My Poodle

Question
QUESTION: I have an 18 month full size male poodle. We adopted him almost a year ago. This dog is very hyper and over active. Will never bite, but cannot sit down and relax until nightime whem my wife and I are sitting watching tv. We have tried products from pet stores with calming ingredients, but to no avail. Can you advise. Thanks.

ANSWER: Hello Mark,
With your Poodle being an 18 month old dog, and him being a Std Poodle, plus you didn't say if he was neutered or not; this CAN lead to a hyper and very active pup.  Calming your dog down needs to come from him being able to release his energy, not by you feeding him something that will calm him down.  Your dog needs to be able to run, walk, exercise or play to get rid of his pent up energy.  You can do things like take him to a dog park where he can run in a fenced in area with other dogs, you can bike with him and have him run next to you (they make an arm that attaches to your bike that keeps the dog from pulling the bike over or running into the bike path), or even playing with him with a favorite toy that he can chase and bring back.  
You might also consider getting him into an Obedience class, where you and he can learn some dog manners and have fun at the same time.  You can find Obedience trainers in your area by asking your Vet for references or checking with PetCo or PetSmart in your area, because some of those stores have training classes they offer.  Once your dog goes through an Obedience class, you can look into getting your dog into Agility, which is like an obstacle course for your dog.  Poodles excel in Agility because they have the energy to run and jump through the obstacles and they really love it.  Check to see if the training facility in your area also has Agility.

By doing things like this, you give your dog a positive out for his energy rather than letting him choose how he is going to get rid of that energy, say by being destructive or recking the house in his effort to expend that pent up energy.  If you do things with your dog like this, then you should find your dog relaxing more when you want him to.  

Give this a try and if you have other questions for me, please feel free to ask.

Thanks for using AllExperts.com,
Kim

 

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Kim,
Thanks for your extensive reply. All that you have said has been already done with my dog. This dog has some other problem, maybe mentally. he is a sweetheart and we love him. Thinking that maybe spending much more time alone with his original owner and maybe other factors that were encountered before we adopted him occurred. This is more than exercise and maybe obedience. We enrolled him in a class with Pet Smart and they also explained to us that he may have ADD. Any more advice would be gratefully appreciated. Thanks.
Mark

Answer
Hello again Mark,
There is a test you can do to see if your dog has ADHDD.  Check out this website for more information.  http://www.ehow.com/facts_5707511_canine-hyperactivity-disorder.html  http://www.naturalnews.com/022879.html,  They say that ADHDD in dogs is very rare, but if your dog can't sit still, focus on things, has trouble learning and playing for for than a couple of minutes, then he could be one that does have this.  

Check out these sites and please get back to me if you have other questions.  

Kim Wingate