We all want our dogs to be happy. But there is a lot of confusion between “being happy” and “being excited.’
Even if you only have one dog, if he/she is excited at any given time, it is harder for them to control themselves. This often rears its ugly head with a puppy being wildly excited and jumping and/or grabbing you or guests. This behavior may or may not decrease with age but in the meantime our dogs are learning that this behavior is acceptable when they are seeking attention.
Instead we should be teaching them that they NEVER get what they want with actions like that. Same goes for pulling on leash or bolting out the door.
True, it takes forethought and consistency in teaching them behavior that does away with the troubling habits. Certainly the easiest way is to use a tag line or leash in the house to reinforce sit instead of jumping. Outside on leash we should teach them that pulling will never get them to their goal. Instead focus on us and walking under control is what gets them to where they want to go. Teaching the wait command forces the dog to practice self-control instead of flying through an open door or gate.
When our dogs learn to be calm in order to get attention and affection it is a win win for everyone. AND if there is more than one dog in the household maintaining a general calm will go a long way toward preventing over excited interactions that can easily topple over into fights.
Another huge benefit of our dogs remaining calm is that they can learn much more readily and retain what we teach them.
Sooooo calm is a very beneficial goal to work toward with our fur kids!