Nutrition/Supplementation advice.

 Welcome to the forum.  I give Jessie Valerian during fireworks season because she's afraid of them and it really helps keep her calm, but if I'm interpreting your post correctly, you don't have a nervous dog but a dog with a lot of energy. Giving something to chew on usually helps calm a dog like Bo, such as a Kong with some frozen food in it like yogurt or canned dog food, bully sticks, etc. Another thing that helps is to keep his mind busy by teaching him obedience or some new tricks.

Bo doesn't chew at all. Not even nervously. We've tried chews such as Kong, pigs ears, rawhide, bones. Never interested him. He did eat a swimming pool, though:) He just has so much energy, he has a tough time calming down, even after three hours of retrieve training. He has a quarter ac. to play, not big, but enough to play, and a companion to play with in our Gordon. I've spoken to several people who have used supplements to adjust body chemistry , and supposedly it's worked well to calm their dogs. I've moved and lost touch with these folks so I can't reference them. 

 I did use Valerian during our move, and it worked well, but I'm looking for a long term diet solution. I honestly haven't had this problem with any of my other dogs so my knowledge in this area is limited.

It sounds like he gets enough physical exercise and stimulation but maybe not as much mental exercise.  On days I can't get the dogs out for walks and they seem restless (especially Woobie) if I work on training that requires some real mental challenges (like 101 things to do with a box) will tire them out as well as a physical workout.  Teaching them some new trick or behavior that requires focus, like leave it, long down stays, etc.  You might try that before trying chemicals.   

What is he eating? I'd reduce his carbs, I think. My Parson Russell Terrier is 4 years old, and eats a raw diet with just a few veggies. She does get a few (very, very few) starchy treats, as well. She has some arthritis, so the dietary changes were mostly for that and the generic, undiagnosed gut problem she has. A side effect has been that she is quite... content. She's getting exactly what she needs (including lots of stimulation), and she's CALM in the house and at work. One day, I left her in the car to get a drink just before a dog show, and she ate a sausage biscuit. She did TERRIBLY that day, at the show. The white flour made her itchy and jumpy and hyper. She couldn't focus, at all.

You know, I was planning on doing some shopping for some better kibble samples. Bo's deal is that he only likes one kind of food. He loves Purina Dog puke, I mean chow. Don't know why. taste I assume. I know it's not good stuff. Anyone can read a lable. The protein is a little low, and of course corn is a problem.

I am leaning towards a salmon oil supplement. I just have to find a decent dry food that he'll actually eat. I guess it could be as simple as that. I've just never has this kind of problem with any of my animals in 30 years.  

Try fishy flavored foods (like Wellness Core Ocean or Orijen 6 Fresh Fish) with a high protein content, and see how that goes. If you can't get them locally, http://www.k9cuisine.com/ offers free shipping on orders over $50.

Also, how do you feed him? Are you leaving food out? Measuring? Picking up after however long?

My girl was on Purina ONE for quite some time. She liked it, and actually did really well (small poops, soft fur, etc). When I decided to switch for better ingredients, I tried a few of the higher quality brands.  She was on Acana for a while (chicken-based), but her shedding was terrible. So I got samples of Orijen (both the chicken & fish formulas), Timberwolf Organics (a few different formulas - fish included), and Solid Gold (mmillennia - beef & hund-n-flocken - lamb). The ONLY one she would willingly eat out of all of those was Solid Gold Hund-n-Flocken.

 Unfortunately for me, that gave her runny poops - even after a month of feeding.

 I'm now feeding Innova EVO Red Meat, and have finally found a food that she does as well on as she did on Purina, and she gobbles it up with joy - she just loves this stuff.

I'd suggest visiting your local dog food store and request samples. Find out what your dog likes, and give it a try for a month or so, just to see if it helps any, and if it works for your dog.

Another poster mentioned "101 things to do with a box" (type the phrase into google & you'll see what it's all about). I highly recommend this as well. Get a clicker, and make the dog think. It's soooo much fun to see the dog thinking - hard - to find out what exactly what this game is all about. Mental exhaustion is as important as physical!
 

I used to pick up his food after twenty minutes, but he almost always finishes his food, and we usually don't have time to in the morning. I do measure his food. Just came back from the store. I do like the idea of using a partly fish based formula. As I mentioned, I had used salmon oil in the past. Wouldn't need it this way. I did get some samples for the ole' boy to try out. We'll see how all of this works. Thanks Folks!

Scott 

 Anybody that sells Diamond will have Taste of the Wild, too. That's a grain free food, and comes i a fish formula. My dogs have always done well on fish.

I almost forgot.. you can also try feeding him in something like this:

It's a food dispensing toy - food is ejected as the dog plays. This one is called the Tricky Treats ball (can find at walmart) but there are others like the Buster Cube.

I like it because the dog can still be active - chasing the thing all over the house - while i'm busy doing something else. 

Yes!!!  And  the Buster Cube too!   Indie loved the Buster Cube when I was feeding kibble.  Kinda hard to use with homecooked though.  I still toss a few treats in there when he's restless and I don't have time to work with him.  Woobie's never been that interested in these puzzle dispensers, he just follows Indie letting him do all the work and snatches a treat when he can.  

 And the Tug-a-Jug, which is the trickiest food toy my Lab has.  Not everyone likes them, I don't recommend them for dogs likely to shake their toys around, but if he's as food motivated as my lab, he'll be too absorbed with getting the food to shake it around much. :)

 pssssst Ben it's bUgsy - just smash it open or chew it open den you don't need to work so hard - gotta go Mum approaching

OP I would really look at trying a low carb or grain free formula.  It is my boy's savior.  We are using Orjen Fish now, and have Wellness Core and used Barking at the Moon for a while.  It really does stabilize his energy

scottandsara

I am leaning towards a salmon oil supplement. I just have to find a decent dry food that he'll actually eat. I guess it could be as simple as that. I've just never has this kind of problem with any of my animals in 30 years.  

Hyperactive or ADHD kids are often prescribed/given fish oil that's extra high in DHA. Maybe that's an aspect to look into?
You can get quite a few fish oil products these days that have concentrated DHA. I actually use that with one of my dogs who is very nervy.
Regular salmon oil tends to be not so high (or not high enough - you'd have to administer very high amounts) in DHA - studying the label info re EPA & DHA content can be quite an eye opener.

As to diet: the one component that springs to mind that acts as a nerve 'jump lead' (i.e. excitatory) is gluten. Certain types of gluten (commonly from wheat, also barley) can have that effect on some individuals/dogs.