On a day-to-day basis, we are used to our furry friends showing a lot of energy to play, walk and do other activities, but also to enjoy their moments of rest and relaxation. However, some tutors are concerned when they recognize signs of anxiety or hyperactivity in their peers. In this context, common questions arise such as: “ Why is my dog restless and won't stop moving?” or “What can I do to make my dog calm down?"
If you are experiencing a similar situation, we invite you to continue reading this article on our site, because here we will explain the main causes of these problems and we will give you some tips to get your best friend to behave more steady.
Why is my dog restless and won't stop moving?
Unfortunately, we cannot offer you a specific answer to this question, since the behavior of dogs can be influenced by different environmental factors and those inherent to their own organism. If your dog is restless and won't stop moving, you'll need to pay attention to his behaviors, his lifestyle, and his environment to try to identify the cause of this problem.
To help you in this process, below we will summarize the most common reasons why dogs are restless and tend to move around the house. Also, remember that seeking professional help from a veterinarian is always the best option when your best friend shows any symptoms of pain or illness.
Pain
Pain can cause dogs to engage in a number of unusual behaviors or even significantly change their character. Some of the most obvious symptoms of pain in dogs are reduced energy and interest in carrying out their daily activities (playing, walking, etc.) and the tendency to hide or move away to avoid being touched, as this increases their discomfort. If you notice that your furry is having these behaviors, do not hesitate to take him immediately to the vet to provide him with the necessary care.
Pain in dogs can occur as a result of trauma (a fall, a blow or an accident), but it is also a common symptom of chronic or degenerative diseases, such as hip and hip dysplasia. elbow. In addition, aging makes our best friends more vulnerable to pain, which is often associated with pathologies common in older dogs, such as osteoarthritis and arthrosis.
In the last stage of their lives, our furry friends also lose their sensory abilities and become more susceptible to neurodegenerative conditions, such as cognitive dysfunction syndrome, better known as Alzheimer's or senile dementia in dogs, whose main symptoms are manifested through changes in the usual behavior of the furry. In these cases, dogs can perform strange behaviors, be more restless or nervous, or even react in an exaggerated or negative way to stimuli in their environment.
If you live with a senior dog, be sure to take a look at our complete care guide for senior dogs, where you will find the best tips to relieve pain, strengthen their immune system and prevent behavior problems.
Because of all the above, pain is usually the most common cause when the dog is suddenly very nervous and crying, since whether adult or elderly.
Neurological disorders
In addition to diseases that cause pain, there are some neurological disorders that can cause changes in your furry's behavior. For example, vestibular syndrome in dogs directly impacts the ability of spatial orientation and balance of dogs, causing them to appear disoriented, have dizziness or vertigo and perform certain unusual behaviors, such as walking in circles or walking with head tilted
There are also some congenital problems, such as malformations and hydrocephalus in dogs, which can make your dog restless and won't stop moving around the house.
Again, in all these cases, the best thing you can do is seek veterinary attention as quickly as possible to evaluate possible neurological disorders and put in place the most beneficial treatment based on your needs.
Parasites
If you notice that your dog is restless and scratches a lot or cries, you should also consider the possibility that he has internal or external parasites (fleas, ticks or mites). The latter are usually easier to identify, since their bites often leave traces on the animal's skin, or cause redness and other signs of skin inflammation. Precisely these bites usually cause itching or discomfort in the dog, making it have want to scratch constantly and be more agitated than usual. To confirm or rule out the presence of external parasites in your dog, we advise you to check his entire body, without forgetting those more "hidden" regions, such as the inner part of the ears and the lower part of the legs and the region between the fingers.
On the other hand, intestinal parasites can progress silently in the dog's body and only cause perceptible signs in more advanced stages. In this case, you should pay attention to the following symptoms:
- Alterations in bowel movements, such as diarrhoea, color changes or the presence of foreign bodies, blood or white spots in the stool.
- Vomiting.
- Loss of appetite.
- Weight loss (may occur even when the dog eats a good amount of food).
- Abdominal swelling, which may be accompanied by pain (your dog will have a swollen belly and may show signs of pain when you touch the region his abdominal muscles.)
- Paleness on mucous membranes associated with anemia (usually appears in more advanced infestations).
Especially puppies that have not yet been dewormed often suffer from intestinal parasite infestations. In addition to abdominal swelling, it is quite common to see that the puppy is very restless due to discomfort. Therefore, it is essential to go to the vet.
Whether we are talking about internal or external parasites, the best strategy is always prevention. To prevent the he alth and well-being of your furry friend from being compromised, carry out deworming with the most appropriate products for its age and characteristics and with the appropriate frequency.
Stress and/or anxiety
If your dog is restless and agitated or panting a lot and you have ruled out the possibility of any pathology, neurological disorder or parasite infestation, you should analyze his routine and lifestyle. It is no coincidence that these behaviors that denote hyperactivity or nervousness appear very frequently in sedentary dogs or dogs that live in small apartments and do not have an enriched environment
The sedentary lifestyle and the lack of physical and mental stimulation are some of the most common causes of stress and anxiety in dogs. A stressed or anxious dog will tend to carry out a series of undesirable or dangerous behaviors to relieve the tension that accumulates in his body due to the lack of an adequate routine of exercises, games and activities that allow him to spend his energy and express himself in a positive way. positive. In this situation, guardians are often alarmed to see that their dogs have an altered behavior, being able to be very nervous, go around the house thousands of times or even become destructive, breaking furniture and other household objects. If you notice that your dog is restless and panting a lot or licking himself, it is most likely that he is stressed for any of the reasons mentioned, as long as, we insist, any he alth problem has been ruled out.
