Why won’t my Labrador relax or calm down?

If your Labrador 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 Labrador might be doing it and what you can do about it.

So, why won’t my Labrador 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 Labrador 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 Labrador won’t relax or calm down

Below are some possible reasons why your Labrador won’t relax or calm down and what would make them more likely to be the main reason.

Diet

The cause could be that there is an issue with its diet. It could be that it has been eating too much, it has been getting the wrong diet or that it has been being fed things that it should not be. This would be more likely if it has been more energetic since a change in its diet or if it does it more when it is fed certain foods.

It would help to make sure that you have been feeding it correctly and that no one else has been feeding it without telling you.

Not enough exercise

Labradors are meant to get daily exercise. When they do not get enough exercise it can cause them to be unable to calm down. Generally, it is recommended for them to get at least an hour of exercise per day when they are healthy adults.

Wanting attention

The reason why it does it could also be that it is looking for extra attention. This would be more likely if it does it more when you have not been giving it much attention and if you tend to give it extra attention when it becomes hyper.

Instead, it would help to give it lots of training and exercise but to avoid rewarding it with attention when it misbehaves and to change its behavior with the use of positive reinforcement training.

You have been reinforcing the behavior

It could also be the case that it has been behaving that way because you have inadvertently encouraged the behavior. If you tend to give it things such as extra toys, treats or attention when it becomes hyper, 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, to give it lots of exercise daily and to avoid rewarding it when it misbehaves.

Nature

The reason why your Labrador 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 Labradors. 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 Labrador 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 when trying to figure out why your Labrador will not calm down.

When it started doing it

If it was calmer in the past, it would help to consider what else happened when it stopped being calm.

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 energetic by nature. 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 if there is a certain time that it tends to become more energetic since it could also be the case that the timing has something to do with it.

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 could also help to consider its age since its age could also be a factor.

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 Labrador to calm down

There are a number of things you can do to get your Labrador to calm down that I have written about in this post.