Training Your Hyperactive Dog
Now that you have brought your long-awaited puppy or dog home, you have found that he is driving you crazy. Is he running around like mad chasing his tail, barking like crazy whenever someone knocks at the door or is outside or to your horror chewing away at your favorite pair of shoes. If you are experiencing this, then it is probable that your puppy or dog is hyperactive.
It is important to understand the difference between your puppy or dog merely being an over-energetic ball of fun and suffering from true hyperactivity. True hyperactivity is a fairly uncommon medical condition where the dog exhibits frantic behaviors including panting, restlessness, chasing his tail and collapsing with exhaustion. If you think that your puppy or dog is suffering with this condition then it is advisable to see your vet.
What you may need to consider is that your puppy or dog may be hyperactive because that is simply the way it has been bred. An example is a Collie, a herding dog, which has been bred to have lots of energy to carry out is work. This is why it is crucial to understand the nature and characteristics of different breeds before choosing the dog that suits you lifestyle.
There is no doubt that training a hyperactive dog can be a challenge but with consistent work you will start to see the difference. In this article I have given some ideas on how to achieve this.
Firstly, an energetic dog needs exercise in order to expend his excess energy. I recommend that you take your dog for long walks at least twice a day and play games such as frisbee, fetch and find. This is not only exercise for your dog but also a great way to keep you fit and healthy.
If your puppy or dog is barking excessively and inappropriately then it is important to command them to stop in a stern voice. If he carries on barking then pull him away from what he is barking at, e.g. the door, and give a correction such as a sharp tug on his collar. If he is outside and wants to come in and you are not ready for him to come in you should command him to stop through the door. If this does not stop him from barking, you could try kicking the bottom of your door from the inside. The idea is that the loud noise from the kick will startle your puppy or dog enough to stop barking.
To help you stop your puppy or dog from chewing everything in your house, it is important to put all valuables out of reach. Then choose a few sturdy toys for your dog to play with. By playing regularly with these toys with your dog he will have positive associations and will more likely chew these toys rather than your valuables.
When there are times when you or your family members are not interacting with your puppy or dog, you may wish to consider using a crate. The use of the crate will act like a tranquillizer as dogs like the comfort of a confined and defined space.
Finally, it is extremely important to remember to give a positive reinforcement for wanted behavior and negative reinforcement for unwanted behavior. Now that you have some techniques on how to train your hyperactive puppy or dog, get out there and start putting them into practice.
Visit my Training Your Puppy website to read more about dealing with a hyperactive dog and about how to solve other problems such as a whining dog.
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