- Not a substitute for professional veterinary help.
A pup who never wants to rest could simply have a lot of energy to burn—but they could also seem overly energetic due to boredom, anxiety, or overstimulation.
Possible reasons for hyperactivity in dogs include breed, age, environment, and health, according to Dr. Lisa Ciucci, veterinarian and owner of Animal Gardens Hospital.
A hyperactive dog might wear you out before they get tired themselves, but there’s a lot you can do to help! It’s important to start by working with a vet, who can help determine the cause of your dog’s hyperactivity. From there, they can offer support with finding the right training program and recommend other helpful solutions.
Below, find eight tips to help calm a hyperactive dog, according to experts, and when to consult a vet. Plus, get answers to frequently asked questions about hyperactivity in dogs.
Increase Exercise and Mental Stimulation
“Dogs have species-specific and breed-specific needs,” says E. Foley, a certified professional dog trainer at Foley’s Dog Training. “A life that does not give them enough of an outlet to meet those needs means their mental and physical energy will spill out into other behaviors. These are usually behaviors humans don’t want, like chewing on furniture or herding the children.”
Some activities that can be great for physical and mental stimulation include:
- Exercise like longer or more frequent walks (with lots of sniffing opportunities!), jogging, swimming, or playing fetch
- Playtime with interactive toys, flirt poles, or herding balls
- Dog sports, like agility, nosework, tricks, disc, dock diving, or barn hunt
All dogs need some daily exercise. But younger dogs and certain breeds, like working breeds, have higher energy levels than others and will need more exercise and a job to do.
For busy or physically limited pet parents, dog parks and dog daycares offer some other great options to get energy out, Dr. Ciucci says.
Build a Consistent Routine
Dogs thrive when they have a consistent routine and know what to expect every day.
“A predictable daily rhythm eases anxiety by setting clear expectations,” says Kris Hampton, founder of Raintown Dog Training. “When meals, walks, play sessions, and rest times happen at roughly the same hour each day, your dog learns to settle into a pattern instead of anticipating nonstop action.”
A daily routine can help your dog become more confident, which can reduce frantic bursts of energy due to uncertainty about what’s happening next.
Reward Calm Behaviors
When you reward calm behaviors, you reinforce them. Positive reinforcement encourages your dog to keep behaving in the same way.
Hampton shares tips on how to best reward calm behaviors:
- Catch your dog in a relaxed state and reinforce it immediately.
- Wait until your dog holds a sit or lies down quietly for several seconds before offering praise or a treat.
Over time, your dog will learn that peace and stillness are more likely to bring the rewards they crave than bouncing off the walls, she explains.
Incorporate Daily Training
Daily training gives dogs something to concentrate on and provides mental stimulation, which can help tire them out, says Sally Grottini, a professional dog trainer and dog behavior expert with JustAnswer.
According to Grottini, other tricks and training commands dogs should learn include:
- Basic commands, like sit, down, heel, stay, and release.
- A place/bed command to teach them to go to their bed and stay until you give a release command.
- A leave it command to teach them to stop what they’re doing or about to do, return to their person, and wait.
- A watch me command to teach them to stay focused on you.
- A wait command to teach them to pause and remain in place until you give a release command.
If your pup tends to get stressed, anxious, or fearful, you can try the relaxation protocol to teach them how to relax in different settings. This can also help regulate their emotional response and boost their confidence.
Tip: Keep training sessions short and engaging to keep your dog interested.
Create a Calm Environment at Home
A calm home environment reduces stimuli and stress, which can help your dog unwind. With a few adjustments, you can make your home a safer space for your pup.
Grottini shares these suggestions on how to create a relaxing atomsphere for your dog:
- Keep an Adaptil diffuser in the rooms where your dog spends time.
- Play calming music made for dogs.
- Run a fan that acts as white noise.
- Block the windows that give your dog a view of the outside world with half shades, curtains, or shutters.
Give Them a Job
Your dog may thrive with a job, especially if they’re a working, herding, or sporting breed.
