Zen And The Art Of Hyper-Pet Maintenance
Veterinarian Reviewed on January 29, 2010 by Dr. Janice Huntingford
Holy Cows, did I make my human crazy today! I was ruffing yapping all over the place one minute, then licking the walls the next. Koo-koo! I could not – absolutely not – hear a word she said. I refused to sit, even for treats. I didn`t have to, I was busy inhaling crumbs the size of my paws all afternoon. Hunh? What had gotten into me?
It could be easy to interpret this kind of behavior as BAD, or deem your pet untrain-able. However, just like humans, there can be many reasons why an animal is hyper active – and you, dear human, can do something about it!
Hyperactivity In Animals
Like humans, we pets have sensitive systems. Loud noises, frenetic energy, and high-glycemic foods can all influence our moods – and can be extremely stimulating! The result: your pet, backing-and-forthing, barking and meyowling, and ripping up pillows.
Animals, like humans, have our own personalities. While it is in our animal nature to sometimes sleep all day (kitties), or nose around (doggies) or even run the treadmill at night (hammies), many times our consistency can be altered. Do you find that your pup goes crazy at the sight of his friends when they meet? Yea, typical. We’re happy fellas! You can’t begrudge us that. How many cats go from 0 to 60 at the flick of a string? Right. That sort of stuff is in our nature.
What’s not in our nature is to be incessant or obsessive about things, as mentioned above (even though YES terriers are known to be super hyper, and we border collies have our quirks, too). Naturally, we can be brought back down to Earth.
Chilling us out can be simple, but you human’s must be diligent. This means taking a look around our environments, to see what may be causing us to explode with energy! Here are some suggestions for calming us down:
Tip #1: Tone down the environment. Turn down the TV (better yet, keep it out of our space if you can) – the electrical energy, moving pictures and noises are incredibly stimulating! Turn down music too, and choose calm, soothing tunes.
Tip #2: Keep natural light, instead of bright, artificials on. The flicker of light bulbs can influence our own eye movement/brain waves, and natural is really the best. Better yet: turn the lights off. It works for my human when she’s trying to get our little 4 year old Jake to bed!
Tip #3: Choose low-glycemic, gluten-free foods for us. High sugars spike our own blood sugar (just like humans) and cause all kinds of trubb! Like, for example, that vegan cake.
Tip #4: Exercise! Let us burn off that extra energy – either by taking us for a walk/run, or playing around with us.
Tip #5: Aromatherapy! Lavender is one of the chillest oils on the planet. Use it, dawgs. I`m telling yaw`ll. Read about it HERE.
The Zen Approach
Ultimately, worrying about calming down your pet will end up causing you anxiety. The best remedy: acceptance. Knowing that we pets, just like humans, can have moments of extreme behaviors, will help you to stay present. And calm. Remember, we catch your vibes, too!
Heythere’stheneighbor’scatIgottaflyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy – Buster
Our Expert

Janice Huntingford, DVM, has been in veterinary practice for over 30 years and has founded two veterinary clinics since receiving her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph. She has studied extensively in both conventional and holistic modalities. Ask Dr. Jan