Well-Behaved or Wild? Managing Training for the ‘Wild Ones’ part 1.

Well-Behaved or Wild? Managing Training for the ‘Wild Ones’

This topic won the vote for a new blog post earlier this year, but I had to let it sit for a bit before I could get to it! After that, I found myself unsure of how to approach it, as terms like “naughty,” “overly excited,” “too much emotion,” and other such deep, meaningful phrases were a bit overwhelming. But finally, I’ve decided to tackle it from a more practical angle, and today we’re going to talk about how to manage training sessions for those dogs we often call “naughty” and “emotional” 😉

We won’t be judging your dogs, classifying their behaviors, or looking for past training mistakes that might have led to challenging behaviors during training sessions. Instead, we’ll focus on tips and aspects worth considering if you’re not satisfied with your training sessions together. Hopefully, this will inspire you to make some changes and ultimately improve your bond with your “wild” dogs!

1. Wild and Overly Excited Dogs Need a Lot of Calming!

And yes, that’s true! Working with such a dog should definitely include elements that help bring them to an optimal level of arousal, and their daily routine must include time for relaxation and recovery (and yes, with these dogs, you often need to support these processes). However, if your dog is already worked up and exhibiting wild behavior during training, just stopping them or incorporating exercises that demand "self-control" or adding pressure will not magically “calm” them down. Just like telling an upset person to “calm down” or “stop stressing” doesn’t work, placing your dog in a command or taking away their food won’t solve the issue either. Sometimes, this can even backfire. You might be putting a lid on a pot of boiling water... 😉

What I’m getting at is that dogs who are naturally more emotional and prone to frustration also need opportunities to blow off steam. Yes, even during training! If you’re teaching new things, working on challenging behaviors in difficult environments, and then adding exercises that require constant self-control, suppressing reactions, and restraining actions, expect a whole range of “undesired behaviors” to emerge as the dog tries to cope with the situation. Depending on the dog’s preferences and the relationship with their handler, this could include: distraction, sniffing, barking, chewing, stealing toys, or breaking commands.

If your dog loves movement and activity, consider what will calm them down more – a "down" command or letting them take a break and play with a toy on the training field? 🙂 Plan your training sessions so that more difficult exercises requiring greater control happen after your dog’s primary needs are met. We particularly see this with Ravka, who struggles to manage her reactions during a stimulating training session. Right now, she’s able to patiently wait on her bed through a whole frisbee session with Bułka (!!!), but only after her short session. Eventually, I hope she’ll be able to train as a second dog (like Professor Bułka currently does) without a drop in quality, but we still have time for that!

2. Is What You’re Giving Your Dog a Reward Actually a Reward for Them?

With wild dogs, we often deal with high expectations for rewards. If those expectations are not met, the dog takes the reward for themselves. Or maybe not the reward you intended – they’ll grab a toy from someone else’s bag or a stick they find on the ground. 😉 Remember that the reward should be appropriate to the dog’s “achievement.” We often use food as a reward, which works great, and I personally do a lot of training based on food! But think about this: when your hyperactive dog passes up chasing another dog, prey, or greeting a friend to calmly sit as a neighbor’s “crazy” dog walks by, is a meager treat given directly to their mouth truly a valuable reward?

Is it worth it for them to repeat this behavior in the future, or will they prefer the chase?

Don’t limit yourself to “calm” rewards when working with a dog who thrives on excitement 😉 It's important to give them what excites them! If being with you is rewarding, comfortable, and meets their needs, they will eventually tolerate a lot more without escalating frustration. I take the same approach to rewarding during training. If your dog drops the toy on command even though they really don’t want to, they deserve to get that toy back. After all, it’s the one thing they wanted most at that moment!

3. Pre-Training Routines Can Be Just As Important As the Training Itself!

Managing the environment, how you start your sessions, and how you structure breaks between them can have a significant impact on how training goes.

You’ll need to figure out how to manage the time around training to make the training time itself as effective as possible! Many dogs benefit from a short, leisurely walk before training, where they can explore and sniff, and then diving into the training session right after. Others do better with a brief tug-of-war session to release some built-up energy before getting into training. Of course, I always aim to develop each dog to the point where they can handle more variety in their pre-training routines, as we live in a multi-dog household, and we attend dog seminars and competitions.

There isn’t always time, space, or energy for that “perfect routine.”

But I introduce these less-than-perfect routines only when I’ve already built a solid training foundation with the dog, and we’ve had a chance to get to know each other. Our young dogs (and even the older ones who are new to this like Ravka) get it easier. I make sure their environment is set up to increase the chances of a successful training session! After some time, I start to increase the difficulty, such as requiring a short wait on the bed before we start playing frisbee. But when I raise the bar by saying “be good before you get the chance to be wild,” the only criterion for the session is that rule – no new exercises or new places to explore. I gradually bring everything together, until we’re able to participate in a seminar where the dog calmly waits their turn before maximizing the time allocated to them.

Managing the pre-training environment can have a huge impact on the session itself. We as handlers might be quick to blame the training or our dog’s temperament when all that’s needed is a little adjustment to what happens before the session begins. Many dogs, for example, struggle with frisbee or exhibit excessive vocalization when they enter the training session already wound up. This is also tied to their emotional state during the drive to the training site or while waiting for their turn, but I’ve already covered that topic in a course!

4. Life Situations and Environment Management

Unfortunately, if a dog has learned that excitement leads to even more excitement, we enter a self-perpetuating cycle. Simple life events – like feeding the dog, taking them off the leash, arriving at their favorite play spot, going into the garden, or greeting a dog friend – can have a huge impact on your training. If your wild dog starts dancing with joy and pulling you toward their favorite spot, it’s going to be hard to teach them to sit calmly when their toy is five meters away and tempting them.

Here, we need to approach this with a dual strategy. In situations where the dog can manage and offer you eye contact and “calmness” to earn access to what’s exciting, you can require that. In such cases, you can release the dog using a command or end of session cue, allowing them access to the reward. But we shouldn’t expect a dog who’s still learning to be able to write an essay before they’ve learned the alphabet! So, if you feel that a situation is too much for your dog, focus more on managing the environment to prevent them from escalating emotionally.

Examples?

Let your dog out into the yard with their “soother” in their mouth – for example, their favorite chew toy. This gives them a chance to expend energy on that, instead of barking wildly or nipping at your other dogs (Ravka says hi 😅).

In stimulating places (like a forest full of scents), switch to a harness and lead with a shock-absorbing leash (I also recommend a hip belt!) and allow them to “release” their energy by pulling, in a way that’s comfortable for both of you (Ravka again 😅).

If your dog is eagerly anticipating being released from the leash, release them when they’re sniffing an interesting smell or peeing, followed by a calm “go ahead” cue (again, Ravka 😅).

Take your dog to a place that they associate with high excitement and practice things like lying on a bed or calling them back to you for a treat after they’ve sniffed something off the ground (Ravka, still my model 😅).

There are many more examples! I recommend putting some energy into finding these solutions, rather than trying to control unwanted behaviors once they’ve already occurred.

5. Plan, Plan, and More Planning!!

Plan your training session. Organize its time and structure so that you can mentally "tick off" achieved goals and focus on rewarding them. Dogs hate chaos! They much prefer to follow a consistent and clear guide. If your sessions become chaotic, like when you decide to "just throw the frisbee," you’re creating the perfect opportunity for a range of behaviors to be labeled as “misbehavior.” There’s nothing wrong with a training session to “wear out” your dog or “satisfy their needs,” but even such a session should have a plan.

Having a plan also allows you to take breaks where your excitable student can unwind and comfortably transition into the next session 🙂.