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How can CBD help hyperactive dogs?

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If your dog is known for bouncing off the walls after a long walk and a three-hour long play session, you are probably familiar with how a hyperactive dog behaves. Cohabitating with a dog with hyperactivity can be challenging, to say the least. Dealing with their high energy, distractible nature, impulsiveness, and constant fidgeting requires a lot of patience and self-control. 


While making some research to solve the problem, you might’ve run into CBD as a suggestion and thought, “no way, I’m not getting my dog high.” And you would be right! Sedating a dog with hyperactivity will not solve the problem, but thinking that CBD will get your dog high is a major understatement either. Keep on reading to learn about how CBD works and how it can help your hyperactive dog find some much needed inner peace. 


Why your dog is hyperactive

Before getting into the mechanisms of how CBD works, we need to get into why your dog is hyperactive in the first place. 


Hyperactivity in dogs can occur for a couple of reasons, for most of which you can do something about. If you tackle the problem from multiple sides, there are greater chances for success. When trying to figure out how to calm a hyperactive dog, the first and most obvious place to look is your dog’s breed. Some breeds are just more energetic than others. Dogs have historically been bred for work, and most of them now live in family homes and have nothing much to do. All of the will and energy that has been bred into them for centuries now goes unused. Consequently, your first defense line should be proper education about the breed and appropriate training as the dog joins the family. Learning how to satisfy your dog’s breed-specific needs should be the bare minimum we humans can do to cohabitate with them better. 


Secondly, we should take a look at their early puppy years. The early years are when you and your dog set your first rules and agreements; if something goes wrong, undesirable behavior patterns will linger as the dog grows up and becomes an adult. Make it a point to be diligent with your dog and set boundaries that are enforced regularly. 


Thirdly, you might be underestimating how much physical and mental activity your dog needs. Tiering your dog shouldn’t be limited to walks, runs, and games of fetch. Try and engage your dog in some mental games like hide and seek, nose work (hiding treats for them to find), and other games that involve mental effort. Half an hour of mental play can tire a dog out as much as a 2-hour walk. 


Lastly, a daily schedule and well-organized environment can do a world of good for your dog. Dogs are habitual animals, so having a set schedule is a must. A dog that knows what the day holds is a calmer dog. So feed, walk, and play with your dog at the same time every day.


Hyperactive dogs treatment can take a while to figure out, so give yourself and your dog some time and don’t rush. All training and new habits can’t show results right away, so consider this a marathon rather than a sprint.

How can CBD help?

Even if you do everything right, your pup might still need a helping hand. And that is where CBD steps in. CBD is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid found in cannabis plants. Cannabinoids are also present in the human body, and they are part of our endocannabinoid system. Besides, when asking is CBD oil legal in all states, you don’t need to worry since it is safe for consumption. 


We don’t know much about our endocannabinoid system as it has been discovered only recently, in 1990. Still, we know it plays an essential role in regulating appetite, sleep, mood, and inflammation, just to name a few. While our endocannabinoid system works to maintain homeostasis in our bodies, introducing natural cannabinoids can help it do better and faster as our internal chemical balance gets thrown off because of stress, illness, or other factors. 


Consequently, CBD is not a medication in the traditional sense but more of a support agent to reach a normal healthy state. Research suggests a wide range of medical benefits of using CBD both for humans and dogs, including alleviating anxiety, stress, and pain. One study has found that humans with hyperactivity have experienced a reduction of symptoms and no cognitive impairments when using CBD, so there is a reason to believe the same would be true for dogs. 


Apart from that, numerous people testify to the benefits of CBD oil for hyper dogs, with very few warnings of side effects. If dosed properly, CBD should have no side effects whatsoever. Even if you accidentally overdose, the side effects are relatively mild and might include nausea, low blood pressure, and sluggishness. If we compare this to the long list of side effects of the usual sedatives and medications given to hyperactive dogs, the choice is obvious. 

Dosing CBD for dogs

Dosing CBD for dogs can be a confusing matter, but once you get it right, it’s easy and will become a staple in your daily routine. The dose will depend on your dog’s size and the potency of the oil you are using. The process is more straightforward if you buy CBD oils formulated especially for dogs, as they usually have different strengths formulated for different dog sizes. 


In any case, follow the directions on the label and help yourself with a CBD dose calculator when in doubt. If this all sounds too confusing, now thanks to CBD’s popularity for dogs you can buy treats and chews that contain CBD, so you don’t have to deal with flimsy droppers and measuring. 

Am I getting my dog high? Is CBD safe and legal?

Apart from being legal in all 50 US states, CBD is non-psychoactive, which means it will not get your dog high. As long as you choose a CBD oil that is not full-spectrum, your CBD product contains no tetrahydrocannabinol.


That being said, the CBD market is still wildly unregulated, so it can be hard to find a reputable seller with high-quality medical-grade products. You certainly want the best for your dog, so put your due diligence and find a well-known and respected seller that offers lab reports from third-party labs to verify the contents and quality of the oil you are buying. Bailey's is regarded as the most trustworthy family-owned CBD for pets and checks all of the boxes you'd expect as a customer. Check out their pet CBD products here.

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