“My dog has too much energy. We’ve gone for our walk and she’s still racing around like a lunatic and not listening.”
Does Your Dog Have Too Much Energy?
We’ve been through this phase with Pandora. I guess, I shouldn’t say “Phase” because we still have moments where it seems like Pandora has way too much energy.
As a puppy, Pandora could work herself into a frenzy at the tiniest sound of movement anywhere in the house. Now days, I take her out to the trails and give her some good exercise. For her breed, she needs that exercise. While I will walk 3- to 5-miles, Pandora runs and bounds through the tall grass, runs ahead and races back to me, and tromps through the creeks. If I put a pedometer on her, I’m sure her mileage would nearly double mine.
You would think with all the exercise and mental stimulation of sniffing so many new scents, she’d be pooped when we got home. She’s not. She’s never walked in the door and even attempted to feign exhaustion. What she does do, is race through the door and grab her Frisbee and then throw it at me. She wants to continue the fun.
What Your Dog May Need is Rest
At first glance, I, and others, assume Pandora has just too much energy.
In reality, she needs a reminder that she needs a break.
This is very common in puppyhood. Whenever, Pandora was over-stimulated, I would bring her into my office with me and shut the door. That was her cue to calm down. She would pace for a few seconds, then flop on the floor, sigh, and rest. After about ten or fifteen minutes, I could open my office door and she’d be fine.
So, if there is a particular time when your dog has too much energy, try taking him to a calm place with you. If your dog is crate trained, put him in the crate. If your dog is “place” trained, have him go to his “place.” Give them a good ten or fifteen minutes to settle the wild hair and then release him, calmly.
