Most dogs have a zest for life that puts even the most active human in the shade. However, if your dog is an uncontrollable ball of energy, there are three probable reasons – lack of exercise, anxiety and lack of leadership.

All of these have one common denominator. They are all within your control.

Helping A Bored Dog

In many cases where dogs become overexcited the cause is down to boredom – pure and simple. The dog receives little or no exercise and even less mental stimulation. He waits around all day in a state of anxiety, and when you return, releases like a wound up spring.

This is pretty easy to resolve – give your dog some exercise! All dogs need exercise and this is an area where many dog owners, unfortunately, shirk their responsibility.

How much exercise does a dog need? Well that depends on the dog. Age, breed and health are all factors. Your little Peke will be quite happy with a stroll around the garden, but that’s just not going to cut it with a Lab, let alone a Border Collie.

Another Common Problem: Separation Anxiety

A common cause for over-excited behavior is separation anxiety. This is particularly true of dogs that are left home while the owner goes to work. Here are some things you can do to address the behavior;

*Don’t Reward Bad Behavior – While your dog is in a hyped-up state – running, jumping and barking, you should withhold all attention. Wait for the dog to settle down, and then re-enforce the calm behavior by giving her the attention she craves.

*Change Your Routine – I’ll bet your dog knows your routine even better than you do, and when he notices the familiar things you do before leaving, it sets off his anxiety. By changing your routine, even slightly, you can break the cycle and affect the behavior.

*Restrict him to a small area – A dog that is left alone in a large empty house will always become anxious. Restricting him to a smaller area and providing a secure “den”, like a dog crate, will calm him down.*Give him something to keep him occupied – A dog gets pretty bored hanging around for 10 to 12 hours with nothing to do. Keep him occupied with some chew toys, and a hidden treat or two to find.

Be the Leader

A dog that is uncertain of his place in the pack hierarchy will always be anxious, because he’s not sure how to behave. What can you do about it? Give him some basic obedience training like “sit”, “stay” and “down”.

Training provides discipline and mental stimulation. It also establishes your leadership. Once your dog accepts this, he’ll naturally calm down.

Applying these 3 principles will have a noticeable effect on your dog’s hyper-active behavior. Keep in mind that not all dogs were created equal. Some dogs (and some breeds) are just by nature more boisterous than others.

Read more about dog obedience training, dog anatomy, dog health and other helpful dog information at http://www.dogsanddogtraining.com.

To really understand dog behavior you must first understand the behavior of the dogs ancestor, the wolf.

Wolves are one of the most successful species on the planet and with bodies, brains and senses evolved to succeed as a co-operative hunter. In the process they have developed a set of complex behaviors and signals, which is key to their success as social animals.

DNA evidence now proves conclusively that the wolf is the sole ancestor of the domestic dog. So it is not surprising that dogs have many of the same instinctual behaviors as wolves.

Once you accept this, a lot of your dog’s behaviors will begin to make sense.

Here are some of the common dog behaviors and their motivations.

Pack Hierarchy: The wolf pack has a simple, but effective hierarchial structure. At the top is the alpha male and his mate. The rest of the pack are usually their offspring although it may include other, non-related wolves. All however, unquestionably follow the alpha male.

In the same way, a dog will instinctively follow someone who displays the right leadership qualities. But if he feels this leadership is not present, he’ll try to take up the role himself. This is particularly try of breeds with high dominance.

Body Language: Wolves (and dogs) use a complex body language to communicate and usually, this “language” carries more weight than any form of vocalization. Body language uses the tail, ears, eye contact, body movements, posture and facial expressions to get the message across.

We humans don’t always understand these signals. A common misconception, for example, is that a wagging tail indicates happiness when it can actually mean anything from submission to aggravation.

Territorialism: When a wolf pack stakes out a territory, they’ll patrol it and chase off any intruders. You’ve probably noticed the same behavior in your dog, as he patrols your garden and barks at the gate. He’ll also protect other “territory”, like his food bowl, favorite toys, or even a person he sees as his “own”.

Social Interaction: The social structure of the pack promotes co-operation, while play and social interaction helps the pack develop the co-operative hunting skills that are central to their survival.

It is quite easy to simulate this with your dog – just give him lots of play, walks and training. If you want a balanced dog you’ll have to go further though, socializing him with a lot of other people and also with other dogs.

Chasing: The wolf’s style of hunting is to run after its prey until the animal becomes exhausted, so they instinctively follow anything moving away from them.

Dogs are the same, chasing the neighbor’s cat, the mailman or a passing cyclist.

Running Away: Most predators (even lions) choose their battles carefully. They’d rather flee than fight a battle where they could suffer an injury. The same usually applies to wolves and dogs.

Vocalization: A wolf has the same vocal abilities as a dog and contrary to popular belief they do occasionally bark. However, as vocal signals would frighten off prey, or alert enemies, they tend to use their voices sparingly.

On the other hand, dogs have adapted to living with humans. And as we communicate mostly by voice, they’ve followed suit, barking and whining to their hearts content.

There’s plenty more about dog obedience training, dog care, dog grooming and other useful dog advice at http://www.dogsanddogtraining.com