Hyper Puppy or Dog- Some Ideas

The following are some ideas that I sent to a friend whose dog ( a six month old puppy) seemed "hyper" to her. I met the dog and, yes, she was active, but not overly hyper. I could calm her down, make her quiet and make her walk quietly beside me. Here are some of the things we discussed:
1) Train her to "timeout" or "go to your rug/bed/crate/etc" . Start with asking her to go to her rug and entice her there with a treat. Whn she is there, have her lie down ("down") and ask her to "stay". Have her stay there for a few seconds and treat her for "go to your rug" or whatever you want as a command. Give lots of praise ("GOOD go to  your rug!"). Work on this twice a day for a few minutes (2 or 3) each time. Gradually work up to having her go to the rug without you enticing her. When she will go to the rug by herself, give a bunch of treats and lots of praise. Then work on the down and stay while there. Start again with a few seconds of stay and work up to minutes. You can also just train this from a "down-stay" command. Using a consistent place like a rug , bed or crate will help her know where to time out.


2) Take her out on leash as much as possible wherever you go. As many places as possible. (I wish I could do this with all my dogs!!) I think some of her hyper-ness away from home is due to the novelty of the place and situation, etc. While out do your "sit-stay" and "down-stay". Sit at a bench along a mall and have her just watch the people and things going on. Praise her and talk re-assuringly to her. Work up slowly in intensity of crowds and noise levels- start in a quiet mall and progress from there.

3) Make sure she gets plenty of exercise- although you will find she becomes better and better in-shape over time! If you can't take a 20 minute walk, 5 minutes of obedience and fun training will tire her mentally and physically. The more you can exercise her MIND, the better. All dogs need a job to do. Terriers are hunters and love to go places. Play ball, play hide and seek, play with her and she will tire out.

4) When she does get over -stimulated (and I think that is exactly what most of this is), tell her to "easy" or "calm" and if necessary hold her gently but firmly. Take the source of the stimulation away if you can (ball, toy, etc). Have her "sit-stay" or "down-stay" for 30 seconds.

I think you will be amazed how good she can be and how good I think she wants to be.