An over-excited dog can be frustrating sometimes when they’re running aggressively all over the house, biting our legs, and whatever we do just makes it worse. In this article, I will be sharing why does your dog gets too excited and how to calm an over excited dog naturally.
Yes. Dogs can get over-excited due to various reasons, and it is something we need to minimize. Some may think that an over-excited dog is a sign that your dog is happy. But, that is far from the actual reality.
In the next section, I will be discussing some signs you can use to determine if your dog is too excited.
It is actually quite simple to identify if your dog is over-excited. Here are some of the behaviors of an over-excited dog:-
Yes, it’s normal for a dog to bark, so we need to understand why our dog is barking. Is it because there is a stranger passing by your house? Or is your dog barking at you for no reason?
If your dog is barking at you for no reason, then, it may be a sign your dog is over-excited.
When I say running aggressively, I really mean aggressively. An over-excited dog will run all around the house at a very fast speed, like a reckless driver driving 140km/hr on a normal road.
It’s is easy to identify if your dog is running aggressively.
If you’re worried that he/she might get knocked into something and get hurt badly while running, then your dog is indeed running aggressively and is over-excited.
Is your dog biting your legs while you’re walking or standing still? Then it’s a sign that your dog is about to get over-excited.
Personally, for me, my dog will have all three signs and it comes in different stages. She will start by biting your legs, followed by barking at family members, and lastly running & jumping aggressively.
Most of our dogs are not meant to be in busy/new surroundings. Even though your dogs are able to get used to the surroundings easily, but it requires quite some time for it to happen.
Let’s say your dog is spending most of his/her time in the house and one day you’ve decided to bring her to a nearby park for a walk. When they’re outside for the first time, they might not see before moving cars, grass, many strangers walking, other animals, and more.
These new elements come all at a time will make your dog get overwhelmed easily and does not know how to deal with it anymore. Thus, becoming over-excited.
Another reason for your dog to be over-excited is because they have too much energy in them and they need to find a way to clear off all the excessive energy.
What’s more effective than running & jumping aggressively in the house?
Reasons for your dog to have excess energy can be because your dog is spending most of the time at home and did not exercise, or you’ve fed your dog with food that gives the dog more energy.
Most of the time when dogs get over-excited and become a little annoying, we tend to forget we ourselves might be the main reason for them to be over-excited.
Dogs have a special ability to sense if we are either calm, angry, sad, frustrated, happy and more. Whatever they sense from us, they will reflect the feeling on them.
If they sense that you’re happy and calm, they will be happy and calm too.
If they sense that you’re sad, they will give you comfort and make you feel better.
And, if you’re angry or frustrated at them ….. They’ll do the same to you too!
If your dog is stress, it may have caused them to become over-excited too. When they’re stress, they do not have any idea how they can deal with the stress they have right now. Thus, becomes over-excited.
Sugar, carbohydrates, and artificial coloring give dogs energy, just like how it works on humans too.
Ever saw movies of children becomes hyperactive after eating foods that are very sweet? The concept is exactly the same towards dogs too.
Feeding dog feed that contains an excessive amount of sugar, carbohydrates, and artificial coloring will make your dog become hyperactive easily.
So, before buying dog food for your dog next time, have a look at the nutrition facts!
When dogs get overexcited, they will constantly seek our attention. By avoiding eye contact with your dog and ignoring him/her, they’ve failed to seek attention from us and they will look for a different approach to get our attention.
When he/she keeps biting your leg, find a place to sit down, scroll your smartphone or do something else other than giving your dog the attention they want until they’re fully calmed down.
If your dog is overexcited because of the excess energy they have, it will be a good idea to take your dog for a good walk to clear out all the excessive energy. After the walk, all their excess energy will be gone, so does the overexcitement of your dog.
Playing Jazz music has scientifically proven to reduce the heart rate of dogs, making them calm. You can try combining this approach while also avoiding eye contact and ignoring your dog when they’re overly excited.
Combining these two approaches can help to reduce the time needed for them to cool down.
This is by far the most important thing to do when your dog is hyperactive. You need to be calm to make your dog calm.
Yes. It may be annoying and frustrating sometimes, especially when you’re not in a good mood today.
But, dogs have feelings too.
If you’re really not in a good mood today, try looking at your dog being overexcited from a different point of view. Your dog is giving you an opportunity to take a step back, be calm, take a break from the struggles we’re facing, and live in the moment.
I hope this article has given you a better understanding of why your dog is overexcited and how you can calm your over-excited dog in the future. Remember, your dog reflects your feeling, be calm, and your dog will soon be calm too.
Cheers!
