My dog gets too excited before the dog park. How can I calm him?

Many dogs have this problem - it's called leash reactivity :) It happens because Laika is so excited to see another dog, and frustrated because she can't immediately run over to them - which leads to barking and lots of crazy, uncontrollable behavior. Fortunately, this behavior is usually very treatable with a good training plan. Normally, a training plan for these dogs involves using very tasty treats to reward calm behavior at a distance from another dog - it's critical that you're far enough away that she can be calm and take treats, which means that you may need a lot of distance at first! Once she understands the game and is doing well, you can gradually move closer. It can be hard to do this on your own at first, so I would really recommend getting in touch with a good reward-based trainer who can help you in person. He/she can help by setting up controlled training situations at first with a calm "helper dog" to help both of you get the idea of how to work on the problem, until you're ready to transition to real life scenarios like passing another dog on a walk.

He’s just excited and playing. Many dogs do this and they are not afraid of the leash. I would work on having him sit for a treat and ask him to stay while you attach the leash. With practice and treats he should be able to stay calm. He wants to play so this behavior is trying to get you into a game. Make sure he gets plenty of exercise and play with him outside in the yard, not in the house, so he wants to go out to play. Soon he’ll figure out he can’t go until you attach the leash. Be patient training, an excited dog takes time and repetition to change his behavior. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Jack.

It sounds like Siri is trying to train you. The best way to get him to stop without significant intervention is positive reinforcement. In this case, you will be reinforcing the absence of a behavior. I don't know where he stands in reference to you while he is barking, but hopefully it is within a reasonable voice's reach. You need to start rewarding Siri for periods of quiet (I would say if he is in a barking fit, any period of silence greater than 10-15 seconds should be rewarded). You should also start to come up with a word you phrase you use to ask Siri to quiet down. It doesn't matter what you choose as long as you are consistent. If this fails, there are bark collars out there of all different types. On small dogs I essentially never, ever recommended any collar that produces an electric shock. However, there are citronella collars that spray an unpleasant liquid (not bothersome to humans) at the dog any time it barks above a certain volume. It is extremely effective on some dogs and completely harmless. Hope this helps.

What you're describing sounds like a reaction to the general excitement level and maybe the volume in the room. Some dogs will actually become aggressive that type of situation (for example, they will bite ONLY when there's a touchdown -- not so fun for the visitors). As far as stopping it, keeping her a quiet separate area during big gatherings is one way, as long as she doesn't bark to be reunited with the group. You can also try feeding her a continuous steam of small treats to help change her emotional reaction to these events. One thing to avoid is any yelling or punishment, since that may push her over the edge from barking to aggression

It sounds like Toby was frightened and overwhelmed by the dog park - some dogs don't enjoy crowded places like this with lots of other dogs. I would suggest walking him in quieter places where he's comfortable, if he has problems with barking and growling at dogs in other situations, it would be best to make an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist or a good reward-based trainer who can evaluate him in person and help you put together a training plan to help him learn to be more comfortable around strange dogs and people. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org or a qualified trainer here: www.ccpdt.org

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It sounds like you have been doing some one on one training and small groups, and that has been going well. If that is the case, I suppose I would try adding one dog at a time, and not moving to more dogs until the behavior is controlled. If 2 or 3 is going well, then add a 4th, and change who that 4th dog is. Perhaps you will find that there is one particular dog that is the instigator, and you can work more one on one with that dog. Make sure you are telling them what TO do (i.e. sit, lay down, stay, etc.) instead of what NOT to do. Give them a job, and reward them for doing that job. Have patience, and keep working at it! I hope that helps.

It sounds like two different things might be going on: overexcitement and potentially leash aggression. To me it doesn’t sound like Bruce is timid or anxious around other dogs and new places, but rather that he is really really excited to be out and about. The attacking fences where there are other dogs could be a sign of leash aggression. There are things to do to help - you should start by working with basic commands at home - ask him to either sit or make eye contact at home, then start practicing with him on a leash and when there is a minor distraction around. Gradually work up to going outside in a quiet area. If you’re struggling an obedience class might help, or you could also ask your vet for a referral to a behaviorist.