Having an agitated dog at home is something that can worry some tutors a lot. Mostly dogs that live in small environments, like apartments, the daily hustle can even be dangerous for the dog’s health.
Therefore, it is essential to understand more about the subject and, above all, to look for some alternatives so that your puppy can be calmer and more peaceful.
However, doing this is not always easy. After all, there is no “pill” that makes the dog simply slow down. It is not in the short term that this problem will be solved. To solve a problem of agitation and hyperactivity, you need calm and patience.
Therefore, in this article, you will understand all this a little better. Read on to learn more about fussy dogs, why they get this way, and what you can do to help them.
Let’s go!
Agitated Dog – Why is he like this?
An agitated dog can be a reflection of many things. So, first of all, it’s important to be open to various possibilities.
That is, you cannot “fall in love” with only one alternative. But yes, you should consider the puppy’s entire life context, what he does and stops doing, age and stimuli.
To help you, we’ve separated a list of some of the more classic possibilities that can make a puppy agitated. See the list:
- Lack of play and energy expenditure.
- Lack of interaction with the tutor on a daily basis.
- Negative stimuli that affect the dog’s psychology.
- Excessive and unbalanced eating.
- Lack of routine and too much randomness.
- Some breeds are more intense than others.
To complement your knowledge and understanding of dog behavior, keep reading. Next, let’s explore each item on the list. Afterwards, we will understand what to do to help your puppy to be less agitated.
Follow along.
Lack of play and energy expenditure
One of the most likely situations that make your dog agitated is the lack of play and energy expenditure . In this case, it is almost an “action and reaction”. The action is to make the dog exhaustingly bored. The reaction is for him to become an agitated dog with signs of hyperactivity.
However, make no mistake. Simply “self-diagnosing” a dog with hyperactivity is not adequate. After all, hyperactivity is a reflection of many things, not just a hustle from energy retention.
So if your dog is very agitated, try to think about his routine: does he spend enough energy during the day? If he accumulates energy, he will be able to spend it in agitated situations inside the house.
Lack of interaction with the tutor on a daily basis
Another factor that can easily make a dog agitated is the lack of interaction with the tutor in everyday life. If you’re out all day and you leave your dog home alone, he’s going to miss you.
And more than that: he will feel bored and can channel that energy into things you don’t want to, like chewing on furniture or carrying slippers.
So even if you spend a lot of time outside, it’s important to set aside time to interact and play with your dog. And this cannot happen sporadically. It needs to happen every day. At least one hour a day, you need to reserve to interact and play with your puppy.
In certain cases, it is even possible to count on the help of a dog walker , who will take your dog for a walk and use up his energy. However, do not delegate everything to the dog walker, okay?
Negative stimuli that affect the dog’s psychology
If you have an environment full of negative stimuli for your dog, know that this could directly affect the energy it accumulates. For example, a house with a direct view of the neighbor’s dogs is not very suitable for your little dog.
Also, if your puppy is socializing or not yet socialized, leaving him with lots of views of neighbors and people can be stressful.
Excessive and unbalanced eating
Yes, a chubby dog is cuddly and awakens feelings of great love on the part of the tutors. However, simply feeding the dog randomly can make him extremely agitated.
After all, food is calories. And calorie is energy. One thing has to do with the other and, therefore, it is essential to create a suitable routine for feeding your pet.
Preferably, look for a nutritionist veterinarian to create a balanced diet for your dog. It can be natural food or with food. It doesn’t matter. The important thing is to offer food in the right amount for the animal.
This will make all the difference to the energy that the dog accumulates or not.
Lack of routine and too much randomness
If there’s one thing dogs love, it’s routine. They love to know “what comes next” and therefore the tutor should be directly responsible for creating this proper routine.
Having time to go out, to sleep, to eat, to play and to make a mess, is what will dictate your pet’s quality of life.
Therefore, avoid situations of too much randomness and change. The more you can deliver a calm, peaceful and safe environment for the dog, the better. So have schedules and condition the dog to them. Changing environments, furniture and even home is something that makes the dog agitated.
Some races are more intense than others
In addition to all these features presented so far, an agitated dog is also directly related to his breed. After all, there are breeds that are more agitated than others and you need to pay attention to this when adopting.
For example, dogs from activities such as herding or running tend to be more energetic. While guard dogs tend to be calmer and quieter. So study the breed you are going to adopt very well to know exactly how to take care of the animal.
Agitated dog – The age of the dog counts a lot
And finally, we can’t forget the age of the dog. This factor is fundamental and, many times, there is not much to do.
After all, a young dog will have much more energy to spend than an elderly dog. Therefore, the tutor needs to know how to deal with, what to do and how to take care of his dog at different stages of his life.
Preferably, it is important that the tutor teaches basic dressage commands even in the puppy phase. This way, your puppy will be able to understand things better and you will have an important connection.
How to calm an agitated dog
There are numerous ways to calm a dog. And the best of them is to deal with it individually.
That is, do not “buy” a magic recipe on how to calm a dog. And much less bet on calming meds or something like that. Dogs have energy and they need to burn it: simple as that.
All drug interventions need to be strictly recommended by veterinarians. After all, the vast majority of the time, there is not a problem of hyperactivity. But yes, from bad habits.
Here’s what you can do to help the fussy dog calm down:
- Games and constant energy expenditure.
- Environmental enrichment and tutor interaction.
- Training and socialization.
Next, learn the step by step of each situation.
Agitated Dog – Playing and constant energy expenditure
Playing and spending constant energy is what will make your dog “slow down”. That is, this is what will help the dog to feel more comfortable and calm in any environment.
Creating a routine of energy expenditure and constant play will make your dog feel much better. Although it takes time for him to adapt, if he doesn’t have this routine, know that this will be healthy and important for him.
Environmental enrichment and tutor interaction
Another very important factor for slowing down your dog is environmental enrichment.
This type of adaptation will help your pet to be much more active in situations that he can be. That is, with toys scattered around the house, even without the presence of the tutor.
Agitated dog – Training and socialization
Finally, we cannot forget about dog socialization and training . By socializing the dog, you make him have important stimuli for mental health. And by training him, you offer the dog more quality of life and control over internal and external situations.
So now, consider our tips, put them into practice and always take good care of your best friend.
