much for your response Emily! I'm sure its not easy keeping up with all the new puppy owners out there looking for advice. I happen to have some peppermint extract. Will that work? Or do I need to find wintergreen oil specifically? I've never heard of it but I'm sure google can help me find some : -)

[@ej5235]

Thank you. Once again such a useful training lesson, that I really need but didn’t know existed. I have a very sweet dog who gets very excited very easily, so this will be a great help.

[@kikopup]

glad I could help!

[@kinezmaterz2083]

working on this this weekend! thx

[@crazykatex8fqg5tu]

Thank you for this upload kikopup! I hope to have the same relationship with my new pup as you have with your dogs. :)

[@SadieDLdn]

This is a tough one because you want them to be motivated by food but not so much that they’re distracted by it. My dog I’ve had as a pup is motivated but not distracted by food, it focuses her brain however my other dogs was in the streets for a long time and was starving before going to the rescue we got her from - so she gets absolutely beside herself when food is involved - I always feed her first and then do training with a little I keep aside and that helps.

[@haventli]

Wow, it was really helpful to see Halo over excited and watch you calm him down. My dogs act like excited Halo all the time. Great to see how achievable that is. Thanks for the leaving Splash's entry in, we all have those moments with our dogs (especially the old ones!) and it's good to see some of her personality.

[@kikopup]

Yes, it just takes some going back to the basics rather than trying to work through it. :) It can be boring at times. If a behavior gets ruined with over excitement I suggest at least two weeks of daily working on it for a minute or two in a very calm way like this before seeing any change to the dogs behavior. Its always a bummer when one of your favorite behaviors suddenly becomes a behavior that makes the dog too excited and you know how much work is needed to fix it to be how it was

[@Themagicunitato]

That will come in handy...my Frenchie is a little too food motivated sometimes lol

[@monicaa.4933]

Love your videos and training methods! Can you please do a video on reactive dogs on leash? My dog all of sudden this past year has been so reactive on leash and when I want to get her away she knows to sit down and put pressure so I can’t move her. She never used to do this- I know a lot of people who would probably benefit from this too! A video on leash/aggression reactivity and how to introduce dogs and stop the lunging/barking. Thank you ❤️❤️

[@kikopup]

i do have a vod on my website on reactivity but plan to make some reactivity videos for youtube. I do have this video on introducing dogs kzbin.info/www/bejne/f6CxYpetdrGYbLc I suggest working on the leash pressure game - this one for puppies is more indepth than the adult version- kzbin.info/www/bejne/n3yqaWx9i7R9n68 Here is my protocol for emotional and behavioral modification dogmantics.com/protocol-for-emotional-and-behavioral-modification/

[@monicaa.4933]

@@kikopup thanks! I will definitely look at it all!❤️

[@BVoshol]

Thank you so much for this! I will be sending this video to several people!

[@kikopup]

Oh yay! Glad it could be of help!

[@askavetstudent]

Immediate like. Immediate comment for the algorithm.

[@kikopup]

Awe that is kind of you to take the time to do that :)

[@MellaYellow]

I've been learning from you for years! I got a blue gsd pup that's crazy over food. This is my first so this is a great video for us. I was thinking dry kibble to start.

[@kikopup]

Thats a good idea and to train after a meal can help too

[@wolf-kissedrosie69]

My problem is, my 9-month-old Aussie is so super obsessed with people food that she's neglecting her own food. She barely eats her dog food but the minute you're making food or eating she gets all excited. It's annoying. She's always given us issues on food. I blame my mom for it getting worse. When I got my puppy I told everyone she was not to be fed any human food but my mom kept giving her food anyway. That's when it all started. That, and my mom kept swapping her dog food out. We finally bought Purina and she seemed to like it, but after a few weeks she started ignoring it. Going all day on only eating a few pieces. It's rare for her to eat a cup or even two anymore and she's lost weight. My mom refuses to switch her dog food again, nor do I want her to, and I keep telling her not to feed her people food! I'm trying to break this obsession. Then my dog whines a lot now, probably hungry, but when we eat I put her in her crate where she continues to whine. Her brother, who my sister has, is over weight, even though she'll say he's a healthy weight for a male. No, he's just fat. He has to be over 50 pounds which is over his weight limit for his size and breed. They're medium sized Aussies and just below our knees fully grown. On top of that, he has pika. Already nearly killed him. I will not give her any people food or wet food. Wet food gives her the runs. If she's hungry enough she'll eventually start liking her own food. I hope.

Perfect. =) Get so many questions about things like this about rescue dogs. Do you have any videos about stopping whining and behaviours like that? Couldn't find any, but don't really know best search words... (Whining in anticipation, for attention, when displeased about something and things like that.) I personally find it hard to make a dog stop making noises if they've once started.

[@kikopup]

Barking and whining for food, during a training class, I suggest the person sit with their dog and calmly massage and pet the dog if they are comfortable with petting while the teacher talks. I like to use a cue to interrupt such as go to your bed thats been trained with positive reinforcement for stuff like wanting to play or something while the owner is busy. Then of course its a good idea to play with your dog when they are not asking for attention throughout the day

[@watchmoivies123]

Very nice. Can I get a link to Bridgett? I do obedience!

[@kikopup]

I did link her website in the description so people can find her. :) Brigitte van Gestel’s website www.caninecompany.nl/​

[@joepeezy4sheezy]

Thank you Emily! Do you have a video on how to stop a puppy from barking at strangers? We are FINALLY able to take our cardigan corgi on walks, but she tends to bark at strangers a lot. Once they come over to say hello, she loves it, but it is not a behavior that we desire.

