Nutrition/Supplementation advice.

 I'm not answering the way I am to change your mind or avoid a direct answer to your question.  I'm concerned about lurkers who may be reading this thinking, "Yeah, my Border Collie/German Shepherd/Bouvier is driving me crazy too!  Maybe I need to feed her less or give her meds too!"

I have two kids whom I homeschool, I am training a young dog for herding competition, doing breed rescue, running a farm and a business, and am active in my church.  I also cook/prepare food from scratch for all six of my dogs once a week.  Plus meals, shopping, and housecleaning for the human family.  Did I mention I have a disabling medical condition?  There's that too.

Just think of it this way - supplements can be expensive (I know that DAP is a killer pocket drainer).  Five minutes here and there is money in your pocket if you are trading time for a more manageable dog sans supplementation or drugs.

 

There is something to be said though for the dog adjusting to the exercise schedule it has. Here the OP asked for suggestions on what to do supplement wise. Regardless though, if the dog is being told to settle, the dog should have some self control and be able to do that.  It's just like any other command I ask my dog to do.  I expect her to do as I ask, not act obnoxious and pushy until I give in and do what she wants.   

I totally understand the idea of settling on command - you know I do or I couldn't DO the things I do with a household of high-drive dogs.  But, it's a tradeoff.  They settle and don't annoy us when they are not "invited" - but I offer them a fair schedule of training and work in return, tailored for the needs of the dog, not my own convenience.

I've had a NetFlix sitting on my nightstand for a week now and I'm looking forward to sitting down and being able to watch it.  But the time just hasn't been there this week.  Ted's training and homeschooling startup are #1 priorities, then housecleaning - by the time I'm through with all that it's quite late and I'm too tired to think of watching a movie!

Yesterday, instead of taking the day off or catching up on chores around the farm, the whole family went over to help set up for a herding trial that will benefit a friend who is battling ovarian cancer (See "Whistle for a Cure" in General Chat).

It's not clear to me whether the OPs situation is just temporary or whether why expect this to be the max of attention they can give to their dogs, but the point not whether they've given "enough" in human terms, but rather whether the dog is satisfied.

I work with dogs who are overpowered for the homes they are in all the time - you'd think such dogs who go from being only dogs or just one of two dogs, to one of seven or eight, would increase their problems not decrease them.  What we do here is give the dogs a context for everything they do so they become work-oriented rather than having "amuse myself" as a primary mission in life.  This actually takes less time, though more thought, than physically working a dog until its tired.

These dogs transition to a combo diet that feeds the brain with carbs and fats and then helps build muscle with high-quality protein.  All micromutrients are custom balanced for that dog, as are any nutritional supplements.  I have yet to bring in a dog with even the most severe problems, who needed drugs to correct simple behavior issues.  Epilepsy, PTSD, and OCD are different issues.

I truly do not believe that Emma's "off" switch came with age. I know too many old (some old as the hills) PRT who do not have one. I actually would put her in her crate, when she was younger, if she became too obnoxious. She was just overstimulated. We're working on  the same thing, now, with the puppy. She's a total psycho, and she's slowly but surely settling down.