How to Calm a Hyperactive Dog: 5 Effective Strategies to Create Calm and Control
Learn how to calm a hyperactive dog with these 5 proven tips that have helped transform my dog and others from overexcited to more relaxed and balanced. Whether it’s finding the right outlets for energy, rewarding calm behaviors in chaos, or managing daily activities, these strategies will guide you toward a calmer, more balanced dog. Start using these methods today and take control of your dog’s hyperactivity!
How To Calm A Hyperactive Dog – Understanding Hyperactivity in Dogs
Hyperactivity is a common issue in dogs and is often described using terms like overexcitement, frustration, overarousal, or overstimulation. While the names may differ, the symptoms are largely the same.
Hyperactivity is basically excitement gone over the top. In this state of mind a dog may let intrusive thoughts win, lack impulse, push boundaries, behave unexpectedly, and generally run riot around the house or out in public.
A dog in this state of mind can be hard to reason with or even control, in reality, dogs in this state of mind can’t really control themselves.
How To Calm A Hyperactive Dog – Why Some Dogs Are Hyperactive
There can be many causes for hyperactivity, dogs can experience many situations throughout the day that can boost arousal levels. Without self regulation, impulse control, an outlet for excess energy, training and sleep, a dog can become hyperactive very quickly.
Imagine if you will, a geyser. This is a hole in the ground that goes all the way to the earth’s crust where it is exposed to molten magma. These holes are filled with water and are known to erupt frequently. When geysers erupt they shoot gallons of hot boiling water into the sky.
Now imagine your dog’s state of mind as the geyser. Throughout the day your dog will experience multiple situations, events and triggers that cause them excitement, imagine these experiences and triggers as pressure at the bottom of the geyser. Without self regulation, impulse control, decompression, an outlet, proper training or sleep – the pressure builds up. Just like a geyser when the water at the bottom boils, it becomes vapour which rises, the more pressure boiling the water, the more vapour rises.
When the geyser (or your dog) reaches that peak, they explode. It can be the smallest thing that sets your dog off as well, and just like geysers, that reaction will keep going until all that built up vapour is released. This is why many dogs can become hyperactive on walks, because their arousal builds up and they can become reactive, hypervigilant, overstimulated and uncontrollable on walks.
This is actually known as trigger stacking and is something that is overlooked by many when it comes to dog ownership. Hyperactivity and trigger stacking can go hand in hand and understanding the concept and how it affects your dog will make it so much easier when learning how to calm a hyperactive dog.
You can learn more in my blog post here about trigger stacking in dogs.
There are other common factors that can also assist hyperactivity…
- Lack Of Sleep
Sleep is the key to recovery and decompression. The caveat though, it must be adequate sleep, deep sleep that allows for recovery to actually happen. Two dogs can have the same length of sleep and one can wake up hyperactive and overaroused still because the sleep wasn’t good/deep enough.
- Lack Of Training
A lot of dogs that can’t settle haven’t been taught to settle. I used to think that over time my dog would learn to calm down and settle alone if I ignored them but I was wrong. A lot of the time a dog will find self reinforcement in not settling down and if you have a dog prone to being hyperactive, you may find they’ll cycle through behaviours either for your attention or for the reinforcement (OCD behaviours, itching, drinking water, pacing). A dog that isn’t taught to be calm will resort to their instinctual behaviors. Teaching a dog to settle down properly shows them there is reinforcement with relaxing and calming down.
- Lack Of Proper Outlet
Without a proper outlet, energy levels are always going to be high. Even if you run your dog around, if it isn’t purposeful then it can contribute to hyperactivity. A dog running around aimlessly with fetch without stopping can get so overstimulated. Taking breaks and doing obedience in between to slow that brain down will make it more of an outlet. Some dogs unfortunately just get taken for walks and for may this definitely isn’t a sufficient outlet.
- Lack Of Stimulation
Even if a dog has a good daily outlet, if they lack stimulation throughout the day, they will still become hyperactive. Many people overlook the importance of having a good session during the day when it comes to how to calm a hyperactive dog, they do the work in the morning and then expect calmness for the whole day.
- Over Socialisation
A lot of owners make the common mistakes of thinking that socialisation means allowing a dog to meet and interact with everyone and every other dog they see.
