Why is my Dog so Hyper and How to Calm Them?

Dogs are generally very active animals. But sometimes, some dogs tend to be more active than other dogs. This might be cute at first but, it can become frustrating quickly. Many things can cause these kinds of behaviors. Hyper activeness is not an uncommon thing for dogs, especially for puppies. Therefore, it’s better to identify hyperactive behaviors and address them properly so you and your dog can have the best relationship.

Symptoms of Hyper Activeness

If you observe these behaviors in your dog, then your dog may be hyperactive. But keep in mind that being hyperactive does not mean your doggo is suffering from ADHD (Attention-Deficit / Hyperactive Disorder.) The reason for that is that clinical ADHD is very rare in dogs. So, there is most probably some reason that your dog acts hyper. Look for these signs, and you can do something about it (discussed later in this article.)

Being very noisy (Barking, Crying or howling aimlessly.)

Being very noisy or vocal means the dog is barking or howling without reason. Barking is not an unusual thing. Every dog barks frequently but, it’s usually toward something. They have a reason or something to bark at. When they see an unfamiliar object or a person, your dog tends to bark at it. But if your pup or dog is barking for no obvious reason, then that might be because your doggo is hyperactive.

Restlessness

This is one of the most obvious symptoms you can observe. Is your dog never settled down even though its sleeping place is very comfortable and quiet? Is your doggo always pacing around without reason? Then your dog might be hyperactive.

But keep in mind that illness, pain or itching can also cause these behaviors. So, this can be considered “hyperactive behavior” only if your doggo is happy and playing restlessly.

If you see that your dog is in pain, then it’s better to consult your vet immediately.

Getting into Trouble

There are some independent common things that most dogs do, such as biting shoes, digging holes on the ground, digging home couches, digging through the garbage and many more. These things can be very irritating, but dogs don’t always do these things. But if your dog is doing these kinds of things more frequently, then that’s a sign that says your dog is hyper. Keep in mind that hyperactive dogs tend to get bored easily and more frequently. When that happens, they look for things to do, such as these irritating things.

Zoomies (Sudden release of energy in dogs.)

Zoomies is a term made specifically for this kind of behavior on dogs. This means that your dog would get very active all of a sudden. It would run around and would try to play with you all of a sudden without any reason. This is a way to release excess energy. Zoomies are very wild, but they usually last for a couple of minutes. But sometimes, these zoomies can last up to an hour or even longer than that. Short zoomies are a common thing for any dog, but if your doggo’s zoomies last for a longer time period (more than half an hour), then your dog is most probably hyperactive.

Clinging

This doesn’t apply to every dog, but some can get very clingy to their owner when going through a hyperactive episode. When that happens, they wait for their human to do something fun and active so they can burn some of that extra energy.

Why is my Dog so Hyper all the time?

Suppose you see the above mentioned symptoms on your doggo. In that case, it’s important to know what causes your dog to be hyperactive.

Overstimulation

This is where dogs struggle with all the stimulation around them. Suppose your dog is not used to the modern world stimulations (that can be any object). In that case, that can easily trigger hyper activeness. This can be common if your dog is more sensitive.

Doggo is just Bored

This is one of the most common factors for a dog to be hyperactive. If your dog is just bored, they can get hyperactive.

Dogs are usually a relaxed animal. They would sleep up to 20 hours per day, but want to do something for the remaining waking hours.

This is a good thing if they live in the wild. But when your dog lives inside your house, this can be problematic. Your dog often feels like they have a job to do. But the problem is, your dog doesn’t know what that job is. But don’t worry because the worst thing a dog could have has a lack of mental and physical stimulation.

But if walking your dog for half an hour every day is the solution for this, it can be boring for you. So, it’s better for you to understand “why is my dog so hyper” so you can address the problem properly.

Over Tired

This is the opposite of boredom. One might think that this is impossible, but it’s not. Suppose the hyperactive behavior appears only after a full day of action. In that case, most likely, your doggo is just overtired.

It’s a good thing to have more fun activities for your dog, but something, you might overdo. If that happens, that can trigger hyper activeness on your dog.

You can learn more about symptoms of overtiredness on doggos from this link.

Hyperkinesis

This means ADHD (Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder) in dogs. It’s highly unlikely that your pup has this, but there are rare cases that dogs actually have this disorder. If you are keen to learn more about ADHD in dogs, you can use this article.

Temperature Drop

Most dog breeds have thick fur to keep them warm in cold temperatures.

This means, on the other hand, they are prone to get very hot in summer, and that will make them lazy since they are already tired just by lying around. Being active only makes them hotter, so they tend not to be very active during the summer.

But when the temperature drops, suddenly, your doggo will get back the energy. Since your dog was not very active during the summer, and this may make it worse. Now your doggo is left with tons of energy with no way to burn it. That will make your dog hyperactive all of a sudden.

