A dog’s excitement is one of the cutest things in the world. Especially when your dog is your favorite companion. And you must be loving it when your dog keeps following you, cuddles you, and get happy when you get back home after work.
All these things are cute, but what will you do when your dog gets overexcited in everything? How are you going to handle him?
Well, you don’t have to worry about it. We have done some pretty good research for you which is definitely going to help you when your puppy gets out of your control.
Is it possible that a puppy can get overexcited?
The answer is yes!
It is completely fine if your dog is a little excited, it’s cute. But it is a matter of concern if your dog doesn’t know how to control his excitement.
Domestic dogs live a different lifestyle and they usually don’t face any energy scarcity. Which is why you will find that mostly the pet dogs are more enthusiastic than the dogs living in the wild.
Domestic dogs are probably more full of energy. However, if your dog is unable to calm himself up quickly, then the situation can get out of your hand. A dog’s over-excitement can lead him to hyperactivity.
To know if your dog gets overexcited, try to observe his behavior in a situation that gets him easily excited. Now try to answer some questions like, ‘How long does it take to calm himself ?’ and ‘Is he able to calm himself or not ?’
And if your dog takes a long time to calm down or even if he does, he cannot stay like that for more than one or two minutes, then you have got a problem. This is a sign that your dog is not able to control his feelings which is not good for him.
What is the behavior of an overexcited dog?
There are many forms of behavior of an overexcited puppy. The most common ones are; barking or crying, excessive jumping in the air or on a person/object, having zoomies, or running wildly. These are generally very wild and uncontrollable.
In some puppies and adult dogs, the signs can go a little far. Your animals can lose urinal control at the point of excitement.
If your puppy is hyperactive, you can find these signs in him too.
Actually, a dog’s over-excitement is usually linked to a person or object or an event. But if your dog is hyperactive then he will get excited over anything or his excitement can last forever.
Hence, there is a difference between over-excitement and hyperactivity of a dog.
Most common reasons of a dog’s over-excitement
Your dog doesn’t get overexcited over no reason. Here are some of the common reason why a dog gets overexcited.
1. Stress
One of the reasons for a dog’s over-excitement is stress. A dog can get overexcited when he is stressed. When they get stress they have no idea what to do and can lose control of themselves.
Stress builds up adrenaline in their body and to get rid of this feeling, they start showing some usual behavior that we have listed above.
And an another way dogs use to release stress is by humping.
2. Overstimulation
Overstimulation happens when a dog is unable to handle noises, activity, or sensations.
You must be aware that dogs are not made to handle a busy environment. Surely they can easily get used to it, but it takes a while.
You will clearly notice a change in the dog’s behavior when he is quiet and when you take him to a busy place. There are so many other stimuli that tell that your dog is unable to handle any more disturbance.
Another situation is when you have guests over. Dogs can get overexcited when they see unfamiliar faces. But every dog’s reaction is different.
Dogs who can quickly gets over-excited will get overwhelmed in this situation. They will start jumping on the people because they don’t know where to start. This is a happy over-excitement, but it can get really annoying when your dogs just can’t get enough and keeps jumping on those people.
3. Surplus Energy
If your dog has surplus energy, it can lead to over-excitement or hyperactivity. Surplus energy mostly results in hyperactivity of dogs, which means that your dog is not going to stop until all his excess energy is utilized.
Also, a dog’s mind can get troubled if he is getting a lack of exercise. The reason is that, if your dog gets regular exercise, he channelizes his surplus energy into that which means that the dog will get excited in a normal amount.
If a dog lacks enough exercise, he is over-excited. For instance, when you get back home and the dog starts getting all jumpy and excited, it is because right now he has all his surplus energy as well as the excitement to see you.
4. Owner’s behaviour
This is the most important factor that influences the over-excitement in the dogs. It is actually possible that the reason for your dog’s craziness is you. It is pretty hard to swallow but, it is true.
Dogs are very sensitive to their owner’s behavior. If you are feeling low, possibly your dog will be feeling the same. It’s just that they can’t control their emotions when they are sensitive.
Hence, it usually leads to stress which results in their over-excitement.
How to calm down an over-excited dog?
Now that you have learned the reasons why a dog gets overexcited, it’s time for the solutions.
Find the cause of over-excitement
It is important to first find the actual cause of your dog’s overexcited, rather than going for trial and error.
Finding a specific reason will help you to work in a specific direction. And it will help you to find the solution in a more reasonable and convenient way.
First, you have to carefully observe your dog’s behaviour and try to figure out the reason for his over-excitement. Like when does he gets too excited? Is he afraid of something/someone? Does his behaviour changes in a crowded place? Does his behaviour changes according to yours? Was he always like this or his behaviour has changed recently?
These types of questions will definitely help you figure out the problem. And if you already know the question, then you have come to a step closer to the solution.
The Solutions
1. Let him utilize all his energy
This is the ultimate solution for all the people who are having a hard time with their over-excited dog.
It is important for you to make sure that your dog is getting enough physical as well as mental exercise. This process will wear him out. Thus, it means your dog will be tired which in turn means that there is no excess energy to show over-excitement.
You can take him for long walks or play games with him. By playing thinking games or teaching him new tricks will also be helpful for his mental simulation.
2. Hold your dog still
When a dog gets over-excited, he cannot feel his body and doesn’t know where his body is going. So it is better to hold him still so that he can feel his body and calms down.
It will take one or two minutes for the dog to calm down when he gets the zoomies.
3. Calm yourself up
Another important thing to do is to calm yourself first. Because you cannot calm your dog when you yourself are not stable enough.
Try to stay calm as much as possible. It is impossible for an over-excited dog to calm down when his owner is getting all angry and irritated.
Getting angry is not a solution at that point. So, what you have to do is to relax and hold your dog and sit down. Then try to make him and yourself comfortable and breathe slowly. You will see how your change in behavior reflects in your dog.
4. Teach your dog good behavior
It is important for a human to learn good behavior, and it implies for a dog too. If you see that your dog gets over-excited every time, then you must teach him how to control himself.
Find a way to tell your dog the moment he starts getting over-excited and it is not good for him. But you have to catch a moment where his excitement begins to increase. And then you have to quickly intervene and break the building of his excitement.
Conclusion
It is cute to see an excited dog but it is annoying to handle when they get over-excited.
But instead of getting paranoid about this situation, you should try to understand your dog and help him find a way to calm down. It is difficult for a dog to do some things on his own, but if you help him then he will definitely find success.
The proven ways to calm your dog is by draining all his energy through physical and mental exercise, and by holding him still, by teaching him good behavior and finally by calming yourself.
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