Now doing this does allow a dog to get used to different people, dogs, environments etc but this can also cause hyperactivity.
By allowing a dog to interact with everyone and everything without boundaries in place allows a dog to think they can say hi to everyone and everything which for some dogs can cause an increase in arousal. God forbid we disallow them to interact, this frustration adds even more fuel to the fire, some dogs may even react at this point.
True socialisation, neutrality, involves taking a dog to these new environments and putting them around other people, dogs and triggers but not interacting (some from a distance if they struggle with reactivity).
The goal is to have a dog that is comfortable in a variety of environments and doesn’t get worked up and overstimulated by other stimuli in said environment and can keep their heads.
- Breed
Some dog breeds are more prone to hyperactivity, but this is more so because some breeds, mainly working breeds, require more than the average dog to meet their needs. These dogs can see hyperactive because they aren’t having their needs met, even if you are doing the right things, you may not be doing enough,
- Age
Puppies and younger dogs are going to be more hyperactive than older dogs. Puppies and younger dogs obviously have more energy and lack more impulse control and need to get it out. Saying this, you may find other dogs just as hyperactive due to lacking things such as impulse control and a proper outlet.
You can read more about mastering your dogs needs and finding the right outlet for them in my blog post on mental stimulation vs physical for dogs.
5 Proven Tips On How To Calm a Hyperactive Dog
#1 – Find the Right Outlets for Your Dog’s Energy
When it comes to outlets, and how to calm a hyperactive dog, many owners misunderstand what is actually considered adequate and meets a dog’s needs. If your outlet for your dog is just a walk, running around in the garden, a frantic game of fetch or even a bout in the dog park, you may find your dog more prone to hyperactivity.
A common issue to many behavioural problems, not just hyperactivity, stem from needs not being met. When needs aren’t fully met, a dog will find a way to meet those which can stem into unwanted behaviours.
The best thing about outlets is that if you find the right one for your dog you won’t have to walk your dog 10 miles a a or run them around playing fetch. With the right outlet you can spend less time doing the things that matter (because you are giving your dog more of what they actually need) and spending more quality time with your dog.
There are many outlets out there and you will be able to find a few your dog likes but one they absolutely love! When looking at how to calm a hyperactive dog having the right outlwet that your dog loves would do you wonders!
There’s a high chance that most dogs will love outlets that allow them to do what they were bred to do but there are cases where a dog may love something outside their norm.
Some dogs love to use their nose, in this case scentwork is key here. There are so many tangents you can go with scentwork, you can really niche down to something your dog loves. You can do tracking, scent detection, scatter feeding, searching for items/toys etc.
Some dogs love to pull (if you have a dog that pulls on leash, meeting their need to pull will greatly help with loose leash walking). These dogs can find outlets in activities such as sledding, bikejoring, hiking.
Some dogs love to run. Outlets can include a slatmill (treadmill), flirt pole, agility, structured fetch/frisbee.
Other outlets include:
- Bitework
- Herding
- Advanced obedience
- Retrieving
- Swimming – dock diving
- Parkour
- Weight pull
- Spring pole
- Obstacle courses
#2 – Reward Calm Behaviors, Even in Chaos
For hyperactive dogs, calm behaviours are often hard to spot. We are concentrating so badly on the bad that we don’t see the right, we miss an opportunity for reinforcement. When you can spot these moments, and get your timing right you can expect to see more calmer behaviours.
I’ve found that by having some treats always in your reach, especially at home, you can reinforce these behaviours. If you are doing work at home and your dog decides to lie down after pestering you for attention, click, mark and reward that behaviour.
By being able to do this at home, you can teach your dog build the foundation to settle and become more comfortable outdoors too.
I’ve found this is great for relationship building as you’ll feel proud of your dog as these moments increase and your bond grows stronger.
#3 – Use a Clicker for Pinpoint Accuracy
A tool which helped me a lot in creating calmness, and my dog Jasper in general, was the clicker. A clicker is a marker that indicates reinforcement just like a verbal marker.
I’ve found using a clicker can be a great way to improve your own mechanics of reinforcement. Using a clicker you can pinpoint the exact behaviour that you are reinforcing.
What’s even better is a clicker doesn’t carry mood and emotion. The days you don’t want to train and give flat reinforcement may be the days your dog struggles with training. A clicker cuts out this side (to an extent, if your body language is flat too you, may find it unmotivating for your dog).
