This Goose-Imitation Spray is the Only Way I Can Correct My Over-Excited Dog
I have a foster dog, Mabel, who is the most excited girl in the world. You know in Barbie when Barbie wakes up and she’s immediately cheerful and everything is perfect? That’s Mabel. Every day. Baseline, Mabel is very excited, but she cranks it up to 12 when it’s time for a walk. I keep the harnesses and leashes in a bin under my console table (everything in this post from 2019 is different now, except the console table bins, which are exactly the same, but older), and if I so much as stop to check my hair in the mirror over the table Mabel is diving into the dog bin and pulling out her harness, Gus’s harness, their leashes, and then goes back in for more. Once Mabel fully launched her whole body into this bin, which is why it’s now falling apart.
The sweetest little lunatic
We’re working on training, and she tries so hard but (so far) excitement beats good behavior every time. This girl can jump, and she shoots into the air over and over and then will jump toward you and THEN she will start biting and pulling on the leashes. It’s absolute chaos and I hate it. I tried using a spray bottle, which has always worked, but not on Mabel. She’s just as over-excited, but now she has a wet neck. I knew compressed air was another correction tool, so I had Bezos send some over.
I was completely clueless in the compressed-air-as-dog-training-aid department, so I just bought this Pet Corrector that had the most positive reviews (and didn’t come with a straw nozzle because it’s really meant to clean keyboards). I DID read the instructions, which is how I learned that you aren’t supposed to spray this AT your dog. In fact, that is dangerous! Don’t spray it at anyone! They say to spray 3 feet or meters or something away, but I just spray it up in the air and angled away from all humans and dogs. I thought the point was the air, but it’s the noise. According to the manufacturer, Pet Corrector mimics the sound of a goose about to attack (??) and that’s what makes dogs stop in their tracks.
This is the ONLY thing that makes Mabel pay attention when she’s in hyper-excitement mode, and it helped me curb her habit of biting and tugging her leash on walks. I carry a can of Pet Corrector with me on every walk, but now I just say some version of “Mabel, no” and she drops that leash instantly. We’re still working on sitting and staying, and not launching herself into the air like a rocket any time she’s even slightly happy, but training is already easier with Pet Corrector. You can get cans of Pet Corrector in many sizes, but since I like to take mine out on walks I’ve only used the smaller ones: 30ml and 50ml. However, they run out fast (1 spray=1ml), especially if you’re training a hellion of happiness, so I might upgrade to a 200ml, even if just at home.
