The Danger of Letting Excitement Go Unchecked

A Peaceful Pack
May 22
3 min read

What We’re Solving

It’s one of the most overlooked problems in modern dog ownership: Overexcitement. Not aggression. Not fear. Not disobedience. Excitement. That wagging tail, bouncing body, or high-pitched bark doesn’t always signal joy. It often signals chaos. And chaos is the breeding ground for bad behavior.

At A Peaceful Pack, we’ve learned something simple but revolutionary: if you let excitement go unchecked, it becomes the fuel behind jumping, leash pulling, barking, and even aggression.

Why It Matters

Excitement is arousal. Arousal is energy. And energy without structure becomes misbehavior.

“Arousal is the enemy of learning.”— Dr. Karen Overall, veterinary behaviorist

High energy dogs often get mislabeled as stubborn or dominant, when really, they’re just flooded. Their nervous systems are overstimulated. And once that sympathetic state kicks in (fight/flight), the dog stops thinking and starts reacting.

This is why the dog who’s sweet in the living room turns into a sled dog on the sidewalk. Or why the friendly greeter becomes a jumper, barker, or even a nipper when guests walk through the door. Letting excitement run wild tells your dog: “The more you amp up, the more life gets fun.”

What To Do Instead

Here’s how we calm the chaos and shape behavior that actually lasts.

1. Teach the Power of Stillness

Stillness isn’t just cute. It’s strategic. A still dog is a thinking dog. And a thinking dog is a dog who can actually hear you.

At A Peaceful Pack, we teach “The Art of Doing Nothing.” Dogs are required to hold a down or place while the world moves around them—until calm becomes their default.

This isn’t just about obedience. It’s about nervous system mastery. The dog learns: I don’t have to react to every sound, smell, or movement. I can watch. I can wait. I can breathe.

We use drills like the Double Down, slow leash walks with Stop & Pop resets, and calm greeting protocols to reward neutrality—not intensity.

2. Reframe Petting and Praise

Petting isn’t always love. Sometimes it’s gasoline. Every time you pet your dog while they’re spinning, whining, or jumping, you’re reinforcing that state of mind. You’re telling their nervous system: “More of this, please.”

“What you pet is what you get.” — Peaceful Pack Core Philosophy

Want calm? Reward calm. Want stillness? Pet stillness. Your hand becomes a tool of reinforcement, not just affection.

3. Interrupt the Pattern Before It Escalates

The longer excitement runs, the harder it is to bring a dog back down.

This is where timing and structure come in. If a dog begins to spiral—at the front door, on the leash, in the crate—you don’t wait for the blow-up. You interrupt the thought pattern with clarity.

This might look like:

A quick leash pop or E-collar tap when energy spikes before a walkWalk Drills stop and pop
A threshold drill before door greetings
A pre-placed leash before letting the dog greet a guest

Every interruption is a whisper of leadership that says, “Hey. This isn’t the time.”

4. Burn It Before You Build It

Here’s the truth: over-excited dogs don’t need more affection. They need more output.

Before we try to “train” a hyperactive dog, we get that energy out in a productive way—treadmill, structured walks, resistance games, flirt poles. Once the nervous system is balanced, then we introduce commands like place, down, and come.

In our programs, we pre-load the calm by giving dogs the outlet they need before asking for self-control. The result? Dogs that aren’t just trained. They’re regulated.

What to Watch For

Signs Excitement Is Out of Control:

Zoomies the second the leash comes out
Jumping on every guest (even after “sit” is said ten times)
Whining, panting, pacing in the crate
Barking at windows or fences without regulation
Pulling ahead on walks, even with tools

Signs Your Dog Is Learning Calm Control:

Pauses at thresholds
Looks at distractions, then back to handler
Settles on place even with movement around
Maintains loose leash with no verbal correction
Sleeps better, eats better, listens better

The Bigger Picture

The reason this works isn’t magic. It’s biology. Dr. Stephen Porges, creator of Polyvagal Theory, explains that the parasympathetic system—your dog’s “rest and digest” mode—only activates when they feel safe and supported.

When we reward calm and correct chaos, we’re not suppressing our dogs. We’re supporting their biology. We’re giving them a nervous system upgrade.

“A calm dog isn’t shutting down. A calm dog is switching on their ability to learn, connect, and thrive.”— Hayden Fullingim