Adopting A Shelter Dog: Learn The
Most Common Behavioral Problem
You May Face

By Teri Champigny

If you have recently adopted a shelter dog or are considering doing so than this article is for you. One of the most common behavioral problems that you will experience when bringing home a shelter dog is extreme hyperactivity.

When a dog is hyperactive it is usually the result of the combination of living a long life of boredom mixed with his nerves – all due from experiencing high anxiety levels.  When your dog was in the shelter then he probably used pacing and loud whining as a favorite past time.  If you think about how long they are locked up and with so little to do, it is understandable why this hyperactive behavioral problem comes into existence.

Now that your dog is at home with you and into a more roomier and positive environment, this may translate itself into a new stressor that your dog is feeling.  Even though the atmosphere of the new living situation is a positive thing, the changes are typically very stressful to new shelter dogs. It will take some time for your dog to get used to the new setting.  Needless to say, the old habits of pacing back and forth and/or crying out loudly may come back to your dog as a way of coping.

Some new shelter dog owners think that the answer to this hyperactive problem is to coop the dog up in order to keep them from moving around so much and acting irritably. However, this isn't the answer. Exercise is also another common solution that new shelter dog owners think may work, and it does to an extent, but it will not solve the hyperactive problem forever.  Although vigorous exercise will tire your dog's muscles out and take away the nervousness for a period of time, the hyperactivity will eventually come back.

Proper Training & Spending Time Together

Getting your pet involved in dog training and obedience training may help the hyperactive dog to rectify its behavioral problem because it will help give the dog confidence as well as help the dog pay more attention to general commands such as “sit” or “stay”. These simple commands can be used to subdue a dog who has been trained to listen to them whenever he is showing signs of hyperactivity.

Proper training will also help you and your dog spend more time together. So long as you keep the training periods positive and fun, your dog will start to show signs of improvement when it comes to being hyperactive. The more time you spend keeping your dog busy with training and bonding with you, the more you will notice the old hyperactive habits start to fade away.