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We love our dogs, but when they’re hyper they can be a mess. A hyperactive dog might keep you up at night. They might destroy furniture or chew on beloved shoes. Sometimes they seem like a bad dog.
Here are some of the top tips to calm your furry loved one.
Just like humans, dogs can struggle with impulse control. Younger dogs, the infamous puppy stage, might include more hyperactivity. Certain breeds of dogs are more likely to be hyper active.
For many dogs, environmental triggers cause increased activity, like night terrors, noise aversion or separation anxiety.
For other dogs, it’s just temperament.
Whatever the reason, you can work with your dog to create greater calm.
Ever notice how animal trainers are so calm?
Controlling hyperactivity in dogs requires more than a little patience. It’s tough to stay calm, but modeling calm does help a hyper or anxious dog to calm down. So the first step to calming your pet is to model calm.
Beyond your own demeanor, there are several other steps you can take to help your dog behave better.
Hyperactive dog breeds are often just active dog breeds. They need exercise!
Regular walks, chasing a ball or a frisbee, leash-free dog park runs...whatever exercise you can provide your dog, provide it daily.
This technique is especially important for dogs who are hyper at night. If you can wear your dog out earlier in the day, you get a better night’s sleep.
Exercise is good! But sensory overstimulation may cause increased hyperactivity in dogs.
Dogs may get more worked up with certain kinds of attention. If playing with other dogs or tug-of-war, any game like that, overstimulates your dog, limit those activities.
Predictable schedules help calm hyper dogs.
If at all possible, start your dog’s day, end the day, and provide food and exercise on a regular schedule. Dogs have an innate sense of time. When they know it’s almost time for us to come home, they’re waiting by the door!
If you can’t be there at the same time, consider having a neighbor check in with your dog. An interactive dog cam is another way to check in at the same time each day.
When you provide that steady rhythm to each day, you can help calm Fido.
Some of the most active dog breeds were also bred for certain jobs. Cattle dogs, hunting dogs, bird dogs, and so on historically had jobs to do for their human companions. Human daily lives have changed, but our furry companions still feel inclined to do some sort of job for us.
Dogs love work. You can recreate certain jobs, for example you can have your hunting breed “hunt” for a specific toy.
If you haven’t already, consider getting your dog fixed. Most neutered or spayed dogs will behave with less aggression, more devotion, more kindness and more calm.
It’s tempting to punish a “bad dog,” but reward-based training has been proven to be more effective in achieving behavioral change.
Our dogs want to please us. When we reward them, they learn to anticipate rewards. They behave even better, seeking additional reward. The good behavior perpetuates more good behavior!
When we punish dogs, they get fearful of us. They might take out aggression at other times, such as destroying furniture when we are not home or going to the bathroom indoors (even though they’re potty trained).
One way to double-down on the effectiveness of training is to use CBD-infused calming treats with your hyper dog.
Supplementing with CBD oil can help calm a dog, and provides predictable dosages and schedules. On top of a daily CBD oil dose, you can train with treats. Adding CBD treat training for positive behavior can help reinforce training while adding an extra dose of calm.
Check out our yummy CBD-infused dog treats and get your hyper Bad Dog behaving better.
