How to Train Hyper Dogs to Calm the F* Down
(training plan below!)
By Jenna Romano
"My dog is psycho!”
"He is just always go, go, go. There's no stopping him.”
"He needs to just calm the F* down!"
Yep, I hear yuh.
But maybe the reason you haven't been able to calm your dog down yet is because you're trying to take his energy from 100 to 1.
When we take a bonkers dog and put him in a 'relax' position on a bed, or ask him to sit perfectly still in a 'Stay,' we're asking him to contain his body without really modulating his brain.
That's what today's lesson is about.
Let's train your dog's brain to focus while amped.
1. Adrenaline? No problem.
The goal of calming down a hyperactive dog is NOT to rid their body of adrenaline and have them crash into a full serotonin zen slumber.
Actually the objective is: “Keep the adrenaline pumpin' but stay in your thinking brain."
For example, I ran a 5k this morning... for funzies. Of course during that run, my body went through a lot of adrenaline, a lot of cortisol, a lot of dopamine, and a ton of other shenanigans.
Yet, while I ran, I knew I was not in danger. My brain stayed in my 'thinking brain’, didn't jump to more ancestral parts of my brain – like the amygdala – and spark a fight, flight, freeze. Instead, I stayed pretty dang logical throughout the run (except for the whole 'hey, let's run 3 miles at 7am' idea. )
That's what we're going for with a hyperactive dog.
We want them to be able to get silly, get aroused, get playful... but stay in their thinking brain and not lose their damn minds.
2. How NOT to teach arousal control.
This is my mea culpa.
In my early years as a dog trainer, when I taught arousal control games to guardians, I had them prioritize treats in their training. This was not wrong. Just not what's best.
Now, I encourage my clients to begin with arousal control games in their play sessions with their dogs.
This is because using play as the reward in arousal control allows for a practical dialogue and real-world scenario between guardian and dog – as opposed to a ‘training set-up’ that tells the dog, “oh, okay. We’re training now.”
In summary, play just feels more chill. More normal.
THEN, if needed later in much harder scenarios, guardians can start to play the arousal control games with treats.
3. How to train an aroused dog to use her ‘thinking brain’
I’ve written a complete training plan below.
But! for a visual demonstration, you’ll want to watch this tutorial.
In this vid, I go deep into the 6-step process I teach my clients in order to equip their dogs with arousal control.
Arousal Control Game Training Plan
1) Start Arousal Game in the house (or backyard) with just toys.
a) Pick a low-stimulating environment
b) No treats needed for this step
c) After every 3-30 seconds of excited play, freeze. Hold tension. Then release.
2) Add in cues for behavior in the freeze moments
a) Select an easy cue (eye contact, touch, sit)
b) Do not ask for a behavior in every single freeze - only sometimes and randomly
c) Break tension, give toy as reward
3) Make the game more challenging in one of two ways
a) Ask for a more difficult behavior in the freeze moment
b) OR change the behavior you cue each time (sit, then touch, the shake, then place)
c) Still not cueing a behavior every single freeze - only sometimes and randomly
4) Play the Arousal Game in a more stimulating environment or context
a) Try practicing with a box and shredded paper
b) Try practicing in a busier backyard or park
c) Try practicing around that special smelly bush your dog loves so much
d) Consider using treats when toys aren’t functional
e) Remember to decrease your expectations to just easy behaviors (like eye contact) and work your way back up to harder behaviors and/or change the cues in no particular order or pattern
5) Train in public
a) As you train in more practical day-to-day public environments, try to prioritize asking for cues that make most sense given the context.
6) Consider whether to be predictable to your dog or unpredictable
a) Environment/context is changing & chaotic = give cues in a pattern & predictably
b) Environment/context is consistent & stable = vary the cues & be unpredictable
More Resources to Help a ‘Hyper’ Dog Focus
🎥 A-to-Z Guide of the TOP Basic Dog Training Skills A two-hour video tutorial that covers how to teach your dog “Come,” “Leave-It,” “Stay,” stop jumping on you and strangers, stop counter-surfing, and more
🎥 Teach Your Dog to Not Pull on Walks This tutorial breaks down the exact dog training plan you can follow to get your dog to stop pulling on leash and gives answers to common obstacles guardians face when training.
