Over-excited GSD puppy

by Kate
(NZ)

I have a beautiful 4 month-old blue, she's a really good pup just around me or one/two other people she knows. I already have her walking to heel for 80% of the time, fully house-trained, listens to voice/whistle commands and won't eat until I let her.

I feed her Royal Canin GSD Junior and walk her every day, play with her a lot and also take her to regular puppy classes. She's been well socialised with other dogs/puppies.

However, when people/dogs visit or I visit other people/dogs, she gets VERY excited, often peeing on the floor. It's impossible to get her to make a calm entrance - she will pull at the lead and jump and whine. She will not listen to my commands around other dogs (with some exceptions to our neighbour's dogs) and is marginally better behaved around other people.

She will not settle down and relax around others unless she is at home with just one or two other people. If there are any dogs, she won't settle until they leave.

The puppy school trainers told me she is being fed too much, so I have reduced her food from 4 cups to 3 cups with no difference in her energy levels. They also told me she should only be walked about 20-30 minutes a day. I walk/run her for an hour, twice a day, and she will still be super-excited with zoomies around other people/dogs. When we are home alone, she crashes out.

I've tried everything I know and can find out to calm her and make her more sociable, but it's getting to the point other people don't want her around because she's so excitable.

Do you have any suggestions or solutions I could try? Is this normal puppy behaviour? She's a real star with just me or a good friend, but any kind of group and she's totally mental.