Feeding a diet that makes my puppy less active/anxious

[sheep]

Hi all, I wish if you guys can give me some insights about this. I'm not experienced in specialized diets for dogs, since I've just been feeding kibbles to my puppy. What I want to know is if there's any kind of diet that can make my puppy less active/anxious, without missing any key nutrient for his healthy growth.

Actually, when we've adopted him, he was recovering from parvo, so that he was very weak at that time, and we couldn't have known that he was actually a very active puppy. Now he's becoming very active, and it seems that 3 walks per day and even some play isn't enough to tire him out (unless he gets to run with some neighbors' dogs). This is already a bit unfair for him, but what's even worse is that both me an my partner has to work, so that he's around 10 hours alone at home during weekdays.
Actually, before adopting him, we already gave up wanting a puppy coz of our work schedule, but then we've decided to adopt this little guy. I don't want to use this as an excuse thought, I just want to do what we can for his happiness.

So after thinking for a while, I just remembered this idea - if there's any kind of diet that doesn't make him as energetic, then he could be calmer and less anxious when he's alone at home.

Do you guys know if there's something like this??

[Emoore]

Is hiring a dog walker to come take him out in the middle of the day possible?

[N Smith]

Unfortunately, no...

His anxiousness is most likely caused by pent up energy. This puppy should not be alone for that long under any circumstances without breaks. Besides the mental strain on a young pup being isolated for that amount of time, there is no way he can hold it and potty training must be a nightmare!

A couple ideas:

1) A dog walker that can come 2 hours a day (morning and aft) for a leashed walk. Look for a pro, who has references from clients available.

2) A family member/trusted neighbor who will follow your rules and act as a dog walker for you.

3) Weather and city dependant: can he go to work with you and stay crated in the car, with windows down sufficiently, where you can see the vehicle or at least keep an eye on it? This way you can walk him on your breaks and lunch.

4) A well run doggie daycare can be extremely hard to find, but if you can, it can also be an option for some week days

In addition to this he should be walked sufficiently for his age in the morning (45 mins-1hr) and again in the evening. Also, short marker training sessions, can use up mental energy along with treat dispensing toys/games.

Be real with yourself and whether having a dog right now is plausible and do-able for you and your partner. He is young enough now to re-home into a home that has more time for him. If you want to keep him, make the committment and stick to it!

Good luck!