Best Medication For Hyper Dogs (With Possible Side Effects)

Dogs can be a little overprotective of their owners at times, but still, no one wants a dog that rushes to pounce on every visitor that comes to their home. 

Hyper dogs can be very energetic and fun to play with, but they can equally be a constant source of mischief and trouble. Their high energy levels make them restless and with this restlessness comes all sorts of trouble, as the dog is sure to do some annoying things. 

Managing a hyper dog is no small task. Unless you want to sit at home and play with your dog all day as well as keep an eye on it, your quickest solution will be to get some sort of medication to calm the dog down and change its hyper behavior. 

Best Medication To Calm Down A Hyper Dog

The best drugs to calm down a hyper dog are those prescribed by a veterinarian. This is because a truly hyper dog is not just energetic, but usually has an underlying factor/condition causing its hyper or erratic behavior. 

Using human drugs to calm your dog, or using sedatives without first consulting your vet can cause serious side effects. Moreso, the dosage to be administered is another important factor. A hyper medication should be given at just the right dose, so you don’t end up destroying your dog’s mental coordination or making it a sleep dummy for life. 

When a dog is truly hyper, then a vet can prescribe a drug or a combination of drugs you can use in treating the hyper condition. Usually what is prescribed for these types of dogs are antidepressants, as this mostly works to reduce anxiety (a very common underlying factor) in hyper dogs. 

Some commonly used/prescribed medications are amitriptyline, diazepam, and fluoxetine

Amitriptyline

This drug comes in the form of tablets that can be given to dogs with or without food. It is greatly effective at reducing anxiety or anxious tendencies. It is better known by its brand name, Elavil. Other than reduced activity, this drug may also cause effects like changing the mood of your dog. 

Owners are advised not to keep their dogs on this medication for more than 2 weeks, and also not to give the medication to dogs having diabetes. 

Fluoxetine (Prozac)

This medication is commonly used to treat aggressive dogs but also works fine to treat dogs experiencing serious stress and anxiety. It comes in the form of tablets, capsules, or liquid which can be given with or without food. This drug also helps to regulate mood swings in dogs. 

Diazepam

This drug is an effective anti-anxiety medication, muscle relaxant, and seizure control drug. However, it is generally classified under sedatives. 

Diazepam can be dispersed in the form of liquid or oral tablets, or by injection. 

One good thing about this drug is that it can be given to dogs in advance of an anxiety-causing event. For instance, if there’s a storm, you can give your dog this drug to keep it calm for when thunder and lightning strikes begin. 

Functions And Side Effects Of Some Popular Hyper Medications

MedicationUses/functionsResults after useSide Effects
MethocarbamolMuscle relaxantFatigue, SleepinessDrooling, Lack of coordination
MelatoninReduces anxiety, Cures SleeplessnessFatigue, Sleepiness Loss of appetite, stomach upset, lethargy
DiazepamSedative, Muscle relaxant, an Anti-anxiety drugReduced energy levels, Sleepiness, Behavior, and mood changesDrowsiness, Loss of coordination, Diarrhea, Vomiting
ProzacCures aggressive anxietySleepiness, Reduced anxiety and activity, Behavior changesInsomnia, Loss of appetite, Vomiting, Lethargy
AmitriptylineCures anxiety, DepressantDrowsiness/sedation, reduced anxiety, reduced appetite, less activityUrinary retention, Constipation, Diarrhea

Best Solution For Less Hyper Dogs

Best Solution For Less Hyper Dogs

A dog is said to be truly hyper when it possesses abnormally high activity levels and a short attention span despite adequate exercise and care. 

These dogs may do things like:

1. Barking or whining constantly

2. Panting and pacing for no reason

3. Pooping and peeing in inappropriate places around your home

4. Destroying things in your home

5. Scratching doors and windows

If your dog isn’t doing any of the mischievous or abnormal things aforementioned, then it may just be that your dog is highly energetic. This abnormally high energy level may have something to do with its breed, or how the dog was trained. The best long-term solution, in this case, is not medication, but exercise. 

Your dog may just have built up so much energy from feeding and lying down, and the only way to dispense that energy is by showing off hyper behaviors. To avoid this, you can simply help your dog dispense that energy safely by regularly exercising the dog. 

You can take the dog on long walks jogging, swimming, play hide and seek, play catch or football, etc. The more strenuous the exercise the better. 

To tell the truth, giving your dog pills to alter its hyper condition is not very advisable, and even in extreme cases, a hyper medication should only come as a last resort. 

Despite all the trouble a hyper dog can cause, the fact remains that no dog lover would want to have a lazy, boring dog that sleeps for 24 hours every day (which is a possibility if you keep using these meds). 

Most Hyper Dog Breeds

Most Hyper Dog Breeds

Some dog breeds are just naturally so much more energetic than others, and if you try to alter their seemingly hyper nature, you may end up breaking the dog somehow. It’s best to avoid these kinds of dogs if you’re not prepared for their high energy levels. 

If you want to own a dog, but don’t want the trouble of managing a hyper dog, then you should avoid the following dog breeds:

1. Rembroke Welsh Corgi

2. Shetland Sheepdog

3. Poodle

4. Siberian Husky

5. Vizola

6. Staffordshire bull terrier

7. Yorkshire terrier

8. Weimaraner

9. Dalmatian

10. Australian shepherd

11. Border collie

12. Labrador retriever

Final Notes

While using a hyper medication may be the quickest way out, it isn’t the safest because, at the end of the day, you’re drugging the dog. If you keep at it your dog may suffer permanent mental or behavioral damage. Regular exercise has been approved as the healthiest and safest way to keep a dog’s hyper behavior down. Most dog hyperactivity comes due to anxiety, or craving for attention. You can try figuring out which is the case, before rushing to get a med. And remember to always get a vet prescription before purchasing one. 

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