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If your dog seems hyper, or overly-excited, the problem likely stems from boredom and a lack of stimulation. So in order to address the problem, you have to assess the way you are interacting with your dog and the kind of activity your dog gets on a daily basis.

Here are some simple techniques you can try at home to calm your hyperactive dog.

Ignore the Hyper Dog Behavior

Dogs seek attention from you. By paying attention to the hyper dog during outbursts, you’re reinforcing the very dog problem behavior that you’re trying to eliminate. The next time your dog is jumping or nipping at you in an overexcited way, give it a try — no touch, no talk, no eye contact — and see how you fare. You might be surprised how quickly the dog settles down.

Give Your Dog a Job

Having a task to focus on can help tremendously. Hyperactivity in dogs can come from psychological needs as easily as it can from physical needs. By giving your dog a job to do, you are removing his hyperactive dog behavior and are redirecting his energy elsewhere. For instance, having your dog wear a backpack with extra weight will keep your dog focused on carrying instead of getting distracted by squirrels and other things.

Go for a Dog Walk to Redirect Dog’s High Energy

If your dog has a lot of built-up energy, a really vigorous dog walk is another excellent way to redirect it where YOU want it to go. Once you’ve burned that extra energy away, your dog should be pleasantly exhausted and too tuckered out to jump and nip. Without that frustration, he’ll find it much easier to relax.

Check Your Own Energy

Your dog is your mirror. Any energy you project, he will reflect back. Are you in a calm assertive state of mind? Are you projecting a confident pack leader energy? Are you stressing out over an argument, or burdened with the worries of the workweek? Nervous or anxious moods can translate into nervous or anxious body language or tones of voice, and can affect the energy of your dog. So be the pack leader and stay in tune with your energy.

Try Out Aromatherapy

Don’t forget that dogs experience the world primarily by scent! Just as the smell of lavender is said to relax human beings, a soothing smell can also have a very calming effect on your pet. Talk to your veterinarian or consult a holistic professional to find out what smells may work for your dog and which dispersal methods are the safest for him.

What are the main triggers for your dog’s excitement?

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You might be surprised to learn that what you’re doing to your dog is confusing him—maybe even driving him crazy. Here are five bad habits you need to stop before they wreck your relationship.

5 Bad Habits

You’re Trying to Communicate with Your Dogs Through Words

You adopt a dog from the shelter, and you know it is not the first time he has been adopted, but you are confident you will be successful. One of your worries is that the previous owner had given the dog a name you don’t like, so you have renamed him Riley. But will that confuse him? Guess what? Dogs don’t care much whether you speak to them in Spanish, or English, or Chinese, because they don’t hear words as words, just as sounds. It’s like the way that people spell out “w-a-l-k” and “l-e-a-s-h”; they may be fooling themselves but they certainly aren’t fooling the dog. That’s one of the reasons I love being with dogs so much—because they sense something much deeper than the words you use; they also read your body language. Which is why you can’t lie to a dog. When you speak to a dog you must speak from the inside, from your mind, your heart, and your body. Otherwise he will be scratching his head with his paw, trying to figure why he can see your lips moving with strange noises coming out.

You Treat Your Dog Like a Child

We all know those houses, right? The ones with the framed pictures of Twinkles all over the walls. Her name is embroidered on all of her pillows and emblazoned on toys of every kind, scattered from kitchen to bedroom to bath. And Twinkles’s owner never stops fawning over her as though she were a one-year-old. You can see how the human starts to get confused sometimes and starts thinking that Twinkles is a child—but of course Twinkles is under no illusions at all. She is a dog, and she wants to behave like a dog—that is in her DNA. And like all dogs, she wants to run, she loves to chase things, and she wants to use her nose to track. Your “baby” is also a pack animal and needs the structure and discipline in her life to feel fulfilled and not become frustrated. There is nothing wrong with showing your dog love, but remember: first exercise, then discipline, and finally affection.

