Effective Ways to Soothe an Overly Energized Puppy

Understanding Why Your Puppy Is So Hyper

Puppies are adorable and hard to resist, yet they can seem to possess an explosive amount of energy. When I brought home my Siberian Husky puppy, she would dash around like a speeding bullet. Keeping up with her was a challenge, let alone getting her to stop acting like Ricochet Rabbit.

Puppies are naturally curious, excitable, and full of vitality. The world is their playground, and they will chew, bite, and taste anything they can reach—including you! Since puppies lack opposable thumbs, they rely on their mouths to explore and interact with objects around them.

Mouthing is a typical puppy behavior. Our job is to redirect that hyper energy and teach them what is acceptable to mouth and what is not.

Hyper puppy tip one: routine and structure

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1. Establish Routine and Structure

One of the most effective ways to manage your puppy's hyper behavior is to implement a consistent routine from the very beginning.

When I got my first puppy, I didn't think a schedule was necessary. Neither the puppy nor I had day jobs, so I believed that setting time limits and deadlines would unnecessarily restrict our freedom. However, I soon realized I was mistaken.

Create a Fixed Schedule

A set schedule helps the puppy understand when it's time to eat, walk, sleep, go potty, and play. For sleep, I usually place the puppy in a crate where he feels safe and secure, similar to a den.

This limits the puppy's hyper behavior to specific times of day, such as during playtime, and to a lesser extent during walks. These periods become healthy outlets for his excess energy. Dogs are crepuscular, meaning they are most active at dawn and dusk, so try to schedule playtimes during those peak energy times.

This way, the puppy knows exactly what to expect, which reduces his stress. Additionally, you'll get to enjoy some peaceful moments free from puppy hyperactivity.

A fixed schedule also aids in potty training and obedience training.

Did You Know?

Without routine and structure, a puppy can become stressed, hyper, and unhappy.

Routine and structure will limit puppy’s hyper behavior to certain times in the day, for example during play time.

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Hyper puppy tip two: physical and mental exercise

Play fun games with your dog.

2. Provide Physical and Mental Exercise

Puppies have abundant energy and are curious about many things. It's crucial to give them positive outlets for their active bodies and inquisitive minds. Without such outlets, they will find their own activities, which can lead to property damage, puppy injuries, shouting, tears, and possibly trips to the furniture store or vet.

There are various games you can play with your puppy that help release his hyper energy in a positive way.

Some enjoyable physical activities include:

Flirt pole
Catch
Fetch
Soccer
Hide and seek
Dog agility
Dog sports

Some enjoyable mental activities include:

Obedience training
Interactive dog toys (My dogs especially love working on food toys)

Some enjoyable physical and mental activities include:

Daily neighborhood walks
Walks in the park
Supervised play sessions with other friendly and healthy puppies

Ensure your puppy has had all his vaccinations before going on walks where he might encounter dog waste. In puppy play sessions, make sure all puppies are vaccinated.

Hyper puppy tip three: patience and consistency

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3. Practice Patience and Consistency

It's easy to lose patience with a hyper puppy that has a very short attention span. I lost my temper many times with my first puppy and started shouting at him.

However, I soon realized that this only made him more hyper. Here are some ways to practice patience and consistency:

Anger, frustration, shouting, banging, and hitting will only inject more energy into an already intense situation. This will cause the puppy to get even more agitated and even more hyper.
To calm a puppy's hyper energy, we must stay calm. If you feel yourself getting angry, take a break from the puppy and ask someone to stand in for you. If there is no one around, put the puppy temporarily in his crate or on a tie-down and take a short break to collect yourself.
Always be consistent with the puppy so that he will know what to expect from you. It is important to set up some house rules and stick to them. Do not let your puppy come onto the couch one day and scold him for doing the same thing the next day.
Follow the NILIF (Nothing in Life is Free) program and make your puppy work for all of his food, toys, and resources.
If you stay calm and consistent, your puppy will learn from you and also become more calm and consistent.

If you stay calm and consistent, your puppy will learn from you and also become more calm and consistent.

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Embrace Your Inner Puppy

Finally, don't forget to enjoy your puppy!

It's beneficial and healthy to occasionally let out your inner puppy. Part of the joy of having a puppy is being able to join in his silly games and share his zest for life.

A puppy will make you laugh, cry, sing, howl, and dance a jig. Enjoy your puppy.