With a clicker (or a marker word) you will want to click, mark and reward every moment of calmness your dog exhibits. This could be stopping and standing still during a bout of pacing, sitting down, lying down, going to their bed etc etc. Even if your dog is running riot and then stops for a second, mark and reward. You want to show exactly what behaviours are reinforcing and build up the likelihood of these against running riot.
As you reward more calm behaviours even amidst the chaos, you will start to see more frequent calm behaviours. Keep rewarding and strengthening these and then slowly start to ask for more, a but longer duration before paying out.
Once you start working on duration and reducing reinforcement, you will find your dog will start to relax more in these positions while waiting for a reward, because now they now that being calm does have its benefit, where as pacing around does not.
#4 – Spread Out Activities Through the Day
A common mistake I often see and have been a part of, is doing all your activities at the start of the day and then putting out fires throughout the day.
Most dogs do have energy in the morning so getting this energy out is always a good idea. The key is to spread out activities throughout the day. If you have a strong morning session all you have to do is plan a couple of short sessions through the day paired with some stimulation and some play.
Putting out fires through the day with a boredom buster such as kongs and lick mats may seem great but they only last a while, you must pir these with something for the desired effect.
Spreading out small activities through the day along with mental stimulation, toys and play is all you need for a balanced dog. When done right, you don’t even have to spend long on these sessions at all!
#5 – Interrupt Uncontrollable Behaviours
When a dog gets over excited, worked up, frustrated, over aroused, hyperactive…they can get in a state of mind that they can get trapped in. Behaviours where they succumb to impulses and get carried away.
In many instances ignoring bad behaviour is an effective way to stop some behaviours, but when a dog gets into one of these states ignoring the behaviours may not be as effective.
If this is the case however, this must be nipped in the bud early. You should be able to tell when your dog is getting worked up, if you interrupt that with something to do, alternate behaviour, removing from situations etc then you can stop your dog from these unwanted behaviours.
I find that if you miss your chance and your dog is already worked up, let them ride it out, interrupting can provide reinforcement or create anxious behaviours.
I have always found that when dealing with calmness and hyperactivity the key is consistency and patience. If you feel the need to interrupt then get it early but don’t underestimate the power in letting your dog ride it out and find no value (for most behaviours).
Whatever you choose, it is important to remain calm in both these situations, ignoring a dog can be frustrating but if you break after starting your dog will constantly challenge that threshold.
The Importance of Quality Sleep
Many hyperactive, high strung, anxious, reactive dogs, are commonly known to not get quality sleep.
Some of these dogs may sleep through the day but they are so over aroused and/or frustrated and they aren’t getting their needs met, so wake up still strung out. This constant cycle can create problematic and unpredictable behaviours.
Good quality sleep allows the body to recover, allowing the stress and “toxins” to be released. Without quality sleep the body doesn’t repair as it should.
Ensuring that you can meet your dog’s needs so that you can help them achieve quality sleep is the key to a better life with your dog.
When a Detox Might Be Necessary
If you’re struggling with unwanted behaviours and have a dog that is hyperactive and are constantly struggling with this then a stress detox could be what you’re looking for.
A stress detox is taking a period of time to reduce your dog stress, arousal, hyperactivity levels. This involves removing them from triggers, meeting needs and then adding things slowly back into their day.
Over a period of detox, you should be able to drop your dog’s arousal levels which you can then use to help you make progress with any issues you have.
Prolonged hyperactivity can cause many issues with behaviour but it can also cause stress on the body and in some cases mental illness and disease. It is up to us to teach our dogs how to calm down, to help them where needed to ensure that they don’t live in a state of arousal.
You can find more information on my blog about using a stress detox. You can also download my FREE 5 day detox for a guide through reducing your dog’s stress and arousal levels.
Final Thoughts
Learning how to calm a hyperactive dog down will require a lot of patience, calmness and consistency. It is crucial to teach our dogs to calm themselves down, be resilient and self regulate themselves.
This is not a process that happens overnight, you have to develop a consistent structure but putting this work in can be beneficial for your dogs health as well.
We want to avoid our dogs staying in states of hyperactivity, stress and arousal for too long. Staying in these states and then building up can ensure hyperactivity and unwanted (and even unexpected) behaviours.
