Amanda Teixeira
Some dogs are constantly excited and difficult to calm down. Use these tricks to help your dog relax.
Dogs that are constantly active, bark hysterically when there is too little activity, and get so hot that they are no longer responsive need rest. With these 7 tips, even a hyperactive dog will calm down.
Always keep calm yourself
If you’re anticipating that your dog is about to freak out, he’s guaranteed to. Distract yourself, think of something nice and don’t wait for the first “woof”. Calmness of humans transfers to the dog.
No harsh words, no punishment
Of course, everyone’s patience runs out when the dog barks madly or goes into a frenzy to the point of exhaustion. But firstly, you only heat it up further when you yell “quiet” and secondly, your yelling does not reach the dog’s brain, your dog does not hear it. And any punishment will at most lead to distrust or even shyness towards you, but will not stop the hyperactivity.
Show him how exciting you are
You can only get him out of the situation if the distraction is strong enough. So do something unusual, jump in the air, run, play ball with yourself – the main thing is to get his attention. You use them for small, quiet exercises, for which he is praised and rewarded.
Come down after playing
Immediate cessation of the activity has proven useful for sporting dogs that overheat and those that bark obsessively on the way to or from the leash or in the car. Quitting when it’s fun hits a hyperactive particularly hard, and they seek alternatives. Show him some.
Blanket training for chilled moments
Blanket training allows the dog to switch off physically. Send him into place on the blanket, sit in front of it and be silent. If he wants to get up, follow your “down” until he breathes more calmly and his head gets heavier. Practice this at home without any distractions. As your restless begins to enjoy the stillness, tie the blanket to a “lullaby” cue. The “Good moon, you…” later acts like a switch-off button. Also outside.
Relaxation massages
Sit or lie down next to the dog and slowly stroke it with a hand that never leaves the dog’s body: forwards, sideways, gently backwards, from the neck to the loin. Even before you get tired, you can feel your dog relaxing.
Learn impulse control
Impulse control is difficult to teach an overactive dog, but it can be done. The magic words are “Stop!” and “Super”. Throw an aportel or a ball and initially hold the dog when it starts to sprint. After the “super” he may. Later he has to stop while running (tow line), and finally in the middle of the teaser game.