To calm hyperactive or anxious puppies, chew toys, distraction, and certain nutritional supplements can help. It also helps to use feedback methods, avoid acoustic triggers and create a familiar environment.
The hormone dopamine is primarily responsible for hyperactivity. This happiness hormone creates excess energy, which the puppy then lets out through wild behavior.
In contrast, anxiety is primarily caused by the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline. It is often triggered by unfamiliar people or a new environment.
Fortunately, congenital behavioral disorders are very rare in dogs. Below are 23 tips to calm your puppy.
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#1 Go for a walk
Many first-time owners intuitively compare the activity level of their four-legged friends with people. Dogs, on the other hand, need a lot more exercise than we two-legged friends.
If your puppy tends to be hyperactive, it is usually due to excess energy. Because an exhausted dog is also a calm dog. [1]
Walks are a great way to calm your puppy, even if they are very anxious. Because of the many sensory impressions, they often forget their fears.
#2 Get chew toys
Chew toys have about the same effect on dogs as a stress ball has on people. On the one hand, it helps the four-legged friend get rid of his excess energy.
On the other hand, endorphins are automatically released when chewing. These endogenous happiness hormones then ensure that the puppy calms down.
In addition, chew toys are also ideal for supporting the natural change of teeth in your four-legged friend and for cleaning the teeth and gums.
My recommendation: Splinter-free coffee wood chewing bone from Amazon.
#3 Avoid acoustic triggers
Dogs react very sensitively to certain sounds. Just play a video of a howling dog on your cell phone. Then you know what I mean.
The same applies to noises from other animals and certain sounds from the owner, which the dog associates with fun and action. So the sounds that motivate and cheer him on.
You should avoid these noises if you are hyperactive or anxious. Instead, I recommend playing calm music in the background to calm your puppy.
#4 Use commands
Many breeds love being able to show their obedience to commands. This is particularly true for all working dogs such as all German Shepherd breeds.
My favorite method here is the command “down” followed by the command “stay” on a mat. And then hold the position for around 30-60 seconds.
During this time, the puppy looks at you very excitedly and can't help but calm down. It is also relatively easy to learn, even for stubborn dogs.
#5 Use calming supplements
Various plant substances have been proven to have a calming effect on the organism. Especially if you take them in high doses.
However, how strong the effect is can vary from person to person. Valerian root, St. John's wort and lemon balm are particularly suitable for this. [2]
The following chews contain all of these substances and are also 100% natural. Medication, on the other hand, should always be the very last step if nothing else helps.
My recommendation: Calming dog chews from Amazon.
#6 Use feedback methods
Dogs are relatively simple. They repeat behaviors that you reward and avoid those that are punished. So you can motivate them in 2 different ways.
On the one hand, you can specifically reward your four-legged friend for calm behavior and skip the reward if he behaves restlessly. But a water spray can also help.
Since most puppies are afraid of water, hyperactivity can calm down their wild behavior relatively quickly. However, you should avoid this with anxious dogs.
#7 Make sure you have plenty of throwing toys
If your puppy is one of the “never tired” breeds, then throwing toys are a real blessing. You can work out your four-legged friend in no time:
- Frisbees
- Ball slinger
- boomerang
- Mini rugby
- Ball on the rope
An automatic ball throwing machine for indoors and outdoors is also ideal here. Physical activity also has a calming effect on anxious puppies.
My recommendation: Ball throwing machine for dogs from Amazon.
#8 Socialize your puppy more
Almost all dog owners have had the experience at the very beginning that their puppy tends to lose a little urine out of joy when greeting people.
On the one hand, this is because the sphincters are not yet strong enough at this age. On the other hand, unknown and strange people are simply very exciting.
So if your puppy tends to be hyperactive when in contact with other people, then he may just be lacking the necessary socialization. [3]
#9 Avoid visual triggers
The more new visual stimuli your dog takes in at once, the wilder, more hyperactive or anxious he becomes. Dog parks can therefore be very overwhelming for young puppies.
The same applies to the view of other dogs or running children. For this reason, I recommend strategically positioning the dog basket very poorly.
