The Catahoula has in the past few years gained popularity among many dog enthusiasts in the USA.
This purebred herding dog is famous for its gentle, affectionate, loyal, bold, independent, and energetic temperament.
Given its extremely energetic temperament, it is pretty normal and sensible for most Catahoula admirers and potential parents to ask, ‘When do Catahoulas calm down?’.
So whether you just adopted this workaholic dog breed or you are thinking of doing so, and you cannot help but question, when do Catahoulas calm down?
Then, ease your mind as I will be answering all these questions in this article.
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When Do Catahoulas Calm Down?
At around 6-12 months, your Catahoula puppy is likely to calm down.
Are Catahoulas Hyper?
Yes, Catahoulas are hyper, especially when they are still young, that is below 6-9 months of age.
During this period, these hounds experience a surge in energy levels, which up to date, is not scientifically understood why this happens.
Most often, Catahoulas will be extremely hyperactive at the age of 6-16 weeks.
Some experts argue that females are calmer than males due to the fact that the latter attain reproductive maturity later.
However, this claim isn’t entirely accepted by all dog scholars due to the lack of enough scientific evidence to back it up.
The telltale signs that your Catahoula is hyper include;
Increased appetite and sleeping time, unnecessary aggression, rough playing, inability or difficulty to socialize with everyone and other pets, and exhibiting excessive attention-seeking behaviors.
How Can I Calm Down A Catahoula?
Below are a number of ways through which you can calm a hyperactive or an anxious Catahoula;
When your Catahoula is hyperactive, please do the following to calm it down;
#Show Your Disapproval
Catahoulas love to please their owners. Use this to your advantage when trying to calm your doggie during a hyperactive episode.
Show your disapproval when it displays any signs of hyperactivity.
You can do this by; Ignoring it, walking out of the room, commanding it with a firm voice to stop what it’s doing, or displaying a body language or facial expression that shows your doggie whatever it is doing is unacceptable.
Please don’t yell, rub your Catahoula’s nose or use physical force when showing your disapproval.
Doing this may cause your hound to retaliate by becoming more aggressive and even impossible to live with.
#Put A Stop To Its Hyperactive Behaviors
Address its hyperactivity there and then. Don’t hesitate to put a stop to a hyperactive Catahoula since doing so only reinforces such a behavior.
NOTE! Dogs have a short-term memory that only lasts for 2 minutes.
This is why it is crucial that you let it know that whatever it’s doing is unacceptable within 2-3 seconds after the hyperactive episode.
You can achieve this by; Training it not to be hyperactive or by positively disciplining.
This can be done by taking away its favorite toy and returning it when it is calm. Remember, the goal is not to punish your Catahoula but to discipline it.
#Positively Repurpose Its Hyper Activeness
Catahoulas are incredibly energetic dogs who require lots of exercise.
To curtail their hyperactivity temperament positively repurpose their energy by keeping them busy.
Have you hound engage in agility training, in a vigorous walking, jogging, or swimming session, or play with them a tug of war or fetch and catch games.
Letting your hound burn off its excess energy by engaging in these beneficial games will not only curtail its hyper activeness but also keep its mental and physical health at par.
#Reinforce Good Behaviors
Did you know that a dog’s brain is able to distinguish and respond to your speech’s tone?
To reinforce good behaviors, please positively praise your doggie. You can also give it soft and very chewy treats.
Avoid feeding your Catahoula treats that have additives such as artificial colors, sugar, preservatives, or those that have wheat, soy, or corn in them.
When using treats to reinforce your Catahoula’s calm behavior, ensure that the treats don’t exceed 10% of its daily diet.
#Employ Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy, which is also known as the use of essential oil therapy, is a method of using different scents to calm down your doggie.
These scents work to soothe you hound’s anxiety by causing its brain to respond to its environment in a calmer way.
