April 6th, 2020 by Amy Varley

Dogs of all ages can be overly hyper, and whilst this is usually fine when out on walks where they can run around to get all that excess energy out, it’s important for your dog to learn to be calm in all sorts of situations, especially in the home! Here are a few tips to help you to calm your hyperactive dog.

Teach your pup to ‘settle’

The settle command is useful to teach your puppy when they are young as it can help them to settle anywhere you may need to take them when they are older. For example, if you want to take your dog on holiday or if they need an overnight stay at the vets. If your puppy is in a playful mood when you want them to settle down, ignore them until they settle of their own accord. Puppies hate being ignored by their owners, and will usually lay down and put their cute eyes on and look like they are sulking! Of course, this then works as we feel sorry for them and give them lots of fuss! But this is one of the best times to praise your puppy in a calm manner when they are settled so that they know this is what you want from them.

Ignore them

As previously said, puppies really do hate being ignored! Hyperactivity leads to a lot of dogs jumping up and mouthing for attention which is a behaviour most of us don’t like from dogs – it can be dangerous around children or elderly visitors so it’s important this is stopped from a young age. The best way to stop your hyper dog from jumping in excitement is to ignore the behaviour. Turn your back to them until they are calm and then give them the fuss they want. This action reinforced over time quickly teaches the pup that they have to be calm when greeting people!

Redirect their energy

Another way to calm your hyperactive dog down is to redirect their manic energy elsewhere! Giving your dog a toy to play with or a dog chew is an easy way to do this. It should distract them, keep them busy and help them to use up some of that mental energy!

Project your own energy on to them

Dogs like to mirror our own energy. If your pup is running riot around the house and you are in turn getting frustrated with them – then you are making the problem worse! If you are calm yourself and project this energy onto your pup then you will be a calming influence over them.

Go for a walk

If your dog is overly hyper it might be because they are under-stimulated. Taking a walk is good for physical exercise, but letting your dog take their time on a walk, sniffing and exploring is good mental stimulation for them, which is a really good way of tiring them out and calming them down!

If your dog is hyperactive, it’s usually a lack of mental or physical stimulation. Therefore, it’s important to get in a good routine for your dog, consisting of both walks and fun games to really tire your dog out and keep them calm. Don’t forget – a tired dog is a happy dog!