Hi, I'm new to the site and would like some help. My rottie is 10 months old and an absolute dream to own apart from when I have visitors - which is very often. he's been socialised since he was 8 weeks old but gets uncontrollably hyper when people come in. bounces around, jumps up, not nasty at all just a big oaf. He is obedient but has the concentration span of a gnat! A friend has suggested having him castrated to calm him down. Please help!

Hi
Castration can only help with reducing aggression to other male dogs, it won't make your dog less active. Dogs work differently to cats and horses, where castration DO calm down males.

Marianne

It may be the food he is on. Too much protein. But he sounds a typical youngster to me. Try to get him to sit or lie down when visitors come. When you know visitors are coming put him on a lead and make him sit by you to get him calm and then he can say hello to visitors. The visitors, when they come in, must ignore him until you have him sitting quietly with you. He will learn quite quickly that he must sit to be spoken to if you do this consistently. Good Luck.:-) We do have a leaflet written by our classes for this if you would like one sent to you.

Hi LL,

As Goldmali has pointed out, castration will not curb his hyper behaviour in any way ;)  Have you tried putting him away in another room with something to amuse him before visitors arrive and only allowing him into the sitting room (or wherever your visitors are) when they are already seated?  Often dogs are less bouncy if they are not greeting visitors as they enter the house.

I'd also suggest you ask visitors to ignore him initially too as if they over-fuss him he will continue to be excited as he clearly enjoys all the attention :)  Good luck, Teri

ps. typing as jumbuck posting :P

Great, thanks everybody. I will try putting his lead on and getting people to ignore him as I think you're right he does like all the attention! i've tried putting him in another room but in that doesn't help. Giving him a treat or bone is good for a while but he'll drop it in favour of a fuss. He's never like that with me but I've always ignored him so it makes sense that other people should too!  thanks again :-)

I have 2 male rotties 1 is 3 years and 1 is 6 months .. and they are both very hyper around visitors i have to put them out of the room until they calm down ive never heard of castration calming a dog down except for as mentioned towards other male dogs .. i had thought it was just the breed .. they are very excitable and friendly dogs :).. mine calm down brilliantly once guests are in and seated .. they just have a tendancy to think that everyone comes to see them not us haha :D