The less your four-legged friend sees from his basket, the less stimuli he can absorb. This doesn't solve the problem immediately, but it can have a preventive effect.
#10 Create a garden
Of course, it would be ideal for your dog if you own a large, fenced-in property and he can let off steam outside using a dog flap several times a day.
However, this can be very expensive, especially in urban life. In addition, according to surveys, only every second household has a garden. Only very few are fenced.
A playpen can solve this problem. You can think of this as a kind of “baby gate”. This way he can get rid of his energy and you will always have a calm puppy.
My recommendation: Puppy playpen from Amazon.
#11 Create a checklist
Breeders often claim that puppies automatically become calmer as they mature. The wild initial phase is just that – an “entertaining phase”.
The reality is somewhat different. Basically, puppies get used to all regular sensory stimuli and react less strongly to them. That's correct. [4]
However, their energetic nature remains present until old age. For this reason, I recommend always having your own checklist with possible calming measures ready.
#12 Keep your mind busy
When I ask first-time owners about a puppy's basic needs, I usually get the following answer: food, water, exercise and attention.
These points are also completely correct. Unfortunately, “mental activity” is almost always missing from this list. Physical exercise alone is not enough, especially for intelligent dogs.
And a mental deficiency can lead to hyperactive or destructive behavior. Toys that promote intelligence can also calm puppies. [5]
My recommendation: Intelligence toys from Amazon.
#13 Organize daily playdates
This tip is especially true for working breed puppies. For example, Labrador Retrievers, German Shepherds, Border Collies, Australian Shepherds, and so on.
These four-legged friends could run a marathon every day without any problems. Not walking, but running. Apartment life here is anything but sufficient.
Regular playdates with the neighborhood dogs are ideal for letting out the energy. This not only makes them feel happy, but also calms the puppies at the same time.
#14 Avoid olfactory triggers
Dogs are so-called “macrosmatics”. This means that their nose is their primary sensory organ. As we know, for us humans it is the eyes instead.
You'll notice this when your puppy runs his nose along the ground when he goes for a walk. Smells from other dogs in particular can drive your puppy wild.
After contact with other animals, I recommend putting the clothes in the washing machine. You can also intentionally walk in circles to calm down while walking the dog. [6]
#15 Seek professional help
Every psychologist and every dog trainer can tell you that the first months of a puppy's life are by far the most important phase of life.
This is where a large part of the decision is made as to how obedient or stubborn, calm or wild your four-legged friend will be in the future. A dog school can help here.
No matter whether on site or online. Professional training will pay off for the rest of your life. You will also learn methods to calm your puppy down.
My recommendation: Online dog school from Johanna Esser.
#16 Enter zombie mode
Young puppies learn from their mother that if they behave hyperactively, they will be rewarded with mother's milk. This behavior therefore has a strong positive association right from the start.
And this is exactly where zombie mode can help. This means that you completely ignore your four-legged friend. Completely emotionless, disinterested and without any eye contact.
Normally you can noticeably calm your puppy down within a few minutes. And the better your acting skills, the more effective it is. [7]
#17 Provide distractions
One of the biggest differences between dogs and humans is the amount of time they spend thinking. Most people start thinking about retirement planning in their mid-20s.
Dogs, on the other hand, don't even think until the next day. They are also extremely easily distracted, meaning they forget what they were actually doing in no time.
A sniffing mat and a dog clicker are ideal as a distraction. These tools have a calming effect on puppies for both hyperactivity and anxiety.
My recommendation: Dog clicker from Amazon.
#18 Radiate calm
Of all mammals, dogs are among the most empathetic animals. This is mainly because we humans tamed them thousands of years ago.
It is therefore not surprising why the four-legged friends develop a very close connection with you. They also have a sense that helps them feel your emotions. [8]
And that can easily spill over. If you're upset, they often are too. To keep your puppy calm, you should always radiate calm yourself.
#19 Use a calming collar
Admittedly. When I first heard about anti-anxiety collars, I thought it must be a bad joke. Just marketing again… I thought.
It wasn't until months later, when I saw such a collar in practice, that it convinced me. The trick? Essential oils found in the collar.
More precisely…