Hands up if you have an overactive and hyper dog on your hands! Don’t be discouraged because you are not alone. It is a blessing and a curse because their antics are endearing and adorable, but it can be very hard to focus and train such pups – trust us, we know. However, we do have some tips that have worked for us over the years whenever we are faced with a particularly energetic dog and we’re here to share them with you today.
3 Tips To Control Your Hyper Dog:
1. Aromatherapy and Treats
In no way are we trying to reinforce this negative behavior with treats, but some have calming properties that can put a quick bandaid on the issue. Completely curbing hyperactive behavior will take consistent training, but we’re going to address some simple ways to nip it in the bud temporarily.
The first option is with external sources such as a calming scent. There are diffusers available at your local pet store that have soothing smells such as lavender. Keeping the diffuser going in your house can contribute to calmer behavior.
There are also calming dog treats that are a godsend when your dog is bouncing off the walls. These tasty treats are imbued with yummy and calming ingredients such as L-theanine and L-tryptophan that promote relaxation.
We do suggest consulting with your trusted bet before implementing the diffuser or feeding your dog foreign treats for the first time just to make sure our pooch can handle it healthwise.
2. Ignore It
Another simple method to control your hyper dog is to ignore his behavior. Sometimes when dealing with children parents also adopt this technique. When bad behavior isn’t awarded, kids sometimes lose interest or know defeat. This same concept applies to dogs as well. When your pooch understands that his hyper lunging and jumping does not get your attention or whatever it is he wants, he will stop.
Not only do you ignore your dog by not responding, but also try to avoid giving him any eye contact. When your dog starts to exhibit a crazy burst of energy, he automatically disappears from existence until he calms down.
Some dogs may give up and sit or lie down at your feet, while others will lose interest and wander away. It’s only during this time when your dog is relaxing and chill do you show him any attention or affection.
3. Distract or Redirect the Energy
This is the age-old way recommended by breeders, vets, dog owners, and trainers alike. A tired dog is a well-behaved dog, so make sure you give your pooch his daily dose of exercise if you expect him to be calm. A dog with a ton of pent-up energy is going to be harder to control and have a tougher time focusing. In this case, he or she isn’t the one to blame.
Depending on the breed and age of your fur baby, take him out for a sufficient walk or dedicate a suitable amount of time to tucker him out. You will witness a significant change in his behavior and energy levels once he is faced with his triggers. What used to get him very excitable will no longer have an impact.
Another way to curb the excitement is through distraction just in case your dog is still responsive to his triggers or if you don’t have time to take him out. Just as much as your pooch needs physical exercise, their need for the mental aspect through stimulation with puzzles and games is also crucial.
Distracting your dog when a friend comes over with a stuffed Kong is a great way to keep him occupied. You can also tailor his exercise plan by giving him a job to do. When a dog has a task to finish, most of them will stay focused until it’s done. This characteristic is especially prominent in working breeds.
Why is My Dog Hyper?
It’s important to understand why your dog is hyper in order to select the best method to “treat” the problem. Most overly energetic behavior stems from boredom and a lack of stimulation both physically and mentally. Get to know your dog to understand what he needs.
Other dogs suddenly get super amped up because of certain triggers. Some dogs are very territorial and get worked up when another dog walks by your property, while others are overly eager to say hi to your guests. Different triggers require various training methods to fix the problem, but knowing what gets your dog up all in arms will get you one step closer to a calmer and more well-behaved pup.
If our tips above do not work on your dog, then it could be time to consider more formal training. Call in the big guns and look into your local professional dog trainers to help the issue.
Extra Tips
We have one very important tip to impart to our readers. A dog is a very reactive and responsive animal, which also contributes to his or her empathetic nature. Why are some dogs suitable for service and therapy? It’s because of their ability to be in tune with their handlers and owners.
Knowing this, one of the best ways to treat, stop or avoid hyper behavior altogether is to lead by example. Show your dog what you want through action. We have seen lots of dog parents try to eliminate excitable behavior by yelling at the dog repeatedly. Many dogs associate loud vocals with excitement and encouragement. Instead of understanding the “no”, the dogs tend to react to the high decibels in your voice.
Do not mirror your dog’s energetic behavior. Instead, meet his craziness with calm and control. If you want to tell him off, lower your voice to a deeper tone and be firm instead of high-pitched commands.
Conclusion
The key to calming and controlling hyper dogs is through stimulation. There are plenty of toys available to help with mental stimulation and calming treats and aromatherapy are great examples of constants you can keep around the house to reinforce training.
Remember never to mirror your dog’s high energy levels when you are trying to get him to calm down. Through consistency and patience, you can transform a hyper dog into a calm one.
Planning to move with your dog? Check out our tips for designing dog friendly apartments.
