With practice and consistency, it is 100% possible! The "place" behavior can be a wonderful replacement behavior for barking at the door, jumping on guests, or even nipping and biting!
It's more likely that your high energy dog isn't having his physical, mental, and social needs met on a daily basis. Dogs who have a hard time settling down might be operating under the influence of many factors, like breed drive, a lack of the right kind of stimulation, or a poor diet.
Most puppies start to calm down as they approach their maturity age, which is usually around 12 months, but for larger breeds it can be more likely to occur between 18 months and 2 years.
All dogs, by around 10 months of age are showing their true personality and energy levels which they will continue to display up until the point that their body (usually due to arthritis) slows them down.
When your puppy is acting hyper, any sort of attention that you give them will reinforce their behavior. So, as soon as your puppy starts getting over-excited, take a step back from the situation and completely ignore your puppy. Don't speak to, look at, or touch your pup.
Your dog may be hyperactive for a number of reasons, including the characteristics of their breed and potential anxiety-related conditions. If your dog is highly energetic, make sure they first get all their physical exercise needs met. Keep in mind mental exercise can be just as important as physical exercise.
While it's easy to assume a dog's exuberance means they're happy, the opposite may be true: Over-excited dogs may be stressed and anxious, which can lead to behavioral issues. Here's why dogs get overexcited, plus some tips for keeping them calm.
If you feed your dog a pre-packaged diet, check the sugar and carbohydrate contents on the label. Excess sugar can cause dogs to feel hyper and unfocused, not to mention long-term issues like obesity and diabetes.
Dogs with ADHD demonstrate exceptionally short attention spans and a high degree of impulsiveness that makes it impossible for them to focus on one task for long. They are easily distracted. In contrast, most of the high-energy dogs that clients bring to me will focus very quickly on the click-and-treat game.
When dogs engage in high-energy activities, certain chemicals are released in their body that prepare the dog for fight or flight. These chemicals include cortisol, adrenaline, and norepinephrine. With these hormones coursing through their body, it's very hard for the dog to settle down and relax.
The short answer is: yes. The personality differences can most clearly be seen between females and intact (non-neutered) males. Males can be more dominant, territorial, and easily distracted than female dogs. On the other hand, males can also be more playful, active, and independent.
Peanut butter is also great for dogs with anxiety. Many nervous and anxious dogs tend to lick things in order to help them calm down. By using hollow toys like the RuffWear Gnawt-A-Cone, you can put a small amount of peanut butter inside the toy in order to make a long-lasting treat for your dog to lick.
Like humans, dogs go through a rebellious “teenager” phase (around 5 months to 18 months). During this time, they'll often test their owners, seeing what they can get away with. Being firm and consistent with your training will help establish boundaries. And be patient!
As one might expect, the researchers found that when dogs reach about 3 years of age, their curiosity about novel objects and situations starts to decline. That's the age when most dogs begin to mellow out.
If your dog jumps on you, ignore them. Turn and go out the door.
Try again. You may have to come in and go out dozens of times before your dog learns they only gets your attention when they keep all four feet on the floor.