[@kikopup]

I plan to make a new video but I have a really dated video here kzbin.info/www/bejne/gommdn9-ebllnNU basically you just do set ups where you have your family and friends do what strangers do walk toward you from around the corner etc

[@joepeezy4sheezy]

@@kikopup you’re the best! Your videos have been so amazingly helpful. Since finally being able to take our puppy out after her vaccinations, we get tons of compliments on how well behaved she is. It is truly thanks to you. Here she is if you’d like to see. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rmilZHmrgJqlq68 When she does bark at strangers, what advice do you have? She is a corgi so it’s in her nature. I usually say leave it and recall her with “come”, but it is hard to practice during covid time.

[@spintwins859]

Great video! Thanks

[@kikopup]

Thank you for the comment :)

[@girlattack08]

Do you have a tutorial about the touching the leg?

[@Marta1985]

if only I could play all of these tutorials to my dog and give her treats to learn from watching :D

[@crywulf44]

Great vid! FYI your time stamps in the description have the wrong description

[@kikopup]

Oh thanks!

[@kikopup]

I fixed it!

[@MandyKleinAutiemom]

I have an 8 month ESC who is completely obsessed with food. He howls and barks in the morning when I shower because he wants breakfast. I don’t feed him or even come to him right away. We are doing the leash walking connected course and that is helping with treats but not sure how to deal with meals.

[@kikopup]

Oh gosh that sounds frustrating. I suggest feeding before the dog freaks out, then delay a tiny bit each day. Let out to the bathroom and then feed the meal. Also you can also experiment with feeding a meal at lunch and a dinner that is a little later at night, so that in the morning the pup is not feeling super hungry.

[@SUCCESSDINESH]

Nice one...

[@kikopup]

thanks!

[@monkeydonk3925]

Do you have a video on why dogs refuse to come inside. If not can you make one? When I had a dog he would bark until we take him outside, he wouldn't pee, and then would refuse to go inside.

[@karolinajachymova5617]

My 2 and half year old Corgi is sometimes to frustrating to work with. He knows many tricks but once you use treats in training he became like deaf. You can say him simple thing like ''SIT'' but he will do most of the tricks he knows in shortest time possible. When i give him command without treats he instantly knows what to do, but when treats are involved he is like crazy... What can I do?

[@crystalceja1381]

I love the ways u train ur dogs u r the best at it and I luv ur dogs specially epic ,tug , and wish n splash and or lash I'm sorry?? Anyways I loved when u asked ur dog to give u a kiss he put his head under his arms and u were like hey kiss 💋kiss!! All ur dogs r amazingly trained u have done a great n amazing job with all of them and they r all beautiful !! N ur amazingly talented I tip my hat off to u hun!!

[@Mimijona]

How do you use the touch command in the heel position? My dog knows to touch his nose to my hand, but the treats are in my hand and I say touch he would go to my hand instead of touching my leg. For the focused heel does it make sense to also ask for eye contact to keep the head in proper position?

[@kikopup]

you could put a target on your leg to begin with or have the hand higher up or behind your back after multiple touches to your leg with the hand there. Most dogs have to get quite far away or in front of you to look at your face, so their neck gets quite angled which is not great to hold for a long duration of time. If you put your Iphone in selfie mode and hold it where the dogs head is you can see what they would see if you are looking strait ahead.

[@kangeyisgr3at835]

what would you train after the dog's meal for those that get accited easily? could it be calm treat rewards or other behaviors?

[@kikopup]

You could work on stays, foot movements, head movements, any behaviors that the dog is not running or bouncing up and down etc.

[@kangeyisgr3at835]

@@kikopup Also, what should I do if my dog does get over excited by food? Do I immediately stop training and try again until their calm?

[@monicacannamiss9631]

Grest video i got to try. My dog gets nippy when playing and I try and get up. He tries to stop me. Will grab onto arm or leg and give tiny bites and at times try to hump. Same thing if my mom is getting off couch after she's been petting and massaging him, or at night when he sleeps with her and doesn't want her to get up to pee. He will like put his body over her. She's 2 years in recovery after a stroke and she loves him and they are very close. Hes a rescue... did dna and he was 50% poodle, like 25% bichon and I think 20% maltese. But I would like to stop that behavior. Any tips?

[@kikopup]

I suggest having jars of treats around and teach a cue to go to his bed, practice a lot where he goes to his bed and you stay where you are. then throw treats for staying in the bed. you could also have him go to a pen and close the door too if you think he might suddenly jump up and try to nip from the bed. After about 10-15 training sessions you can ask for him to go it his bed before you get up from the couch or are done petting and then feed treats for going to the bed.

[@begrant]

Haven't watched this whole thing, so maybe there's a timestamp I missed. How does this transfer to reducing my pup's excitement for other things? eg. other people, dogs, etc

[@kikopup]

this video is about if the dog is excited by food or toys, but if your dog is excited by food and toys its best to first work on that before then using them to try and teach a dog to be calm around other things. If that makes sense. For teaching calmness around other things you can have your dog settle on a mat and then use the calm marker and slow treat delivery for watching things at a distance that the dog is not excited by the distractions at first, then increase criteria. I have a protocol for increasing criteria- dogmantics.com/protocol-for-emotional-and-behavioral-modification/

[@renam2280]

A lot of people recommend having a leash on your puppy at all times indoors. Do you agree with this?

[@kikopup]

I have a video of my opinion on crates and tethering kzbin.info/www/bejne/aqWppmd9br6Be5I Basically, if you limit your puppies movement and choices too much, in the same way as a toddler, their body will not grow the same as they will be using less and different muscles and they can have behavioral issues if their movement and choices are limited too much. Puppies are like toddlers they move to build their muscles that will support their joints and structure and they move to learn about their world. So too much tethering and keeping in a confined barren environment is not a good idea in my opinion.