The most commonly used oils/scents used include;
- Lavender (works to relieve fear, shock, and agitation),
- Sweet Marjoram (relieves anxiety caused by sexual tension in dogs),
- Geranium Rose (works best in separation anxiety)
- Frankincense (works to calm down a fearful or a dog under stress).
These oils can be applied topically or by the use of a plugged-in collar pheromone diffuser.
Before using this method to calm your Catahoula first, consult with your vet to establish whether or not your hound may have an allergic reaction to any of the above scents.
An adequately socialized dog is unlikely to develop anxiety attacks.
To thoroughly socialize your dog and prevent the development of unwanted anxiety attacks episodes, please do the following;
Regularly take it out for a walk, a jog, or a run-in area that is frequented by people or other pets.
Have your dog put on a leash and a muzzle to prevent unprecedented attacks.
You can also enroll it in a socialization class or arrange a play date for it. Make the socialization process versatile but not confusing to your dog.
That is; Introduce it to different people, environments, structures, animals, body handling techniques in an orderly manner and at its pace.
#Slowly Cultivate An Independent Temperament In It
An independent Catahoula is not only bold but also knows how to deal with any obstacle that comes its way decisively.
You can train your dog to be independent by; Providing it with a safe place (a dog cage/crate will do), letting it explore its environment with minimal supervision, and ignoring its independent milestones.
Ignoring your hound’s independent milestones is of immense importance as it works to show it that it doesn’t need your approval to do something on its own.
This also helps reduce the attention-seeking behavior found in dependent dogs.
#Establish, Eliminate And Desensitize It To All Its Triggers
Find out what’s causing your Catahoula Leopard to become anxious and eliminate it.
For instance, if your Catahoula gets anxious whenever people come around, please invest in a large enough cage and lock it in before your guests arrive.
After doing this, gradually desensitize it to it people by taking it out for walks or having your friends pet it.
#Try And Create A Peaceful And Quiet Environment For Your Doggies
Loud noises can trigger your Catahoula to become anxious and even restless. This makes it paramount that you try and create a peaceful and quiet environment.
And after your hound is accustomed to a quiet environment, gradually introduce noise, to help it overcome its fear.
#Other Things You Can To Do To Calm Your Catahoula Down
Consider adopting another senior and adequately trained dog in your house and let it help you calm down your Catahoula.
Keeping your Catahoula physically and mentally engaged is another sure way of calming it down.
Feeding your hound 3-4 hours before bedtime is also an effective method of regulating their energy bursts and calming them down at night.
When your Catahoula can’t keep calm due to anxiety, please do the following to calm it down;
Are Catahoulas Hard To Train?
No, Catahoulas are not hard to train, provided that their training starts when they are still young (12-30 weeks).
These hounds are pretty intelligent, which makes it easy for them to grasp their training.
Consistency, patience, and empathy are essential values that all Catahoulas parents need to exercise when training these hounds.
If you are a newbie dog owner, I strongly recommend that you hire the services of a professional dog trainer.
Key Takeaway
When do Catahoulas calm down? Typically, Catahoulas will calm down around 6-12 months of age.
Catahoulas are usually hyper when they are young (ages 6-16 weeks). These hounds are also very intelligent, which makes it easy to train them.
It’s advisable that you start your Catahoula’s basic training when it’s around 12-30 weeks of age.
If you notice your doggie has an increased appetite and sleeping time, it is playing rough, has an intensified anxiety and aggressive temperament, is unable to interact/socialize with everyone around it; then the chances are that it’s experiencing a hyperactivity episode.
You can do the following to calm down a hyper Catahoula; Show your disapproval, train it to stay calm, and positively reinforce a quiet demeanor with treats.
Feeding a Catahoula foods that don’t have additives is also another way of calming down a hyper Catahoula.
To calm down an anxious Catahoula, please consider establishing, eliminating, and desensitizing it to its triggers, providing it with a quiet environment, and using aromatherapy.
Always get your Catahoula’s dog products from a reputable pet store.
