Oh my goodness. Ears flying. Tongue lolling. Wiggling. Jumping. Spinning. Is there anything better than a dog who is happy and excited?
We love to see our dogs having a good time.
Yes! And, I often coach clients to be on the lookout for “the roller coaster effect”.
Roller coasters can be really fun, but they can also make you throw up! The line between “Wow, this is a wild ride!” and “Yikes, I’m about to be sick.” can be really thin.
Most of us don’t want to spend our life in a constantly stimulating theme park. Sometimes you want a movie or a quiet meal. Other times, you want to stay home, craft or chill.
When we rescue a dog from a situation where they have spent too much time in a crate, lonely backyard, or shelter kennel, our impulse may be to give them some fun –at last! Seeing a dog get excited is rewarding. They look so happy!
But it’s a good idea to remember the roller coaster effect. Is the dog getting too much of a good thing? Is the good, fun stress turning into unpleasant stress? Eustress to distress?
The roller coaster effect can look like:
Frantic attention-seeking: pawing, panting, licking, and jumping up.
Nervous whining, panting, or circling.
Amped up: humping, leash grabbing, barking, mouthing, or biting.
More subtle signs the fun is going sour include yawning, lip-licking, and a sudden interest in getting out of dodge to do some sniffing or drink more water.
Some key times to watch out for the roller coaster effect:
Introducing a New Dog to Your Home Although it sounds fun, the first day you bring home a dog is not the day to take them to the beach. Let them sniff and explore their new home and get to know you first. That will likely be enough of an adventure for them–and much safer since a new dog is always a flight risk.
Introducing a Dog to a New Person or New Dog
When introducing your dog to a new person or new dog, you don’t want to make this introduction when the dog is already on a roller coaster. Meeting someone new is already interesting and exciting. Level 10 excitement can tip over into nervous anxiety, fear, or frustration. Before making an introduction you want your dog to be more at ease. For example: They’ve already done some sniffing of a new place. They’ve spent some time playing with a familiar dog. Their body language is relaxed and loose.
When I brought home my new rescue dogs we started by exploring the backyard. Day one. Then we went on leash outings in the front yard. Day two. Then down the block a bit. Day three. We took it one day at a time and I watched them carefully since they were prone to tipping from excited sniffing to uncontrollable barking. We worked up to longer walks as they became more comfortable and confident. Eventually, they stopped “going off”–-barking incessantly when they got startled or encountered something new.
For a while we tried taking them to parks to let them explore, a nice idea in theory, but too much for those dogs at that time. The car rides, new scents, and places were too “woo hoo!”. I saw their excitement, but also their anxiety. Even little outings quickly brought them over threshold–into a state that was just stressful. We had to stick to a few familiar places to start.
Don’t forget that relaxation is also a skill. Reward for calm. Let your dog know good things happen when they settle, too. Life isn’t always a roller coaster. Sometimes it’s a lazy river float or a quiet night on the couch.
Don’t feel bad if you don’t start your dog out at the fun park. Your dog may not be ready for the Velocicoaster or even the teacups. Depending on the dog, they may not ever need much out-sized adventure.
After all, is there anything better than a snoozing relaxed dog with their head on their paws making contented little grunting sounds?
Comentarios