# Solutions for highly strung, excitable dog..desperate



## kam200 (Sep 3, 2009)

Hi everyone, I'm about at the end of my tether with Poppy my lhasa apso :-(

She's nearly three and her excitable, highly strung nature just isn't improving despite everything we do. We live on a dog walking route and she is constantly looking out of the windows and pacing about trying to catch sight of dogs passing, when she does see another dog she goes absolutely berserk. She runs into every room and barks, up the garden path and barks and then back to the window to bark. I've tried ignoring her, tiring her out on walks and holding her close to try and reassure her...none have worked. She is fine with other dogs when out, she just barks insanely at them in the house. 
We also have problems with barking at the tv and jumping up at it and not very reliable house training..sometimes she is too busy barking outside and then hasn't actually relieved herself so can sometimes do her business when we are out of the house. This toilet training issue comes and goes (tends to be worse in the winter and in other people's houses when visiting.)

There's no difference in her highly strung behaviour depending on how tired she is, she coould have just come back from a really long walk and still be barking at our window or the tv. I've just never known such a highly strung little dog, she's got me at the end of my tether..to the point where family members will no longer have her if we ever go away for a night or on our holidays as they feel she has too many issues.

She also humps other dogs constantly when around them and cocks her leg to have a wee (?) 
Someone please help! I'm willing to invest in anti-anxiety aids or anything that will help, just feeling pretty desperate and alone in this.
Thanks
Kayleigh


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## ClaireandDaisy (Jul 4, 2010)

What are you feeding her? 
Some foods encourage hyperactive behaviour. Bakers is the worst. 
What is her routine? 
Does she have regular daily exercise, including time to run and play off lead? 
Have you done any training with her? 
Holding her increases her anxiety btw. You would be better training her. 
Have you socialised her? 
Does she have the chance to interact and play with other dogs? 
If you tell us more info, I`m sure someone can advise.


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## kam200 (Sep 3, 2009)

Hi there, she's been fed a variety of things over the years with no difference in her behaviour (raw, wainwrights dry and wet, butchers etc.)
The holding was only one thing I tried incase she felt anxious..i don't actually think she is frightened she just goes crazy like she's guarding the house. I've also tried ignoring her and took her out of the room where she's barking at the window. 
She was taken to puppy classes from when I got her until 6 months of age but these were only designed for pups not older dogs, she's ok with other dogs. She regularly sees family and friend's dogs...she loves playing with them but also constantly humps them aswell which gets a bit ridiculous after a while. She was attacked by a rottweiler 18mths ago but her barking and excitable behaviour was evident before this so I don't think this triggered her excitable behaviour. 

She usually has around a 30 min walk a day, when she has this walk or longer exercise she acts in entirely the same manner..she always seems to have enough energy to bark at the window and tv.
She only goes offlead when in a field where I can see there are no other dogs as when she sees one she runs off and won't come back..much preferring to leave with her new friend and its owner!
She lives at home with me, my partner and our two children. She is always running around and playing with them (some people have said that having children may make her more excitable and revved up..no idea if this is true).
I know that barking can be a lhasa apso trait but how highly strung she is around everything and her strange humping of other dogs just seems very very excessive. Its gone on for such a long time and she just is not calming down with age.
Thanks


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## Bagrat (Jun 4, 2012)

Is there any way you can prevent her seeing out. Our sofa is permanently barricaded so it isn't a viewing point. We have invested in net curtains ( which I hate), another option is occlusive film for bottom half of window or preventing access to the "room with a view". Perhaps better if she can't rush from one room to another and in and out. Any chance of putting baby gates on doors?
Is she a foodie? If she's contained in a room where she can see out, you can sit there with yummy treats and let her "do her thing" and then when you think she is less interested ( looks away or stops barking which may seem like forever to start with) click and treat then let her go back to looking out as her real reward (as far as she's concerned). Give it a cue such as "go see" . After a while especially if no dogs appear when she's looking, she'll look round for a treat "click and treat". After a while ( it may be a long while!!)she will prefer staying by you for a treat even when you say "go see".
We have now progressed to saying "Thank you" and our boy comes dashing back for a treat (usually!*!)


