How to Calm a Restless Dog
Hyperactivity in dogs can be a challenge for many people, particularly when dogs seem unable to settle, constantly seeking stimulation and engaging in restless behaviors. This can be frustrating, but it’s essential to understand that much of this behavior is driven by underlying emotional and neurobiological systems. By understanding these systems, including the SEEKING and CARE systems, and making key lifestyle adjustments, you can help your dog achieve greater emotional balance and calmness.
What Drives Hyperactivity in Dogs?
At the core of hyperactivity is often an overactive SEEKING system. According to renowned neuroscientist Jaak Panksepp, the SEEKING system is the emotional system responsible for exploration, curiosity, and motivation. In dogs, this manifests as behaviors like sniffing, investigating, and seeking out new experiences. While healthy SEEKING behavior is normal and necessary, an overactive system can lead to hyperactivity, where the dog constantly searches for stimulation and struggles to settle.
In hyperactive dogs, the brain's mesolimbic dopamine pathway is often overstimulated. This pathway is responsible for motivation and reward-seeking behaviors. When it's overused, dogs can become compulsive in their search for stimulation, leading to restless pacing, destructive behaviors, or constant attention-seeking.
Signs of an Overactive SEEKING System
Here are some common behaviors that may indicate your dog’s SEEKING system is overactive:
Restlessness: Constant pacing, moving around, or difficulty staying in one place.
Excessive Attention-Seeking: Always wanting interaction, play, or engagement.
Destructive Behavior: Chewing or tearing things apart when not mentally stimulated.
Inability to Settle: Even after exercise or play, your dog still seems “on edge” and struggles to calm down.
Hyperactivity on Walks: Difficulty focusing, constantly pulling, or sniffing without purpose.
If your dog shows these signs, it’s important to take a holistic approach that addresses both their emotional needs and daily routines.
Why is Your Dog Hyperactive?
Hyperactivity often stems from an imbalance in your dog’s emotional regulation, particularly in the SEEKING system. An overstimulated SEEKING system can create a feedback loop of constant activity, driven by an overuse of the brain's dopamine pathways (Panksepp, 1998). This can be compared to how humans develop compulsive behaviors when they are addicted to stimuli, whether it’s social media or physical activity (Lembke, 2021).
The key to managing this hyperactivity is by addressing the emotional drivers and making lifestyle changes that prevent overstimulation.
Activating the CARE System: A Natural Calming Mechanism
One of the most effective ways to counteract an overactive SEEKING system is to activate your dog’s CARE system. Panksepp’s research shows that the CARE system is involved in nurturing, bonding, and calming behaviors. By fostering emotional security through nurturing activities, you can help calm your dog’s brain and reduce the hyperactive drive for constant stimulation.
How to Activate the CARE System:
Calming Interaction: Engage in soothing activities such as slow petting, gentle massages, or quiet companionship. These actions stimulate the CARE system, providing comfort and reducing the drive for constant SEEKING (Panksepp & Biven, 2012).
Routine Nurturing: Simple routines like regular grooming, soft touch, or spending quiet time together help activate the CARE system, providing the dog with a sense of emotional security. This can help counterbalance the hyperarousal from the SEEKING system.
Using Calm Vocal Tones: Speaking in a slow, soft voice can help lower your dog’s arousal levels, shifting their emotional state from active SEEKING to calm CARE.
By creating an environment where your dog feels safe and nurtured, you provide a foundation for relaxation.
Lifestyle Adjustments for Hyperactive Dogs
In addition to engaging the CARE system, lifestyle changes can help manage hyperactivity and reduce overstimulation. Many hyperactive dogs benefit from a structured daily routine that incorporates controlled activities, appropriate exercise, and ample rest.
1. Shorter, Focused Walks
Long, high-energy walks can overstimulate an already overactive SEEKING system. Instead, focus on shorter, more purposeful walks. Alexandra Horowitz (2009) emphasizes the importance of allowing dogs to engage in slow, deliberate exploration, particularly through scent work. Letting your dog sniff and investigate within a controlled environment satisfies their SEEKING need without overwhelming them.
Try This:
Take 20-minute walks where you focus on allowing your dog to sniff and explore a small area at their own pace. This activates their SEEKING system in a healthy way and helps tire them mentally rather than physically overstimulating them.
2. Structured Play and Training Sessions
Instead of long, chaotic play sessions, offer short, mentally engaging activities that require your dog to think. Pattern games, scent games, or fitness training exercises are excellent ways to engage the SEEKING system without overstimulation. Nicholas Dodman (2000) recommends structured activities that encourage problem-solving over endless excitement.
Try This:
Use puzzle toys or snuffle mats to make mealtime a mentally stimulating activity. These tools allow your dog to seek out their food, satisfying their SEEKING needs in a controlled manner.
Keep play sessions under 10 minutes, focusing on activities that challenge your dog’s brain, such as hide-and-seek or finding hidden treats.
3. Predictable Rest and Relaxation
Dogs with overactive SEEKING systems need regular rest periods to allow their brains to reset. Establishing predictable downtime helps balance their emotional systems. When your dog’s routine includes structured rest periods, they’re less likely to become overstimulated (Spaulding, 2020).
Try This:
Create a designated “quiet time” after walks or play where your dog is encouraged to relax on a bed or mat. You can use a calming cue (such as “settle”) to signal that it’s time to rest.
Introduce mat training, where your dog learns to relax on a specific mat or bed. This creates a physical and emotional space for them to unwind.
4. Balanced Enrichment
While it’s important to engage your dog’s SEEKING system, the key is to do so in a controlled, balanced way. Environmental enrichment can satisfy your dog’s need for stimulation while preventing overstimulation. Controlled activities like puzzle toys, scent work, and interactive feeders can provide stimulation without the hyperarousal seen in more chaotic activities (Panksepp, 1998).
Try This:
Rotate toys regularly to keep things novel, but avoid overwhelming your dog with too many toys at once. A few high-quality enrichment tools are more effective than an excess of items.
Achieving Balance
Managing hyperactivity in dogs requires a combination of emotional understanding and lifestyle adjustments. By recognizing that hyperactivity is often driven by an overactive SEEKING system and overuse of dopamine pathways, you can take targeted actions to calm your dog. Activating the CARE system through nurturing behaviors, combined with shorter walks, structured play, and regular rest, helps bring balance back to your dog’s emotional world.
Remember that every dog is different, and achieving calmness takes time and patience. By fostering emotional security and preventing overstimulation, you can help your dog find peace and relaxation in their daily life.
References:
Panksepp, Jaak. Affective Neuroscience: The Foundations of Human and Animal Emotions (1998).
Panksepp, Jaak & Biven, Lucy. The Archaeology of Mind: Neuroevolutionary Origins of Human Emotions(2012).
Spaulding, Kristina. The Stress Factor in Dogs: Unlocking Resiliency and Enhancing Well-Being (2020).
Dodman, Nicholas H. Dogs Behaving Badly (2000).
Lembke, Anna. Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence (2021).
Horowitz, Alexandra. Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know (2009).