But the negative effects of stress in dogs can be even more serious, especially when exposure to stressors becomes continuous or permanent. Here we would find ourselves with a case of chronic stress that usually seriously affects the physical and mental he alth of the dog, and can lead to very complex behavioral problems, such as aggressiveness, or even the appearance of stereotypies. The latter consist of movements or actions carried out repeatedly without a specific purpose, such as moving in circles (on its own axis), biting its tail, barking incessantly or licking itself excessively.
What to do if my dog is restless?
The first thing you should do if you notice that your dog is restless and won't stop moving is to identify the cause. If this behavior is the result of a he alth problem or parasites, you will have to follow the instructions of the veterinarian. Now, when it comes to stress or anxiety, whether it's a puppy, an adult dog or an elderly person, pay attention to the following factors:
- Socialization: is an essential process in the education of all dogs, allowing them to learn to live positively with other individuals and stimuli of your environment. If you want to have an obedient, calm and self-assured best friend, you should start socializing him while he is still a puppy. Similarly, if you have not had this opportunity and/or have adopted an adult furry, in this article you will find some tips to socialize it correctly.
- Daily physical activity: In general, it is recommended that a dog does at least 2 or 3 walks of 20 to 40 minutes a day. Similarly, some furry are naturally more energetic and may require a higher level of physical activity. In this case, a good idea is to consider practicing dog sports, such as agility.
- Environmental enrichment: even if your dog takes daily walks, it is also important that he can entertain himself and exercise his body and his intelligence indoors, especially when he is alone. If your dog lives in an environment that is enriched with games, toys, and other sensory stimuli, he will likely have a more stable demeanor and be much less susceptible to stress and other behavior problems. Take a look at our environmental enrichment tips for dogs!
- Training: it is the most complete exercise that you can present to your best friend! When you train your dog, you allow him to expend energy and work on his intelligence, in addition to promoting a balanced and safe behavior for the dog itself and the other individuals with whom he lives, either permanently or occasionally. Here, on our site, we tell you everything you need to know to train a dog correctly.
- Seek Professional Help: If you've put these key guidelines into practice and your dog is still restless, don't hesitate to seek help from a canine educator On the other hand, if you identify signs of aggressiveness or stereotypes in your best friend, the ideal is to consult a veterinarian who is an expert in canine ethology.
Why is my dog restless and not sleeping?
Just like us, dogs can suffer from insomnia and sleep disturbances. In all species, sleep performs vital functions, allowing the entire body, including the brain, to recover from the wear and tear of everyday stress. But it is not just about sleeping a certain number of hours, but also achieving restful sleep, that is, the quality of sleep is as important as the number of hours slept. Therefore, one of the causes that can justify this behavior, in addition to those already mentioned in previous sections, is the lack of rest. Likewise, a newly adopted dog being restless and not sleeping is totally normal due to the change. The same can happen after a move.
Lack of rest
Poor-quality sleep has a significant impact on physical and mental he alth, and can cause changes in mood, tiredness, weakness and nervousness or irritability, as well as making it difficult to manage a he althy weight and weaken the immune system, increasing the risk of developing numerous he alth problems, such as diabetes, infections, cardiovascular diseases, depression and anxiety. Again, this is true for us, humans, as well as for our furry ones and other animals.
Therefore, if your dog does not sleep properly, you will quickly perceive the repercussions on his behavior and state of he alth. In this context, symptoms of stress, anxiety and behavioral problems, such as destructiveness or even aggressiveness, may appear or intensify. Now, the key question is: “what can you do to make your dog sleep better?”
To begin with, it is important to pay attention to his environment: does your dog have an environment that favors good rest and restful sleep? In this sense, you should evaluate both internal and external household factors, such as:
- Does your dog have comfortable items to sleep in? A bed, pillow, cushion, blanket that provides the necessary comfort?
- Is your rest area well sanitized with the right products? Remember that irritating products or products with very strong odors can damage your dog's mucous membranes and cause allergies, dermatitis, among other conditions.
- Is it too hot or too cold in your dog's resting area? Do not let your dog sleep outdoors and prevent his resting space from being directly exposed to sunlight, wind, snow and other climatic adversities
- Are there many stimuli in the environment where your dog sleeps? Noises and strong odors, as well as excessive light, impair the quality of your furry's sleep.
Moving
On the other hand, if you've recently moved, your dog may still be getting used to his new home and resting space. Remember that adaptation is a process and each furry dog takes its own time to go through it successfully. To help you, we have selected some tips to help a dog adapt to a new home. Likewise, for a newly adopted dog, there are many changes experienced in a very short time, regardless of whether he is a puppy or an adult, so his nervousness and problems falling asleep may be due to it.
Finally, we once again reinforce the importance of verifying that your dog is he althy, free of pain, parasites and any other disease that may influence its state of he alth, behavior and the quality of its sleep. the. The ideal is to make at least one preventive visit to the vet every year and do the necessary tests to check his he alth status, in addition to always keeping his schedule of vaccinations and deworming up to date.
Finally, we invite you to discover 3 relaxation exercises to calm your dog and, if you want to help him fall asleep better, be sure to take a look at the following article: "How to sleep at a dog?"
