Keeping Sparky still
Harini K. has been at the end of her tether ever since she brought home three-month-old Sandy, a female Labrador. The fun-loving pup is what Harini calls ‘hyper’. Sandy is constantly chewing furniture if not jumping on them. She also runs around constantly and doesn’t stop once she starts barking. “There is no calming her,” says a distraught Harini. “The only peace is when she falls asleep. Otherwise it’s a constant cat and mouse chase,” she laments.
Harini, like other new pet parents, is finding trouble working with a high-energy pup. Puppies, usually between the ages of two to seven months, are a cause of trouble at home because of their hyperactive behaviour. Says pet consultant Natasha Chandy, “There is a difference between hyperactivity and high-energy. While high-energy is a common symptom amongst most pups, hyperactivity is a medical condition. I believe high-energy is a learnt behaviour usually resulting from boredom, lifestyle of the owner, frustration or confining the pup to a particular space. If your pup shows high-energy, it simply means you’re not raising it properly.” A puppy upto the age of seven months is teething and it is during this time that it is ‘hyper’. Says dog trainer Pooja Sathe, “A pup gets very hyper when teething, so the trick is to distract it. Give it a chewy bone and toys to play with. It’s also necessary to leave the pup alone for a part of the day. This way the pup settles into a routine.”
Natasha advocates regular exercise and play time to bring down the energy levels of a pup. “It’s important to train them before they reach the age of six months. Teach them to crawl, jump, fetch — essentially focussed tasks. The pup needs to be engaged both mentally and physically.”
The energy level of a pup depends on the breed. Labs are shown to have the highest energy levels. “A pup naturally outgrows its high-energy levels by the age of three to four years. But it really all boils down to how the pup is trained during those formative early months,” says Chandy.
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