“Giving a dog a job, such as scent training, can allow mental stimulation as well as physical activity,” Grottini says. “This not only keeps the dog’s mind on one thing, but also the activity of moving around will tire a dog.”
Even a “job” like finding toys you’ve hidden can go a long way toward redirecting your dog’s energy.
Ignore Unwanted Behaviors
Avoid rewarding unwanted behaviors, like giving your dog attention when they’re being hyperactive! This can reinforce the behavior, Grottini says.
Instead of telling your dog “Stop that” or “Calm down,” just ignore them—and as soon as they settle down quietly on their own, give them attention and praise.
Try Supplements and Alternative Therapies
When it comes to behavior issues in dogs, a tiered approach is important, Dr. Ciucci says.
If your dog shows signs of hyperactivity, she recommends working with a Fear Free trainer in combination with helping them get excess energy out at a dog daycare or dog park or with additional exercises.
You could also try a calming natural supplement. These supplements are available over the counter and contain ingredients like:
- L-theanine
- Melatonin
- Valerian root
- Chamomile
- Alpha casozepine
- Tryptophan
Just make sure to ask your vet before giving your dog supplements. Your vet can offer more guidance about the right kind of supplement for your dog, and they may also be able to recommend a brand.
When To Consult a Vet
You should check in with your vet if your dog’s behavior is extreme or unsafe for them or you, or if there’s a change in their energy level, Dr. Ciucci says.
It’s also important to talk to a vet if your dog continues to show signs of hyperactivity after you try both training and lifestyle changes. They can offer support with calming your hyperactive dog and help determine whether your dog’s hyperactivity has a medical cause.
Some medical conditions that can cause hyperactivity in dogs include:
- Overheating
- High blood pressure
- Lung or heart disease
- Poisoning
- Neurologic conditions
Dogs with anxiety may also seem hyperactive due to symptoms like restlessness, behaviors that seem impulsive, and energy changes. Your vet can help diagnose anxiety and recommend the right treatment.
Medications for anxiety include:
- Trazodone
- Prozac (fluoxetine)
- Clomicalm (clomipramine)
- Sedatives like gabapentin, Sileo, and acepromazine for situational anxiety.
“Your veterinarian can help rule out medical issues, choose the safest and most effective supplement, prescribe medications, and refer you to a board-certified veterinary behaviorist,” Dr. Ciucci says.
Dog Hyperactivity FAQs
Can my dog’s diet affect their hyperactivity?
Not much research has explored the possible link between a dog’s diet and hyperactivity.
One small study involved 12 dogs with high territorial aggression, dominance aggression, or hyperactivity, along with 14 control dogs. The dogs were fed a low-protein diet, medium-protein diet, and high-protein diet over three separate 2-week periods. The low- and medium-protein diets reduced territorial aggression, but none of the diets had any effect on hyperactivity or dominance aggression.
That said, it’s possible switching your dog’s food could make a difference. Just check with your vet first—they can give you advice on changing your dog’s food safely and possibly recommend some options.
What should I prioritize to help my hyperactive dog?
If you’re trying to figure out how to calm your hyperactive dog, you should prioritize daily positive reinforcement training, routines, and mental stimulation through enrichment toys, Grottini says. Keep their age in mind, too. Puppies tend to have more energy and may be more hyperactive than adults or seniors, but this phase should pass.
Will my high-energy dog ever calm down?
Dogs may remain hyperactive until they reach about 3 years old, which is when most dogs naturally calm down, Dr. Ciucci says. They’re considered puppies until the age of 1 and are “teenagers” between 1–3 years old.
How do you discipline a hyper dog?
The best way to manage overly excited behavior is to redirect it into acceptable outlets rather than punish mistakes. Punishing your dog can create fear and anxiety and make hyperactivity worse, according to Hampton. Redirecting their focus and then reinforcing the calm choice helps teach them self-control without fear or confusion.
For example, if your dog jumps or nips out of excess energy, you should guide them to a toy or use a simple command like “sit,” then reward them for successfully switching to the new behavior, she says.
