How to Create a Calm Dog

Hyperactive dogs can literally ‘freak out’ at anything and everything and owners often describe their dogs as racing around manically, biting, scratching, jumping up on people, knocking things over and breaking things.

While a dog is in this hyperactive state, it can be almost impossible to get them to pay attention to you or to get them to calm down.

However, turning your hyperactive dog into a calm dog is essential as so many dog owners facing this problem end up thinking they will have to re-home their dogs because they just can’t cope. I’ve heard dog owners say their children are terrified when the dog becomes hyper and that friends and family no longer visit them. So get a hold on this problem now and try some of the dog calming methods below, before it escalates.

What Creates Hyperactivity in Dogs?

Aside from genetics and temperament, which can make some dogs more active than others, much of the hyper dog behaviour described above is more likely to be the result of a dog’s reaction to his environment.

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True hyperactivity in dogs is actually quite rare. These dogs have periods of frantic behaviour that only stops when they are exhausted. So in many cases it is more likely that a dog is being unruly, acting out of anxiety or behaving this way for attention seeking reasons.

Rare health problems such as hyperthyroidism or other hormonal disorders could affect behaviour in this way, so it may be worth getting your dog checked by the vet to rule this out.

Diet is often thought to be a cause of hyperactive behaviour and some people recommend a diet lower in protein for dogs acting in this way. There are others that argue there is no conclusive evidence that protein is the culprit. However, dietary intolerance to certain ingredients in a pet food are known to contribute to a dog being hyperactive.

To avoid food being the source of your dogs hyper behaviour, make sure you feed your dog the correct daily allowance for his weight, ensure that you feed them quality ingredients and avoid ingredients that can cause food allergies such as wheat gluten, soya, dairy products and beef as well as artificial colourings, flavourings and preservatives.

7 Methods to Calm a Dog Down

• A hyper, stressed out dog may be reacting to the way you are feeling, so learn to be calm around your dog and they may take the lead from you and be calmer themselves.
• Anxiety in dogs can cause manic behaviour, so focusing your training on desensitisation methods should help them calm down. Also make sure your dog understands that you are the pack leader, as that can also reduce anxiety considerably.
• Ensure your dog gets stimulation and activity, whether that is through a walk or through an active play session at home.
• Ignore their hyperactive behaviour, or give them a consequence for acting this way. If they start behaving manically, walk away from them, out of the room or garden so they can’t see you. You’ll be surprised how many dogs will stop what they are doing to follow you.
• If they keep up the behaviour give them a little time-out, either in a crate or a small area where they can’t damage anything. Wait until they are calm to let them out.
• Make sure you don’t reinforce their behaviour by paying attention to it. Attention is like a reward to a dog so they may do it even more often.
• Only consider using any kind of drug in extreme situations. Your vet should be able to advise you about prescription solutions, but there are also herbal products that can help too, which are generally safer than drugs, with fewer, or no side effects.

If you think your dog is anxious, check out our new Dog Anxiety eBook as it could be the answer you’re looking for to put an end to your dogs hyper behaviour and create a calm dog.