Question:
I have a miniature schnauzer who turned 2 years old last June. He is a very sweet and loving dog, and loves people. The problem is that when someone comes to my house or comes near him when I walk him he wants to jump all over them and acts like he is starving for attention. I have no control over this and cannot get him to settle down or get down off of people. He is very active and hyper when I am at home and when he is out of his kennel.I work all day and also work some evenings for two to three hours. I have him in a kennel when I am not at home, but when I am home I play ball, get on the floor with him, walk him, etc. He wants constant attention. I hate having him in his kennel and I tried leaving him out one evening when I was gone for a few hours, but came home and a pillow was torn up and stuffing was strewn from one end of my house to the other.When will he outgrow this and settle down? He has been a great companion for me and I can't imagine living without him, but he is hard to handle sometimes.
S.H., Portsmouth, Va Apr 10, 2005
Answer:
Your dog may calm down with age in the next year or so, since he is still young. But he may have a genetic predisposition to be hyperactive, a condition aggravated by boredom and separation anxiety while you are away from the house.When you first come home, don't enthusiastically greet him. Be calm and cool as you let him out of his kennel (kenneling being a practice I do not recommend if it can be avoided). Don't pet him or speak until he quiets down, and tell him, firmly, to sit. Then leash him and take him out for a potty break, a long walk, and an off-leash run and playtime with other dogs.Consider having a dog-walker take him out while you are away at work, and go with him to obedience school so you can learn how to control him and he can learn self-control.Also, my guess is that if you were to pick him up and hold him he would squirm and go crazy until you put him down, and then he'd run around like crazy. Try holding him in your arms and only let him down when he's quieted down -- this way he can lear
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