Hyper Rottie

dodgeguy · 12-01-2007, 12:20 PM

My 4 year old Rottweiler/Pit Bull mix neutered male seems to be hyper active. When I let him out of his kennel, he goes bonkers all over the place. After he runs wide open for a while, he settles down a little, but still very high-strung. He did not seem like this a year or so ago, and seems to have gotten worse. I was wondering if there was any kind of meds that would calm him down some. He won't even hold still to pick off the occasional tick. He is a very gentle, non aggressive dog, but, hard to handle. He behaves well on a lead when walking, but without the lead, I usually have to chase him all over the neighborhood. Any suggestions?

natureloverchris · 12-01-2007, 02:23 PM

How much exercise does he get? How long is he in the kennel? Has something changed in your routine from last year to now?

007Dogs · 12-01-2007, 02:24 PM

Maybe he is not getting enough exercise for his size. Maybe try obediance training with him. Or find an agility class to do for execise and fun. A dog with a job to do, is a much more happy relaxed dog.

Alpha · 12-01-2007, 03:27 PM

Sounds like the terrier in him.

The wonderful thing I've found with my terrier is, he knows when to let all that excess energy go. In the house he's a couch potatoe, but once we get in the woods? He's a nut bar, running for hours straight sometimes.

As others have said, it sounds like he's not getting enough excercise, OR not enough of the RIGHT KIND of excercise.

Walking on leash for some dogs just doesn't cut it. THey need intense running, for sometimes long periods of time.

So playing fetch (I'm talking throwing balls 50 feet 50 times in a row! haha), swimming, long off leash hikes etc etc are sometimes what certain breeds/personalities of dogs require regularly.

007's idea of giving the dog a job is a great one IMO. Dog's with jobs are often happy dogs.

dodgeguy · 12-01-2007, 05:52 PM

I used to let him run in the evenings and at first, he would run then settle down. Now, he is wide open for as long as I keep him out of his kennel. Seems like the older he gets, the more energy he has. He probably needs to run more. I will try that before I put him on Ritilin.

Curbside Prophet · 12-01-2007, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alpha

RIGHT KIND of excercise.

Perhaps the Rottie in him would like to herd? You may want to look into a farmer in your area who's willing to provide this service and outlet for your dog. I actually ran into a farmer at a feed shop who does exactly this, and he's had all types of breeds run through his farm. I'm not sure how much a service like this would cost, but it's one idea.