Your Dog Doesn’t Have a Job and He’s Bored

So many times people have come to me, worried because their dog has picked up an aggravating habit. Maybe he’s chewing the carpet, or racing in circles around the house, or showing surprising aggression. And so often the answer is the same: Your dog is getting bored—he wants something to do. Dogs aren’t born expecting to be waited on hand and foot, with meals produced whenever they are hungry; no creature in the animal world is. In the wild—from the time they are babies—dogs have to work for their food. They have to hunt it down or go hungry. I like to tell people that in Mexico, where I am from, the dogs are thin but they don’t have psychological problems. Dogs have been bred over the centuries for different jobs—from rounding up cattle to hunting to hauling. When their natural instinct is denied, they become frustrated, and that is when they start to show signs of aggressive behavior. So do what your dog asks and give him a job. Put a pack on his back when you go for walks or create obstacle courses so he can put his scent-tracking abilities to good use. You’ll see right away how happy it makes him.

You’re Acting Like Your dog’s Playmate, Not Pack Leader

You’ve watched my TV shows and read my books, so you know how important it is for you to claim the role of pack leader from the time your puppy first joins the family. But then you come home, and it’s a beautiful summer evening, and your pup is telling you that she is ready to play. The next thing you know, you and your dog are racing around the back yard with a ball and all the rules have changed. At least the rules have changed in your mind—until you are ready to call it quits and go inside for dinner. How is your dog supposed to understand what has happened? You gave up on being pack leader to race into playing with her instead of making it clear that play begins only when she is calm and responsive. So now she is all turned around about who’s the boss. Remember: Being a pack leader is not a part-time occupation; it’s all the time. Your dog is always looking for consistency and structure, and without it she is going to become confused about when she is supposed to follow your directions and when you two are just buddies.

You’re Tense and Nervous Around Your Dog

Your sister-in-law is one of your least favorite people. You hate it when she comes to visit—you know she is checking out your home, and you can see the critical disdain in her face. To make matters worse, whenever she’s near Mikey, your otherwise well-behaved mixed-breed dog, he goes crazy, as if to demonstrate your poor dog-handling skills. But he doesn’t know there are problems with you and your sister-in-law; he just knows that his pack leader is tense and nervous, so he may become tense and nervous too. Our dogs are incredibly finely attuned to us—we’ve been living together almost from the beginning of time! That is why they need calm, assertive energy to relax. Remember: Dogs are predators in the wild, so if they become nervous, their fight-or-flight response is almost always more likely to be fight. Nervousness in dogs will soon come out as aggression. It is how they deal with a problem.

Listen to your dogs. Listen to them carefully, for they are trying to tell you what they want. Their needs are really very simple, and if you satisfy those, you will have a happy and harmonious relationship. That is the kind of bond I have with Junior, as you can see from the photos on these pages. And I hope it will be the relationship you have with your dog.

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However they get out, dogs that run away are no laughing matter. They could get hit by a car, attacked by a dangerous animal, or placed in a shelter where their people never find them.

Why do dogs engage in this dangerous behavior? Below, you’ll find several reasons as well as tips on what you can do to stop it.

Trying to Get Home

Have you recently moved? Well, guess what — your dog doesn’t really understand that concept. All he knows is that he’s in an unfamiliar place and needs to get back to the home that he knows.

Tip: Make your pup’s new home as familiar as possible by surrounding him with favorite belongings that smell like home. Additionally, you should always lead your dog around a new space so he has a chance to sniff everything and get acquainted with it. Doing this automatically creates at least a small sense of familiarity. Finally, you may wish to curb your pup’s freedom a bit in a new place until you are able to walk him around on leash and get him acclimated to his new home and neighborhood.

Your Dog’s Habit

This one is related to the above. If your dog is used to having a lot of freedom to run around and do what she wants, and suddenly that freedom is taken away, there’s a good chance that she’s going to try to roam just because it’s what she’s always done. This can be quite common if there’s a sudden change of environment, like a move from a rural area to a busy metropolis, or if there’s a change in household dynamic, such as marriage, divorce, or a new baby.

Tip: It’s going to take training to curb this behavior. You need to teach your dog not to take off just because she can. It will likely take some time and effort, along with some kind of positive reinforcement to get her to change. If you continue to have trouble, it may be necessary to work with a trainer.

Mating

This mostly applies to un-neutered male dogs, but not always. When dogs feel the urge to mate, it’s not uncommon for them to go off in search of another dog that can satisfy their needs.

Tip: Because mating urges mostly affect un-neutered dogs, the best way to stop those urges and prevent running away is to have your dog neutered. If that’s not an option, you may need to engage in extensive training or invest in a strong leash to effectively battle his instincts.