Hyperactive Dog Breeds

The breed plays a huge role in a dog being hyperactive. Small dog breeds such as Boston Terrier, Beagle, Poodle are more prone to be hyperactive. But there are also other breeds that can get hyperactive. If you are keen to learn more about hyperactive dog breeds, you can use this link.

Why do Puppies tend to be more Hyperactive than adult Dogs?

This is one of the most common questions among new dog owners, especially puppy owners. Why do puppies so hyper than adult dogs?

It’s actually very simple. Puppies tend to sleep more, sometimes up to 20 hours a day. Therefore, they have very little time to be active and burn all the energy they have stored. So, pups will be hyperactive most of the time they are awake. Then they’ll sleep for a longer time and wake up and be hyperactive again.

Also, everything is new to a pup. Those new things will be exciting for the puppy. So many stimuli, so pups tend to be more active than adult doggos.

But keep in mind that pups also need more sleep. As mentioned above, they tend to sleep up to 20 hours a day. So, as a dog owner, it’s your responsibility that your pup gets that necessary sleep. If not, that can lead to some dangerous mental and physical effects. That’s why it’s important to know “How to calm down a pup?”

How to calm down a Puppy?

This is the next question people ask me after asking, “why is my dog so hyper?” because it’s important to calm down your pup so it would get the necessary sleep. It’s not essential for adult dogs because as dogs grow up, they learn to calm themselves down.

As a common rule, experts say that a puppy needs about 5 minutes of walk per month of their age until the pup becomes one year old. Therefore, 2 or 3 walks per day are ok because until the pup becomes one year old, their bones are relatively soft. So, longer walks may harm their bone growth.

You can watch this video to learn about how to calm down a puppy.

8 Things you can do to help your Hyperactive Dog calm down

As I mentioned above, dogs learn to calm themselves down when they grow up. But if your dog is hyper, that might be a bit difficult.

If you have a hyperactive doggo at home, then you can do these things to calm down your dog. Remember that it takes time and patience for a dog to change regarding being hyperactive. So, consistency is crucial when following these 8 things.

Mental Exercise

Dogs are like us. If they don’t get mental stimulation, they can get depressed. And most importantly, less mental stimulation can lead to hyperactivity.

Keep in mind that mental stimulations for doggos are very simple, such as teaching them a new trick or a simple thinking game. Another good mental stimulus can be an activity where your dog has to watch you closely, like fetch or dog dancing.

Here are some awesome mental stimuli for your doggo.

Physical Exercise

Not just mental exercise, doggos also need physical exercise. This is the best and easiest way to burn that extra energy. So, it’s better if you know the best exercise for your doggo. But keep in mind that more exercises can also cause hyper activeness. As mentioned above, dogs can get hyperactive when they are tired too.

So, you need to analyze the situation first and figure out if your doggo is already tired or not.

It’s good to do exercise that would help your doggo build muscles and burn extra fat. You can learn more about specific exercises that would help your doggo grow muscles from this article on How to Build Muscle in Dogs.

Have a proper diet specifically made for hyperactive dogs.

Food plays a huge role regarding hyperactivity on dogs. Carbs and sugar can increase the blood sugar level of your dog very easily, which that can make your doggo a bit too active than usual.

As a rule of thumb, it’s better to have a diet with lots of protein for a normal doggo. But if your doggo is hyperactive, then the diet should be more important. You can learn more about the proper diet for hyperactive dogs from here.

Teach Calm behavior (Conditioning)

Teach your doggo calm behaviors. Because if they get too tired, that can lead to hyper activeness again. So, after you see that your doggo has burned enough calories for the day, teach them to calm down.

You can see easy ways to calm down a dog from this.

Give your doggo a job

Dogs think that they have a job. They just have trouble finding what’s their job is. This is more relevant for hunting dog breeds because they are literally bred for that job. But in the modern world, we don’t use dogs for things like that much.

So instead, give them a different kind of jobs such as letting them carry things like groceries or your mail. Or you can let them solve puzzles to get prices like a treat or can let them do scent tracking.

Control your own Behavior

Dogs can sense what you feel. So, if you are stressed, excited, sad, angry or feel anything other than relaxed, your doggo may feel it and will freak out.

This can be very tiring but it will also teach you to be calm. If you also get super sensitive, then you have to work on yourself because your behavior will always have an impact on your doggo’s behavior.

Separate quiet time and activity time

Have a timetable for your dog and try to follow it every day. In it, separate quiet time and activity time. After a while, your dog will get used to it and will only try to be more active during activity times. Also, it’s better to do activities in specific areas in the house and have a separate area for relaxing. This will help your doggo learn that when you take them to a specific area, it’s playtime or rest time.

Medicine

Personally, I don’t recommend giving medicine to your dog to help them calm down because this means that you are not addressing the real cause (lack of exercise) and just trying to drug your doggo.

But rarely, in severe cases, you may need medication to get your doggo to a state of mind that where they would listen to you. But if that occurs, get help from your vet before giving any medication for your dog by yourself.