woody2shoes Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 Hi, Just hoping someone might have experience with this 'type' of dog. My sister visits quite regularly with her two dogs. Typically, she stays overnight on her way to Melbourne and heads off the next morning with her quiet terrier mix bitch. She always leaves her very excitable greyhound/staffie mix bitch with us since she is just not a dog she can travel to suburbia with. The grey/staffie mix is actually quite a biddable girl BUT she has a very excitable and volatile nature. The slightest thing switches her over to the point where she literally screams with excitement! NOTHING PENETRATES when she is in this zone. You can wait till the cows come home for her to calm down and she just keeps it up. I have never seen or heard anything like it and I am sure that our neighbours 1km away will report us to the RSPCA. This kind of dog behaviour is totally new to us. Some things do help a little but I'm not sure we are really adressing the root of the problem. I am keen to know if anyone out there can relate to this behaviour and offer some advice. Thanks in advance. w2s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m-j Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 Hi What have you tried? cheers M-J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody2shoes Posted March 4, 2009 Author Share Posted March 4, 2009 Hi What have you tried? cheers M-J Hi, This dog has a very high prey drive and her vocalising is presumably her way of showing it. So, our instinct has been to wait for her to switch into social drive (not very successful ) and then reward her, or to give her a known command and reward this behaviour (also not very succesful ) It is hard to get through to her in any way as she is very blinkered when in this state. She has responded to being sprayed with a water bottle but only temporarily. I should add in all fairness, that because our dogs are quiet, she improves as the days go by but I am absolutely certain that placed in a new situation, she would respond badly all over again. Just to give you a better idea of her behaviour, the sorts of things which trigger the hysteria are - pulling into our driveway when she first arrives (you can hear her screaming from way up the road and she would destroy the inside of the car if left to 'calm down' ), leaving her in the yard while we do chores elsewhere on our property, locking her out of the pigeon loft when feeding/watering the birds, confining her to the house while out in the yard...and the list goes on! Cheers, w2s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m-j Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 Did you do the training for the known commands? It also sounds like you don't actually have her much of the time? Based on the very little info (not having seen the dog) it sounds like she loves visiting, at an uneducated guess :rolleyes: cheers M-J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody2shoes Posted March 4, 2009 Author Share Posted March 4, 2009 Did you do the training for the known commands? It also sounds like you don't actually have her much of the time? Based on the very little info (not having seen the dog) it sounds like she loves visiting, at an uneducated guess :D cheers M-J You're right on the money M-J. She only visits every so often and as you suggest, she just LOVES to be here with all our lot. :rolleyes: Can't knock her taste, that's for sure! We didn't train her in the few commands she knows. She is very biddable under normal circumstances so I'd love to know how to help her control her excitement. She misses out on so much because of her 'over the top' attitude. My sister is not very experienced with dogs so she really has no clue how to deal with this behaviour. I meant to add earlier that my sister bought both her dogs from her local pound. The grey/staffy mix was sold to her as a labrador puppy!!!!! OMG!!! I guess she was black with a short coat so what else could she possibly have been but a lab???? :p ;) I could tell from the first mobile phone pic my sister sent me that this was no lab puppy! What hope do some people have? Cheers, w2s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody2shoes Posted March 4, 2009 Author Share Posted March 4, 2009 (edited) Double Post Edited March 4, 2009 by woody2shoes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roguedog Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 it might be worth getting someone out to give you and your sister some pointers, there are things you can do but its much better to have someone there to show you instead of trying to explain over the net. I have an extremely high drive dog too, half the time it sounded like I had a dinosaur in the backyard! now if she peaks out and starts to vocalise, I am able to quickly step in and quiet her down. It did take time and effort but it was worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bully_Bullseye Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 My brothers APBT does the screaming thing when it time to go for a work, I know exactly what you mean about being worried about the neighbours, it sounds like something/someone is getting murdered in the backyard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m-j Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 We didn't train her in the few commands she knows. She is very biddable under normal circumstances so I'd love to know how to help her control her excitement. She misses out on so much because of her 'over the top' attitude. My sister is not very experienced with dogs so she really has no clue how to deal with this behaviour. If you let me know where you are I may be able to suggest someone who can help you, if you like even though she isn't your dog. At least she likes you pity her joy of seeing you/being left out of activities is so noisy. cheers M-J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody2shoes Posted March 8, 2009 Author Share Posted March 8, 2009 If you let me know where you are I may be able to suggest someone who can help you, if you like even though she isn't your dog. At least she likes you :D pity her joy of seeing you/being left out of activities is so noisy.cheers M-J Have pm'd you m-j. might be worth getting someone out to give you and your sister some pointers, there are things you can do but its much better to have someone there to show you instead of trying to explain over the net. Thanks rubeedoo, Our remoteness makes that a very difficult proposition unfortunately. We live miles from nowhere... I have an extremely high drive dog too, half the time it sounded like I had a dinosaur in the backyard! now if she peaks out and starts to vocalise, I am able to quickly step in and quiet her down. It did take time and effort but it was worth it. It's nice to know that we are not alone! and that perhaps, one day, we will be able to have a calm & relaxing time with Pippa!!! (and pigs might fly... ;) ) w2s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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