Call them what you will: high strung, hyper, crazy, smokin’ or high octane, these are dogs that ignite easily, bark furiously and run rampantly through you home and life at speed of sound or a sight. Some of our pets are kinetic energy machines, always moving and only stopping to quickly inhale a meal or catch a a touch of shut eye prior to recharging and galloping into their next adventure or rant.
What seems cute in pups quickly becomes something akin to a Stephen King “Cujo” nightmare as the canine grows older and becomes set in his ways.
Commandeering a dog's attention with recognition, alternative direction, and downright intervention are actions regularly needed to curtail and prevent your banshee dog from ending up in severe trouble…and you, too. Typical behavior problems in high energy dogs include destructive behaviors, destroying property, digging, lack of self-control, chasing, chewing, biting, howling, barking, screaming, and frustration in general.
Many owners are accustomed to handling these high drive pups and dogs. They know what they are getting into. Most of the rest of us find ourselves and wits end and start wondering about calling an exorcist.
The experts in this however have planned ahead and they train their dog…and themselves. They know that, despite the behavior, they can deal with it balancing the rich rewards of ownership with the challenges that often follow such dogs.
The key is to first train yourself, then follow that procedure precisely each and every time your dog erupts into a wall-eyed frenzy. With constant and proper practice, you can and will gain the upper hand, and end up with a successful relationship with your pet (and your neighborhood).
Many popular sites like Dog Tube offer helpful suggestions such as the following:
Calm a Hyper Dog with Exercise
Most high energy dogs that begin to have behavior problems are not getting enough exercise. There is really no way around it and no supplement for it. High energy dogs must have a physical outlet for their mountain of energy and a zip around the back yard is not going to cut it. Most high energy dogs stay busy all day and have a least a couple hours of cardio exercise per day.
Some ideas:
• Retrieve games
• Hikes
• Long walks
• Dog parks where he can run
• Jogging
• Biking (if it can be done safely)
• Pulling a cart
• Dog play dates
• Swimming
• Sports
• Dog day care
Calm a Hyper Dog by Managing Space
Once your dog has begun to engage in destructive or unruly behavior, you’re going to have to take back the control over your physical space through:
• Crating/kenneling
• Tethering
• Confining
After your dog has had enough exercise but is still acting rude in the house either crate your dog for short times so you can actually get something done, tether your dog to you in the house, or put up baby gates to confine him to a secure area.
The idea is to take charge of your universe to prevent the destructive behavior pattern not to isolate your dog, which will breed more behavior problems.
While it is not practical to have your dog glued to your side every minute, tethering your dog at least part of the time is a great way to train and engage your dog while rewarding him for every good deed. This type of space confinement is really getting back to basics and returning to the ground level of his original puppy training, which hopefully he has had or the job of teaching your dog to be calm will be a bit harder and more time consuming but still very do-able.
Calm a Hyper Dog with Training
All dogs need training. Training will reinforce wanted behavior, stimulate your dog’s mind, exhaust him mentally, provide him with challenges, and strengthen the bond and trust between the two of you.
Begin reinforcing the rules of the house, having your dog sit, stay, down, place, not jump, drop it, leave it, and the multitudes of other commands you can teach, coupled with exercise and control of space, will soon have your once over exuberant hyper dog basking in the glory of contentment and you will once again have peace of mind.
So, the rule of thumb is to give the dog some other point of focus. Since dogs tend to live in the moment, they can be distracted by other interests until the original problem has passed or is long forgotten.
Well-meaning dog owners might realize a little late in the game that they've bitten off more than they can chew. So often, people will become enamored with the look of a particular breed, but not realize or even study the behavior and demeanor of the canine type. Others find that their preferred dog is a bit larger, more muscular, or more physically ambitious than anticipated.
Suddenly, there are challenges presented by them. Every breed of dog have both good and bad points. How you handle both is what eventually makes you a good dog owner and the dog a great pet
To build your confidence and get tips on handling such situations, check out the complete article at Dog Tube.
Fear not! There is hope for overexcited and agitated dogs. With some training and guidance for both you and the canine, they can transform from manic to mellow and hopefully become successful in your home and family.
