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"hyperactive" dog??

BrooklynMom

Well-known member
Okay...so this is more a discussion point than a question, but lately I have heard a few comments about my dog being really hyper and I am a bit put off by it.

So, there is this cafe across the road from me, and I go there all the time...and usually bring Brooklyn. Well, last week a kid came to pet her (kids always do and Brooklyn is in heaven when they do) and the dad sorta held her back and was like "be careful, she is a bit of a spitfire". I didnt know this guy, so I just told him not to worry, I'll hold her collar, that she is just a puppy and really loves kids. My niece is his daughters age and they get along great, etc. etc. Then today I was back there chatting with the owner (we are neighbourhood friends) and he made a side comment that Brooklyn is "a hyperactive dog". I just laughed it off saying how excited she gets to come to the cafe because its like dog social hour.

Anyway, to be honest, I don't really feel she is hyperactive or anything at all. I mean, she is a puppy, and she still gets excited to see people, but calms down in a few minutes. I attribute it to her being a puppy...she is either passed out all day or really excited to play, run and see people. Am I just blind or I guess I am wondering if I am missing something. Maybe they were not being negative at all and I am just reading into it too much, but I sorta find it offensive. Brooky is 6 months old now, and she is not perfectly calm like most of the older dogs in the neighborhood, but I know she will be as she grows and continues training.

Anyway, is it normal for a pup to be pretty high energy at times? Does that settle? I think so. I am just worried that people think I have "that dog" and I really don't want that. I tell people too not to pet her if she is jumping or anything...and sometimes that works, but today, two people just swooped in and picked her up! The curse of how cute cav's are is that no one will ever ignore her so she just craves the attention!

Thanks for letting me vent :rolleyes:
 
Don't worry your girl is just a normal puppy.:) I wouldn't want a 6mth old to be anything other than full of life and excitement.

It probably is that the people making comments are not being negative at all, they may just be trying to be friendly and making a bit of a joke about her enthusiasm for life. To be honest - I have make comments to people about their puppies being 'live wires' in the past, at the same time as making a fuss of them, and as part of friendly chit chat - I hope they didn't take offense as I meant it as a complement!!!;)
 
I just laugh about it. Claire is 14 months and very active. Especially if she has been recently crated. We had a group of folks here a few weeks ago and she was crated for part of the time. When I let her out she was raring to go.

Just let their comments roll off your back. She is a puppy for goodness sake!
 
Rylie will be two next month and I've never had such an active dog:badgrin: I told my breeder I wanted a spunky dog because Max was still under a year when we got Rylie and pretty active himself. Max seemed to calm down at a year. Rylie is too busy running to calm down. We will do a training run at agility class and when we are done he leaps into my arms and smothers me with kisses. Personally I wouldn't want him any other way.
 
Thanks all...you made me feel a lot better! :luv:

I am known to be the "sensitive" one, so I am happy to know that my little pup is just that...a little pup ;)
 
I have gotten those comments too. I had my two best friends down to visit me and they kept saying "Chamberlain if you hold still I will pet you." Ummm he's an 8 months old and he LOVES new people! They aren’t “dog people” and it was hard for me to hold my tongue when they would whine about dog slobber and hair all over the place! But it is clearly marked in my house that we are "dog peolpe" by magnets and signs “A house is not a home without dog hair” and “Home is where the dogs are” lol :paw:

My husband calls him a "wiggly butt" because when he gets happy his whole body moves when he wags his tail. I personally love his energy and his excitement.
 
camberlain sounds just like mimi when i get back from work all i see is her little doggy butt wiggle through the hall way, she is now 10 months and if anything she has more energy than she did have becuase she is meeting more and more people, we did manage to go for a walk round a busy town on monday and after the first few minutes she settled down and walked very nicely with us and only really got excited when people payed her attention, or other dogs were around. I never saw any problem with 'hyperactive dogs' even before i had mimi, the thing i was more bothered about were out of control dogs, like the ones where you couldnt tell if they were friendly or not untill they had pulled their owners over to you then either jumped at you or barked at you.
 
I love the "wiggle butt" comment...we call it the "full body shake!". :) It is so funny how they can put their whole body into it! Or, how it starts with a slow wag...to a full wag...to a full on lower body wiggle! Too funny.

You guys all made me feel a lot better, because I think Brooklyn is wonderful. And you are right...if she is not aggressive, she doesn't bark at people, she isn't mean...then I am happy. All she wants is a big cuddle and some pets and hopefully too she will calm a bit as she gets older. The hard part is getting people to ignore her so we can practice good manners! Ha.
 
Wiggle butt...that's what we call it. I get exhausted just watching Sydney! Once he gets started, it lasts for a while.
 
I love all these stories!

Mindy's mom, I love the agility class story. Rylie must love those classes. I've often wondered if I've missed the mark by not taking Claire to a class like that.

It must be a Cav trait to do the whole body wiggle. Claire will get wound up and her whole butt moves so much that when she wags her tail you can here it 'thunk' on the side of her body. We love it!

I do try to wear her out in the evening so she'll not wake me at the crack of dawn.
 
Its funny you mention this, Coco and I get the same sort of comments! To be honest I sometimes feel like they don't know what they are talking about, because when we meet new people and go out places Coco is HAPPY which looks like hyper. I just laugh it off and say "yep she is just a pup!" At home she is lazy hah.

Lets enjoy our "hyper" puppies while they are still young!
 
Your absolutely right, she's just a puppy and will calm as she grows. Some puppies are more exciteable than others. It's the different personality types. Our AKC standard states that the Cavalier should have an outgoing and friendly personality. Sounds like she's got it. I'd rather have her this way, than for her to be some shy little creature that piddles on the floor and shakes violently when anyone approaches. I've seen those as well. And just between you and me, It seems to me that the ones that really have this outgoing personality end up being smarter and easier to train once they mature a little and learn to focus. They become very intent on doing what you want them to do. She's a people pleaser! I would start teaching her some basic obedience commands like sit and stay, so if she gets overly excited you can calm her. It'll also help her learn to focus. Good luck with her!
 
haha....I love the spitfire comment. Just enjoy it while it lasts...in a few years she will be all grown up and act like a lady. You can try to bribe her with treats when she is greeting someone so she will hold still but honestly I like a young dog to love all over a stranger. It is what make cavaliers so great!
 
I'm so glad to hear you've been concerned about this problem! I've been wondering for ages is my pup's hyperactivity normal. Lady is 5 months and is exactly the same - completely hyperactive or asleep on my lap.

She is not particularly interested in other dogs, but goes CRAZY over people. Doing the wiggle bum dance and jumping up and licking. And she stays that crazy ALL THE TIME.

I recently had a friend over to stay and she's not a dog person. She was really taken back by Lady's high energy and couldn't handle it.

I'm trying to ask guests not to give her attention unless she is sitting. But who can help but love on this little attention seeker.

I hope she calms down a bit as an adult. But I wouldn't trade in her personality for anything. She's gorgeous.
 
I've been wondering for ages is my pup's hyperactivity normal. Lady is 5 months and is exactly the same - completely hyperactive or asleep on my lap.
I always tell people that Cavaliers have 2 speeds- zero or sixty mph! Even at 7 1/2, Clancy is the same. He spends a lot more time at zero these days, but let him see a squirrel or a rabbit or a bird, and look out! :-D
 
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