Understanding the Excitement Spectrum

Much like a wagging tail doesn't always mean a "friendly" dog, an overly aroused, overly excited, super juiced and jacked up dog doesn't always mean a "happy" dog.

Anyone who's worked with us knows we are really big on state of mind work. Conditioning, countering, and understanding how to manage and influence state of mind is a big piece of any behavioral puzzle.

In order to do this, we must first understand our dog as the individual (level of sensitivity, how the different drives express themselves through this particular dog, triggers- good and not-so-good, discomforts, personality, etc.).

Next, we've got to have the most appropriate aids (for that individual dog) to managing state of mind, along with timing, knowledge of the language of the leash, and use of space (movement within and using spatial pressure).

Finally, we've got to be aware of what the dog is *gaining* when practicing escalated states of mind: meals? treats? affection? attention? getting leashed up to go for a walk? getting released from a crate? moving closer to another dog? Whenever a dog is gaining anything through making certain choices, exhibiting certain behaviors, or *practicing certain states of mind*, the conditioning process begins.

Oftentimes, folks are unknowingly conditioning and reinforcing the hot end of the spectrum. And high excitement can quickly and easily turn into a not-so-good, risky shade of it (like aggression or reactivity).

We're big on conditioning calm, especially inside and within the home. Calm is also the space where "responses" occur as opposed to "reactions", and is also connected to how safe and secure a dog feels in their home and in their relationship with their human/s (especially when out in the "real world" along with them).

Understanding the excitement spectrum is key in understanding our dogs and working with any given behavior.