How to teach a hyper dog to calm down and stand still

First, evaluate why you dog is so hyper. Some dogs are hyper because of age or breed, but hyperactivity in dogs can be as simple to fix as a food switch. Do you have your dog on a supermarket or store brand? Or a corn based food like science diet, eukanuba, or pro-plan? In the dog food world, bug names equal big price tags, not quality. Consider switching to a protein based dog food- a food whose top ingredient listed is chicken, beef, or another type of meat. Surprisingly, many premium dog foods are higher quality and lower cost than what you may be feeding. Top quality foods like Wellness, Eagle Pack, or Innova are slightly more expensive than Science Diet, but even Diamond brand foods are better than Science Diet and sell for about 50% less. Cutting out the corn and wheat carbs out of your dogs diet may help your hyper dog calm down.

Once you’ve eliminated nutritional causes, you can begin to behaviorally shape your hyper dog’s ability to pay attention.

You should start by training your dog to "calm" or "sit still" on command command. Train it just like you would a stay- stand right in front of her so close she can't take a step forward- give the command, then praise her for 1 second of stillness, the next time for 2 seconds, then 5 etc. If you needed to you can physically put your hands on her to encourage her to stay seated, then move your hands away just an inch or two as you train. She would learn very quickly that she had to be still to get the treat!

Training your dog to “calm” isn’t a fix to the problem, but may help her focus at times when it’s necessary for your hyper dog to calm down. The very, very best way to calm your hyper dog is to make sure they are getting appropriate exercise and, if needed, give them a “job” like taking an agility or herding class.

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