Another hyeractive dog... a bit devastated

[Doggingit]

My last dog was extremely highly strung and hyperactive. I had him for 13 crazy years. I believe this was partly down to his breed. I waited 5 years for another dog and did my homework on the type of dog to have. My friend also has this breed of dog and she's extremely laid back.

So, I went to a breeder, chose the pup who basically chose me and brought her home 3 weeks ago. So far, life has been upside down since she came. She's in a great routine but she's relentless. She barely sleeps unless I put her in her crate. My evenings are absolutely awful. She runs me ragged. I have limited her space so that she's not into absolutely everything and I am tiring her out but she's relentless. My friend keeps commenting that her dog was never like this. I am putting her in her crate to nap every hour or so.

I took her to the vets yesterday for her second vaccination and the vet commented "she's a bit extra." I asked what she meant and she said "hyperactive, she's crazy."

I won't lie. I cried a bit on the way home. I really didn't want another hyperactive dog. I have enrolled her into puppy classes and I'm training her myself also but I'm exhausted by her. I find myself putting her in her crate just to have a break. She won't even sit on my lap and settle. She's just constantly on the go. I had such a stressful time with my last dog who clearly had a lot of behavioural issues, maybe doggy ADHD even and now I have another hyper dog.

Can anyone ease my stress/worry/upset? Can I make her calmer in any way? Has anyone ever had a crazy pup whose turned out to be an amazing dog once matured? I don't want to let her go as the children will be heartbroken. I wish the vet hadn't said anything 😕.

Also using kongs and licky mats but she's only interested for 10 minutes.

I have one.

He’s 2 now. Routine is key but honestly the first 15 months were hard work. I’ve had dogs all my life but he was something else. A demonic teddy, basically. I think the breed mix results in a very intense puppyhood. It was only his lovely nature that kept me sane.

Since around the 15 month mark, he has been absolutely delightful. Couldn’t be without him. Super loving, very obedient, well behaved on walks etc

My dog was completely crazy as a puppy, he's lovely now that he's nearly two. There is light at the end of the tunnel, you just have to get through the first few months.

My poodles are needy and intelligent but easy to train. They are energetic in and out of the house in bursts but will pipe
down if I tell them 'enough' firmly and they are well exercised.

They do calm down though!!

Puppies at this age are pricks! It does sound as if they are tired and/or over stimulated as at this age they should get getting 20 hours sleep every day.

Crate training, and being militant with this is essential. As is mentally tiring them out.

I'm just coming out of the other end of the puppy stages and my, very high energy, dog is starting to calm slightly but I am very strict on playtime/sleep time and what she is eating.

If I could just sort the issue with her going crazy when we get visitors she would be perfect 😂

Sounds like normal puppy energy. And 13 weeks sounds a bit young for two 20 min walks.

Don't be too quick to assume you have a 'problem dog'. Look at ways for training and rewarding calmness. And consider any features in your household and in your own manner that might be generating anxious energy in the pup.

If you are stressing yourself out by telling yourself you have a'hyperactive dog', it is likely you are communicating tension and irritation to the dog, which will rev her up.

We have a miniature poodle. She’s easily been the easiest puppy we’ve had. She’s calm, easy to train and wants to please.

It’s crossing them that’s the problem. Poodles aren’t known for being hyper active.

Can I recommend a workbook ? ‘Where is the off switch’ from a trainer who uses positive methods on high drive breeds. https://www.dogsrdogs.co.uk/whose-walk-is-this-anyway/

Get yourself to absolute dogs. Lots of online courses, including calming triad. Try lickimats, kongs, puzzles, hand feeding, boundary games. Absolute Dogs promote positive training. Check the food you're feeding her. I have my crazy on pooch & mutt calm. I strongly believe it helps him. Good luck. It's still early days.

🙄

You don't see the harm at the time. The harm comes with later, with years of pain and disability for your dog, from osteoarthritis that could have been avoided.

Not every dog with OA has been over-walked. Not every over-walked dog gets OA. But you were taking a cruel and unnecessary risk.

One of our labs had severe OA, despite us following the rules to the letter. It was heart-breaking. If you are willing to put a dog at risk of years of suffering, because you are too selfish to deal with normal puppy energy at home, you shouldn't own one.

Totally normal for age of dog. I'd try not to apply the sense of dread about a hyper dog to this pup.
I'd recommend the book 'the perfect puppy'
My 8 year old lab was once a hyper pup. She still has attention deficits but the hyper bit calmed down year by year.
I got a rescue 3 months ago and spent 2.5 wondering what the fuck I'd done yo our lives. He's 2 years old nearly
In the last month he has settled, finally
Remember the dog is a pup and is learning loads about boundaries and regulation and play. They've recently been uprooted from their family!

