“Bubbles, Bubbles, Bubbles, Bubbles”: How to Calm your Hyper Dog

Hyperactive behavior is common in dogs, especially young dogs, and puppies. This behavior can be hard to deal with and can create a stressful environment for both people and other animals. As a result, people often want to stop their dogs from being hyperactive. But hyperactive behavior is often a result of something that we cannot see. In this article I am going to explain two reasons (one less common and one quite common) behind why your dog gets hyperactive and how to solve this problem.

Why your Dog is Hyperactive

If you have seen the movie Finding Nemo you probably recognized the title of this article and thought of the yellow fish in the dentist’s fish tank who is obsessed with bubbles. If you have not seen the movie, watch the clip here; it is a funny example of two reasons why dogs can get hyperactive, one of which is a desire to control the environment. This is a less common reason behind dogs acting hyperactive and can be a sign of OCD in your dog. I will not spend too much time on this topic as it is something to discuss with your vet and in person with a trainer. But here are some things to think about.

Desire to Control

Dogs can become controlling due to growing up in an environment where they simply have no control over their recourses. If dogs are constantly having things taken away from them or have been neglected, they can develop habitual ways of getting control over their environment, some of which can be aggressive like possessive behavior, while others can be non-aggressive such as chasing their tail regularly and spinning in circles until they get dizzy. These are less “hyperactive” looking, but they are worth noting and if you see these behaviors in your dog on a regular basis, I recommend talking to your vet and a trainer who specializes in dogs who have special needs.

Boredom

The video of the yellow fish from Finding Nemo is also a great example of the most common form of hyperactivity which is caused by excess energy brought on by boredom combined with overstimulation. To get technical about the clip from Finding Nemo, that fish is dealing with boredom and overstimulation. Being stuck in a tank restricts what the fish can do with its time and the presence of the bubbles moving much faster than the rest of the environment is overstimulating the fish and causing a dramatic hyperactive reaction. In the case of the fish, its reaction is to stop the bubbles. In the case of your dog, its reaction is often to run, jump, nip, and sometimes bark.

Many dogs spend a lot of time chilling at home and chewing on chew toys. Owners often take this as a sign that their dog is fine with not doing much. They take them on a walk once a day (sometimes twice) and occasionally play fetch in the yard (if they have a yard). Then sometimes out of the blue, the dog suddenly explodes, running like a maniac around the house, jumping on people, barking, and maybe even nipping at people, stealing things, and more! Why does this happen? Usually this happens when the dog has extra energy because they have not had enough to do during the day. The energy is just waiting to be released, and all it takes is a figurative “treasure chest of bubbles.” This treasure chest of bubbles, or environmental trigger, can come in many forms such as someone getting home from work or school, guests coming over, the smell of food, various sounds (such as cars driving by), being confused about what the owner is asking of them, stressful stimuli (such as children), or even a tennis ball sitting innocently on the floor. All these things can set your dog or puppy off and send them careening around the house or jumping off walls, sometimes literally. So, what should you do about it? Read on to find out.

Calming A Hyperactive Dog

In any situation where your dog is already hyperactive, the first thing you should do is calm the environment. Start by ignoring your dog, even leaving the room if you need to do so. Do not scold the dog, as this attention can drive them to get even more excited or become fearful, neither of which are a good result. Your dog will feed off your reaction to its hyperactive behavior. Thus, the best response is no response. However, if your dog’s hyperactivity is not something you can ignore (it is dangerous or they will break something), place them in a different room to calm down. Make sure this room is a safe place just in case they still act hyper for a while. In addition, make sure there is something for them to do that promotes calm behavior, such as a chew for them to chew on. Once your dog is in the room, they may take a few moments to calm down or they may calm down immediately. Let them sit for a couple minutes to cool off. They do not have to become docile; they simply need to be calm.

Whether you have simply ignored your dog or have put them in a room for cool off, once your dog has calmed down, help them use their energy wisely. Take your dog out to the yard for a game of fetch and some brain games. Remember that hyperactivity does not necessarily mean that your dog is not getting enough physical exercise. It could, and often is, a sign that your dog is not getting enough mental exercise. Hide treats in the yard for them to find or do some training to get their mental energy out. Once you are finished, provide your dog with something to do that is relaxing such as chewing on something. Then, add this to your daily routine. If you need to hire someone to entertain your dog while you are at work, please do so! If your dog is dealing with anxiety, or obsessive behavior, please contact a trainer and discuss how to help your dog calm down. Something that can help is obedience training as this simply helps work your dog’s brain while also giving you and your dog tools to communicate. If this is something you are interested in, please contact me so we can get started working on obedience training.

Don’t Blame Mental Illness

These two problems behind hyperactive behavior in dogs, desire for control and boredom, are not necessarily the only reasons your dog might be hyperactive; however, they are extremely important for you to know about not to mention that boredom is probably the most common reason dogs get hyperactive. The other reasons your dog might get hyperactive include things such as dietary problems, and other issues. However, please do not fall into the medical problem trap! Many people chock their dog’s hyperactivity up to “he is weird,” “he must have OCD or ADHD” or “we will have to ask the vet what is wrong with him.” While the second two might be the case for some dogs, mental illness is not the reason behind every behavior problem and your dog is usually not just acting hyper because he is weird. Most dogs are simply bored. If a dog is bored, they are unhappy. No one likes to be bored. Please do not mistake boredom for mental illness. Train your dog, give it things to do, rule out everything else before you start spending money on medication. Even if your dog does have problems with OCD and ADHD, working their brain might be just what they need and the trainer you work with will probably start there as well! There are so many problems that dogs suffer from due to simply being bored, so start by adding fun activities to your dog’s schedule.

Closing Thoughts

Dogs are just like children, for the most part. They need their brains to be challenged, and when they are not, they find ways to do it themselves. Just like you provide your two-year-old with things to do, provide your dog (who will essentially act like a two year old for the first couple years of its life) with things to do and places to go. Stimulate their minds and educate them in fun ways. Your dog will love you even more!