Most dogs suffer form some form of over-excitability and inhibition behavior at some time in their lives. It could be due to a number of different factors including:

  • Stress
  • Strangers
  • Other dogs/animals
  • Sudden movements or loud noises
  • Social Isolation

All of the above can cause a dog to become over excited and they can be hard to handle in these circumstances. Dogs which are inhibited by stress tend to move slowly and stiffly so it is the complete opposite of over excitability. It could be that the dog is left alone for long periods of time either throughout the night or throughout the day and they become either over excited or inhibited due to the stress of being isolated. Whatever the cause is, it is certainly not pleasant for the owner to witness and control. So just how do you control it?

How it is Possible to Control over Excitability and Inhibition in Dogs?
It is thought that certain herbs and synthetic drugs do have some effect in some dogs, though not all dogs seem to respond. This is the same as with humans and many studies have been carried out to see why exactly this is. It is thought to be due to the balance of the internal neurochemicals which forces the behavior to become apparent.

As our dogs grow, their body chemistry changes and this causes hormonal imbalances. The imbalances then cause various problems for the dog and owner including physiologic, structural and behavioral changes. Psychological stress is thought to have a huge affect on the neurochemical imbalances and that is where certain drugs can come in. The drugs can be used to control these imbalances and therefore influence the dog’s behavior.

Taking into account that mild stress can cause a dog to have over excitable or inhibited behavior explains why a mainly friendly and docile pet can turn into an aggressive, spontaneous one without much notice. The chemical responses in the dog’s body tell it to defend itself and that is where the aggression comes from. Sometimes the aggression can come in small spurts where nipping is all that is caused, but then other times it can be that the dog becomes so aggressive that it will take a few minutes for them to get all of the aggression out of their system. Straight after the aggression the dog will go back to normal as if nothing has happened and they may even seem a little confused too.

The problem with over excitable dogs is that they often get punished by their unsuspecting owners and that in turn can cause snapping. Such punishments which may cause a dog to become snappy include hitting them with rolled up newspapers, shaking their jowls and doing a muzzle clamp with the hands.

Overall if you do have an over excitable dog then make sure that you seek your vets advice. Sometimes it is not the dogs fault but there may be things which you can do to stop or control the behavior.

Article by Kelly Marshall of Oh My Dog Supplies.