Loneliness or Boredom

Just like people, dogs are social. They need attention and something interesting to do. If she’s lonely or bored because you’re not engaging with her enough, you may find that she starts running away.

Tip: Pay attention to your dog! It’s not always easy to find time if you have a busy schedule, but it can be done if you make it a priority. Set aside time for daily walks, and make sure to provide her with plenty of affection — after fulfilling her needs with exercise and discipline.

Your Dog is Scared

Dogs aren’t made of stone. If you have a pup that startles at loud noises or strange sights, experiencing one of them may prompt him to bolt in order to escape it.

Tip: If the sight or sound is something that you can replicate, work on training your dog to accept it and relax around it — or at least not to run away in terror. Additionally, if you know that your pooch is scared of something like thunder or fireworks, prepare a safe area for him ahead of time so he can’t run away.

Something Excites Them

Just as fear can cause some dogs to run away, so can excitement. You may have seen this before if your dog spots a squirrel or rabbit while you are walking her and tries to rip your arm off to get to it. Now imagine you’re not around and this happens — she would be off like a rocket, laser-focused on the object of her excitement.

Tip: Again, training is key. You need to work with your pup until they learn that it’s not okay to run after something just because they can. If you know that something specific incites excitement in your dog, you can use that object in your training. Obviously, we’re not suggesting you get a live squirrel, but you could use a toy stuffed squirrel or something like it while you train your dog to stay and remain calm.

It’s Easy

One final reason why dogs run away: Because they can. If your dog can easily dig under or jump over your fence, or if you don’t even have a fence, there’s a good chance that he’s going to take advantage of this situation. After all, would you stay cooped up in a restrictive space if you had the option not to? Probably not.

Tip: Take a look at your property and fix any known issues that provide your pooch with an easy escape route. Fence easy to dig under? Line the edges with paving stones or bury chicken wire that he can’t dig through. Have a dog that bolts out the front door? Put him on a leash or close him in another room before you open it.

By following these tips, you should be able to prevent most escape attempts by your dog.

Is your dog an escape artist? How have you addressed the problem?

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By Juliana Weiss-Roessler

The walk is the foundation of a good relationship with your dog, so when humans struggle with it, those problems aren’t just confined to time on the leash, but also carry over into all aspect of their dog’s behavior.

So what’s a dog lover to do? For many, the solution is a backpack. It’s one of the simplest and most powerful tools that an owner can put into practice. Here are a few of the benefits of adding it to your dog’s walk.

Perks of Adding a BackPack

It Gives Your Dog a Job

Your dog wants to contribute to the pack, but most companion dogs don’t have a way to do so. Instead, they often direct that energy into problem behaviors, like barking, hyperactivity, and anxiety.

So let your dog feel useful. Allow him to carry a bottle of water, a ball, or even the spare poop bags on his back. It’s a task that he has to focus on as he walks alongside you. If your dog isn’t big enough for that, don’t worry. Even an empty backpack can give him or her a sense of purpose.

It Presents a Greater Physical Challenge in Less Time

Most dog owners have busy lives balancing the demands of their work and home life. Even if you’re committed to providing a long, regular walk, sometimes life just gets in the way, and you may have less time to dedicate to it than you intended.

The backpack can help maximize the time you do have with your dog. In most cases, a 15-minute walk using a weighted backpack provides the same physical challenge as a 30-minute walk without one.

It Re-Focuses Your Dog’s Attention

Is your dog ready to chase after every squirrel or bicyclist that crosses your path? A backpack can help redirect that focus. After all, they’ve got a job to do. They don’t have time to bother with those pesky passersby. They have to get this backpack where it needs to go, even if that’s back to the house.

It’s Easy

Learning to rollerblade or bicycle with your dog alongside you are both great ways to increase the exercise they receive, but those activities typically involve a learning curve for both of you. But the backpack is simple. Once you’ve learned how to strap it on, you’re halfway there. The only question you have from there is how much weight to include.

For most dogs, a good rule of thumb is 10 to 12% of their body weight, but you need to take into account your particular pup’s health and energy level. If your dog suffers from any health issue, or you’re uncertain about their ability to carry the weight for any reason, contact your veterinarian for guidance. Many owners also find it beneficial to start out small and increase the challenge as your dog gets more fit.

What has been your experience using the dog backpack? Tell us in the comments.

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