Hyperactive Pups

Subject: Hyperactive Pups Sat Mar 01, 2008 10:32 pm

Ask the Dog Shrink: Hyperactive Pups
Find out why your puppy is so jumpy.
By Kathy Santo

When I wake up in the morning, and when I come home from work at night, my puppy is so hyper and wild that I can't control him. I'm trying to use training commands, but he just won't listen. Help!

Thanks to Disney movies and Norman Rockwell pictures, dog ownership is often seen through rose-colored glasses. And while I commend you for turning to obedience commands in your time of need, you might have more success giving them to a potted plant, rather than to your puppy.

Puppies (and dogs!) who spend many hours alone — confined or not — often get too little exercise and so are often labeled "out of control" or "incorrigible," while neither is usually true. They're perceived that way because when they're finally given attention and/or freedom, they celebrate joyously — in ways that dogs find celebratory. They race around, jump up, and take drive-by nips at anything in their path, while their humans, at a total loss, shout commands at them, hoping to make an impression and regain control.

Let me spare you the suspense — it doesn't help. The anger in your voice may even make the situation worse. A better plan is to wake up earlier to feed and exercise your puppy. Then give yourself time for a few minutes of obedience training. End with a short play session before you leave for work. Inform your dog walker (if you don't have one, call one immediately) of your dog's need for more exercise. When you get home, repeat the above plan. Understand that as your dog matures — and he will, I promise! — his needs for exercise will change. This plan may seem overwhelming, but it's the reality of dog relationships. They require time and understanding in order to achieve the harmony.

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Subject: Re: Hyperactive Pups Sun Mar 02, 2008 6:38 am

I can totally understand that! Everytime I come home even if its just from a short errand, Bel acts like I have been gone for days. It's so funny her tail wags so hard that her whole rear-end shakes.