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## hippymama (Jul 26, 2012)

i agree with previous poster about having somewhere that she cant see out and teaching her to settle there, use a stuffed kongs maybe? , could be that having more space is making it worse ...she feels like she has to guard the whole house , not suprising as what lhasa apso's where bred to do origionally in temples in tibet was bark to alert the monks of intruders


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## Hayley22 (May 12, 2013)

kam200 said:


> Hi everyone, I'm about at the end of my tether with Poppy my lhasa apso :-(
> 
> She's nearly three and her excitable, highly strung nature just isn't improving despite everything we do. We live on a dog walking route and she is constantly looking out of the windows and pacing about trying to catch sight of dogs passing, when she does see another dog she goes absolutely berserk. She runs into every room and barks, up the garden path and barks and then back to the window to bark. I've tried ignoring her, tiring her out on walks and holding her close to try and reassure her...none have worked. She is fine with other dogs when out, she just barks insanely at them in the house.
> We also have problems with barking at the tv and jumping up at it and not very reliable house training..sometimes she is too busy barking outside and then hasn't actually relieved herself so can sometimes do her business when we are out of the house. This toilet training issue comes and goes (tends to be worse in the winter and in other people's houses when visiting.)
> ...


Try your best to block her view out of the window if possible, I know its not always possible though. Give her things to distract her, a kong, bone, some toys etc. Also you could try and train a "quiet" command.. so she may still bark but at least you can stop her. There are some very good videos on youtube about training this command. Or when she barks, remove her from the area or room where she can see the dogs, remove her until she stops barking then she can come back into the room and repeat if needed. You can do the same with the TV, there are so many different solutions what you can try for dogs which bark, with mine I say enough and remove them from that room until stopped barking.

With the toilet training go back to basics, take out after eating, sleeping, playing etc so they are the times shes most likely to need it. Some dogs will only go on walks, that's when they feel most comfortable sometimes.

Is she neutered? I see you say she gets walked 30 mins a day, personaly I would increase the exercise, take her out in the morning if you can for a while then again in the middle of day or afternoon then evening or late afternoon. It gives her a chance to use all her senses and can relax dogs. Some dogs get more over excited by more exercise as exercise releases hormones which is why some dogs do run round thehouse and seem more over excited when they come in from a walk.

You could also try lavender round the house, I know someone who did a dissertation on calming methods for rescue dogs and this worked the best.

However there are so many methods and its difficult to advise over a forum because we don't personally know the dog. You could also contact a dog trainer so you can have one to one help and they can do a assessment on her.


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## kam200 (Sep 3, 2009)

Hi thanks for the replies. I've been out today and bought a clicker, urine odour eliminator ,a Kong and some training treats. I've also had her on two walks instead of her usual one. I'm going to look into how to use clicker training to reduce barking and the jumping up at the window. Fingers crossed i see some improvement soon.
Thanks


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## smokeybear (Oct 19, 2011)

What professional help have you sought over the last three years?


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## lilythepink (Jul 24, 2013)

Hi, I have 2 mini dakkies, house training them as puppies was a nightmare and took such a long time(they didn't arrive together here). They are great in summertime but in winter its a whole new ball game and we still have the odd accident.1 of them is 13. 

I think much of the toilet stuff with little dogs is cos they dont want to get cold wet bellies when they go outside in bad weather.


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## kam200 (Sep 3, 2009)

Yeah i definitely think that's it! 
In regards to professional help i took her to puppy training classes until the age of six months but there's been no professional help since then. People we know who have witnessed her excitable nature have agreed that she'll grow out of it and calm down as she gets older... but unfortunately here we are with a dog who is three in October and still as highly strung as ever.
Thanks


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