Why won’t my Golden Retriever relax or calm down?

If your Golden Retriever won’t relax or calm down you might be wondering why and what you can do about it.

In this post, I will show you a number of reasons why your Golden Retriever might be doing it and what you can do about it.

So, why won’t my Golden Retriever calm down? Possible reasons are that there is an issue with its diet, it’s not getting enough exercise, it does it for attention, you have been rewarding it, stress or anxiety.

Your Golden Retriever could be acting that way for a number of reasons and it could be due to a combination of them. However, there are a number of things you can do about it, depending on the most likely cause.

Why your Golden Retriever won’t relax or calm down

Below, I will show you a number of reasons why your Golden Retriever might be behaving that way and what would make them more likely.

Diet

The cause could be that there is an issue with its diet. This would be more likely if it has been acting differently since a change in its diet or if it behaves differently when you feed it certain foods. It could be the case that you have been feeding it too much or that it has been eating things that it should not be.

It would help to make sure that no one else has been feeding it without telling you and to consult with your vet on its diet.

Not enough exercise

Golden Retrievers are a breed that is meant to get exercise on a daily basis. When they do not get enough exercise it can cause them to behave abnormally and it might be why yours won’t relax or calm down.

Generally, it is recommended that they get at least an hour of exercise per day as healthy adults.

Wanting attention

The cause could also be that it is trying to get extra attention from you. This would be more likely if it tends to do it more when you have not been giving it much attention and if you tend to give it more attention when it does it.

Instead, it would help to give it attention throughout the day by playing with it, exercising it and training it. However, it would help to avoid rewarding it with attention when it starts being hyper unless necessary.

You have been reinforcing the behavior

It could also be the case that you have encouraged the behavior by giving it things it wants when it does it. If you tend to give it things such as toys, treats or extra attention when it becomes hyper then it will likely do it more in order to get more rewards.

Instead, it would help to reward it when it is being well behaved and to follow the other tips mentioned in this post.

Nature

The reason why your Golden Retriever won’t relax could be that it is naturally very energetic. This would be more likely if it has always been energetic and it wouldn’t be uncommon in Golden Retrievers. However, it could still be due to things such as diet, not getting enough exercise or being reinforced.

If it does seem to do it naturally it would likely be helpful to make sure that it is able to get lots of exercise every day. You could exercise it yourself or you could also get a dog walker to do it for you when you are unable to.

Stress or anxiety

It might be the case that your Golden Retriever is stressed or anxious. This would be more likely if it also does things such as pace, cry a lot or hide a lot. In this case, it would help to get the advice of a dog behaviorist or a vet.

Things to consider

Below are some things to consider about your Golden Retriever being hyperactive.

When it started doing it

If it has not always behaved that way, it would help to consider what else happened when it first started doing it since it could be the case that there was an event that caused it to start.

If it started doing it suddenly it would be more likely to be due to things such as a change in its diet, getting less exercise, a change in its daily routine, getting less attention or someone feeding it something it shouldn’t be eating.

If it has always been unable to calm down it would make it more likely that it is naturally a particularly energetic Golden Retriever. However, it could still be the case that there is an issue with its diet, it hasn’t been getting enough exercise or that you have reinforced the behavior. It would help to consult with your local vet on what might be the cause.

When it does it

It would also help to consider what is different when it is calm.

If it is more energetic at certain times it would make it more likely to be due to things such as a problem with its diet, separation anxiety or looking for attention.

How old it is

It would also help to consider the age of your Golden Retriever.

If it is still young it would be likely that it will calm down as it gets older. However, it would still help to make sure that you train it a lot now so that it learns how to behave as an adult and that you ensure that its diet is right.

If it is older it would make it more likely that the cause is due to things such as those mentioned in the list above.

How to get your Golden Retriever to calm down

There are a number of things that you can do to get your Golden Retriever to be calmer and I have written about many things that you can do in this post.