# Treat/Training Excitement - Help!



## Marlow's Mum (Apr 20, 2011)

I have clicker trained Guinness since he was 8 weeks old, and he's always done super well. Recently though, he's started panting very heavily and being aroused (he's not neautered yet) if we are training with treats. Instead of being focused, he is running around madly doing everything I've ever taught him. He also seems to be picking up new behaviours much more slowly because he is focused on getting the treat, not on what he's actually doing. 

He's 9 months old - could this be an age thing?

Our last training session was really stressful - I think for both of us. He was huffing and puffing and all a-flutter, and I couldn't get him focused enough to work on a new behaviour. This is starting to happen in all aspects of training that we've worked on - off leash walking (only good when I have a treat), recall, etc. 

He is extremely food-driven. I wonder if it is too late to change my reinforcement methods. How might I go about training something else - praise, play, etc - as a reward and make him work just as hard as he does for food?

HELP!


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Sounds like he has a major dose of adolescence! I suspect play as a reward might be even more exciting, and wind him up even more - although my two are so treat focussed that I rarely need to try anything else. I think I would try to ride it out - it will get better as he matures! Recognise his brain is rewiring and his body is flooded with hormones, scale down your expectations of what he can remember from one session to the next, and possibly use lower value treats to reduce the excitement levels. Lots of exercise, and lots of calming impulse control exercises. I am sure others more experienced with adolescent males will have advice.

Poppy, by contrast, is going through one of her rare proper seasons, and is being a bit of a diva - a sort of cross between Marilyn Monroe in the Seven Year Itch, and Greta Garbo "Vanting to be aloooooone"!


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## BorderKelpie (Dec 3, 2011)

Ah, the joys of adolescent males. He will get over it, if you don't encourage it. If you get frustrated, he will get more so since he already is. He doesn't know what's going on, he just knows something cool and stressful and weird is happening. When the hormones 'calibrate' he will once again be the easy to live with guy. 

Most of my dogs are intact, I can always tell when adolescence hits. Everyone gets stupid. It's temporary. Go back to tethering, he may forget some of his housetraining as he learns about marking, make training sessions low key for now. Ignore his silly behavior or just give him a 'nope, try again.' That settles mine down. Once I tell them that (sometimes several times) they sit down and look at me. Once I have their focus again, I quietly start working them. Keep sessions short but frequent again, just like when he was a baby. His mind is all over the place because right now, he's thinking with the wrong end. 

It'll be ok, it doesn't last long, I promise. 
Bug is hitting adolescence right now, too. Yippee. 
Maybe use a slightly lower value treat for a bit.


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## tortoise (Feb 5, 2012)

Easy solution: lower value reward.

It sounds like you have a case of spontaneous rehearsal. Go back to your basic or core behaviors, and essentially play "simon says". If he doesn't do what you ask, withhold the reward. Like if you say sit and he downs, no reward. (Have you taught a no-reward marker yet? It's a unique sound (like the clicker is) and it means he's not getting a treat). If he starts offering behaviors, no reward. Step on the leash because these motivated dogs can "rehearse" for a long time.

It might be frustrating, but it show your dog is highly trainable. You'll need to adapt your training to accomodate his brilliance!


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## JE-UK (Mar 10, 2010)

I agree with others ... age will sort out some of that.

One of the key things in training is teaching the dog that ONLY doing the behaviour on cue earns the reward. Sometimes, if the link between cue-behaviour-reward isn't clear, you get the dog throwing lots of behaviours hoping to randomly chance on the one you are after.

Maybe focus on training that requires movement for a while? I've taught mine to leap over my outstretched leg, to weave between my legs, to leap in the air on cue, etc. These are all good things to work on when he's excited. We also sometimes practice heelwork at a run, with lots of changes of direction.

The other thing that might help is the timing of your training. Normally, you want to train while the dog is slightly hungry, but in your case it might be more useful to train after he's had his dinner.

Good luck!


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## Quossum (Mar 18, 2011)

Good advice here already!

No, it's not too late to establish toys as another type of reward. In fact, an Agility competitor's fondest goal is for a tug-crazy dog, so I have worked that with Sugarfoot from Day One. (Literally, we were tugging on the potty breaks on the way home!) Now he will tug while his bowl of food is sitting right there. It is *very* handy to have a dog with different motivators.

--Q


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## outwest (May 1, 2011)

My sister in law had visions of not neutering her boy until he was over a year old. All was going well with the plan until he hit 9 months old. Suddenly, he turned into a hormonal monster. After he marked in the house a couple times (had not peed in the house since 3 months old!) and went mad humping a stuffed toy and a couple of people legs, she had it. She had those boys whacked off. 

If you plan to keep your guy intact, this will be a rough patch for you, but you will get through it. It seems the boys go wacky around this time and the hormones settle out in a few months. 

My girl is also very food driven. Last night I was going through her tricks and she was more interested in the hamburger bits than in listening to me. I was annoyed and thinking I should also stop using the treats so much, too.


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## Marlow's Mum (Apr 20, 2011)

Thanks you guys! This is really good information. I didn't know the adolescent phase had so many implications - but this is describing his behavior perfectly.

Coincidientally he marked inside the first time ever this morning, and I was fah-reaking out thinking all my hard work had come undone - until I read these great replies. 

The good news is that he's getting snipped some time in the coming month. 

I will try all these things though!

Fjm: what are some calming impulse control excersized that I can try?


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## sarpoodle (Dec 26, 2011)

In addition to all of the above, this sort of strikes me that the training has become routine, and Guinness knows what's coming. My mentor tells me over and over again, "the only routine is that there is no routine." 

Are you rewarding with food after each success? Once he's got it, do you continue to reward each and every time? Once the dog gets it, try varying up the times when he will actually get a treat/reward. With it being random and not routine, the dog doesn't know when the treat will come; he will stay more focused. Also, are you training him at the same time of day, in the same place? If yes, then he is building a pattern of expectation. Vary when and where you train.

Greg


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## BellaRose (Feb 16, 2014)

*Great Tips Folks*

I haven't picked up my little girl yet, but found all comment very interesting and informative. Will tuck these tips into my little bag of tricks.


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

There is no dog on this planet more food obsessed than my male Chihuahua, Jose`. First look up "It's Yer Choice." Do these exercises, get eye contact and reward for that. When he's acting like a nut, be sure and not reinforce...no attention, no talking, no looking, no nothing. And no food. Wait till he calms a little, then reinforce. When you're training a new behavior you do need to reinforce every time. But when it gets pretty good, go onto a variable reinforcement schedule and raise the criteria. Only add one criteria at a time. Take the treats from various places, not always the same place. Change up to a different context or location fairly soon as he gets onto the behavior you're teaching. After about 3 reps on the same behavior, stop reinforcing for those and raise the expectations...get a little straighter sit or more prompt recall before you reinforce. Once he's got it all down pat, go with a variable schedule and gradually fade to fewer and fewer reinforcers saving for only the best examples of the behavior. 

If he does the behavior you're looking for, like sitting but he's acting like a nut over the prospect of food, don't reinforce. Wait. Wait for him to calm, then click/treat. It won't take him long at all to catch onto what works and what doesn't. 

For any behavior you don't like....like this frenzied stuff, don't inadvertently reinforce by paying any attention to him, good or bad. Be outrageously consistent. Keep him busy with some new behavior. Give him an alternative. The second he's calm, controlled, click treat. Catch him at it in between obnoxiousness. When he's obnoxious, nothingness. lol.


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