Why won’t my German Shepherd relax or calm down?

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

This post will show you a number of reasons why your German Shepherd might be so energetic and the things you can do about it.

So, why won’t my German Shepherd calm down? Possible reasons are a poor diet, not getting enough exercise, wanting attention, you have been reinforcing the behavior or that it is naturally very energetic.

Why your German Shepherd won’t relax or calm down

Each of the different reasons why your German Shepherd won’t relax will likely come with some clues in the way that it does it.

Below, I will mention some reasons why it might be doing it and what would make them more likely.

Diet

The reason why your German Shepherd won’t relax could be that it is getting the wrong types of foods in its diet. This would be more likely if it tends to be more hyper after it has eaten.

If you think that its diet might be causing it to be restless then you can look here to see what you should and should not be feeding your German Shepherd.

If you are unsure of what food to get for your German Shepherd, consider getting dog food designed specifically for German Shepherds. You can get a GSD specific dog food on Amazon here and one for GSD puppies on Chewy here. 

Not enough exercise

German Shepherds are a breed that is supposed to be getting a lot of exercise daily. Generally, it is recommended for German Shepherds to get at least an hour of exercise daily.

If your German Shepherd is not getting that much exercise then it is likely to be contributing to it not calming down. You can give your German Shepherd exercise by walking it, playing fetch with it or getting a dog walker to do it for you.

Related post: Ways to exercise your German Shepherd.

Wanting attention

The reason why it does it could be that it is looking for attention. This would be more likely if your German Shepherd seems to have more energy when you have not given it much attention for a while.

It would also be more likely if it tends to get a lot more hyper when you are about to leave and if it shows some signs of anxiety. In this case, it would be a sign that it has separation anxiety.

Related post: How to tell if your German Shepherd loves you

You have been reinforcing the behavior

The reason why your German Shepherd has been unable to calm down could be that you have been inadvertently rewarding it for not doing so. If your method of getting it to calm down is to give it things that it wants such as attention or treats then it might be that it has learned that being highly active gets it things that it wants.

Instead, it would help to try to reward it when it is being calm and to try to avoid rewarding it for being hyper.

Nature

The reason why your German Shepherd won’t relax could be that it is naturally very energetic. This would be more likely if it has always acted that way. 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 then it would likely be helpful to make sure that it is able to get lots of exercise every day.

Stress or anxiety

It might be the case that your German Shepherd 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

There are a number of things that you can consider to help you figure out why your German Shepherd won’t relax or calm down.

When it started doing it

It would help to consider when your German Shepherd started being unable to relax. If it was calmer in the past then it could be the case that something has triggered it to start acting differently.

Things that might have happened could be:

• Its diet changed
• Its schedule changed
• It stopped getting as much exercise

When it does it

It would also help to consider the timing of when it is unable to calm down. If it is able to calm down at certain times then it would help to think about what is different then.

For example, if it is able to calm down when it has gotten a lot of exercise then it could be that it is the case that it needs more exercise.

How old it is

It would also help to consider the age of your German Shepherd. If it is still a puppy then it is likely that it will start to calm down as it gets older. However, it could still be the case that things such as the wrong diet could be contributing to it so it would help to consider the things mentioned above.

If your German Shepherd is an adult then it would be more likely to be due to the things mentioned above.

How to get your German Shepherd to calm down

There are a number of things that you can do to get your German Shepherd to be calmer and I have written about many things that you can do in a blog post here.