Two twenty minute walks are too much for a 13 week old pup, you will be doing more harm than good.

Don't worry too soon. Not all loopy puppies become loopy dogs.

I agree do not over walk
We used the ball and walks with my dog
I wish we had known then what we do now
This over stimulates them and increases risk of OA. They also grind their teeth in tennis balls which are like sandpaper
She was around 2 when diagnosed with elbow dysplasia.
:(

Mine love their crates. We never even shut the door anymore now they are older but they still choose to be in it. They have the run of the living room and kitchen when we are out and when we get back they are sleeping in their crates. So I agree.

Do you think you may just have underestimated how ridiculous puppies can be?

I have always had cockers, apart from the poodle mix I have now. They definitely need to be trained to be calm on a night. We used to have a training session when we were ready to start chilling. Put them out to the loo and then there was no playing. I would give them a toy to play with alone or an antler (once they got old enough) so they had something to do. But soon enough they would chew on it for a bit, try and get you to play. We’re sometimes dicks about it but we would tell them no once and not engage. They would go lay down. Even now they know the signs and wait for some treats, then go to living room to chill out. It took a while if ignoring the them trying to get attention.

But they need to be trained to chill out.

You have a 12 week old puppy - of course it's going to be slightly insane I'd be more concerned if it was calm and chilled out at that age, lol.

You also have a mix of two very intelligent breeds of dog. Poodles are working dogs and Bichons were once used in the circus - they can pick up tricks incredibly quickly. Unfortunately intelligence also comes with a downside - they often teach themselves to do what they want rather than what you want them to do.

Lots of people assume they want an intelligent dog who will learn quickly, but what they really mean is that they want a biddable dog who will learn what to do then stop

All puppies are nuts but the first 5 months are particularly crazy. Most calm a bit at 1 year old, then calm down properly by 2 years.

I would train her with the dog communication buttons.

Like toddlers life is easier once they can communicate what they want, even if it means you say no.

Our current 3 year old dog was a nightmare as a puppy. He is a highly intelligent, highly active breed but as soon as he got slightly overtired he was a horror!!!
Everyone told us he needed a lot of walk and exercise which he really didn’t! (We didn’t listen I any of this ‘advice’ as we didn’t want joint issues later in life).
He is now a wonderful 3 year old who is so well behaved and loves flyball and agility.

We now have a 17 week old pup (same breed) who is a rescue. We are using

• beef slices and goat ears for the chewing / biting - it also helps him calm.
• a wobble kong with kibble in
• kongs - but he finds these a bit difficult so gets bored.
• lick mats
• short but frequent training sessions working on the basics
• lots of naps

He hasn’t had his 2nd vaccination yet so walks aren’t an option but he’s doing some on lead work in the garden just to get him used to it. We also signed up to an online training package a few years ago with lifetime access and weekly webinars with a very experienced trainer and behaviourist so we are asking her lots of questions too.

Yeah, she's a puppy.... that's normal behaviour. Think of her like a baby/toddler.

I'm not sure how helpful this is, but I have a Vizsla who has super high energy and can be anxious. I am talking still not calm after 12-mile hikes! He also suffers from anxiety and being calm by himself. We tried everything from crate training to more walking etc and nothing worked. Recently, we have been using CBD Oil to help him relax, which has worked wonders. We have gone being only able to leave him for 5 minutes to 2 hours. He is also just calmer in himself. We use Naturecan's CBD oil for large dogs. Hope this helps x https://www.naturecanpets.com/products/cbd-oil-for-dogs

Our almost two and a half year old working lab is an absolute dream now. She was a ball of energy as a puppy. She is hyper intelligent and fit as a fiddle. Lots of enforced nap time as a puppy, balanced with very short training sessions through the day to tire her out mentally could help you. Our dog does agility and flyball once a week, has at least one big off lead walk a day, and a day or two a week in doggy daycare where she gets lots of playtime with her friends. At home she is beautifully chilled out and snuggly. Your pup will get there!

It does sound like fairly standard behaviour to me for a puppy that age. We have just got a cocker spaniel who’s now 11 weeks; he currently sleeps through from 10-5 and we do at least an hour in and out of his crate the rest of the day. He isn’t walking yet as he hasn’t had his 2nd jabs but at this age mental stimulation is more important. He eats with a snuffle mat, we’ve started training the basics and throw a kong mini tyre thing around the garden. As soon as he looks tired it’s in his crate for at least an hour, they should be sleeping 18-20 hours at this age.