7-month-old Golden Retriever can’t settle down despite plenty of exercise

Hi there,

We adopted a Golden Retriever, most likely from an American line given his dark reddish coat, from a breeder specialized in therapy dogs. We specifically chose him for that purpose, as he’ll eventually work in animal-assisted therapy sessions.

Today he just turned 7 months old! Honestly, he’s doing really well for his age: he’s potty-trained, has a pretty good recall, doesn’t eat random stuff outside anymore, is very social, etc…

The main issue, which has become more noticeable over the past month, is that he really struggles to settle down. We understand it’s part of adolescence, but a few things make us wonder:

• he was selected from the litter for his therapy-dog temperament, so he should be able to stay calm and still for long periods;
• he definitely doesn’t lack physical or mental activity.

We take him out for 2–3 hours a day. He’s often off-leash so he can sniff, dig, chew sticks, meet other dogs, and play with our older dog. When we go into town, he’s on a long line or off-leash and we work on commands like recall, “stop” at crosswalks, or “stay” when another dog passes on-leash.

Yet, despite all that, he seems even more excited at home afterwards. He never settles — he runs around, constantly plays with our other dog, looks for toys or balls to chew, and if he can’t find any, he’ll grab a cardboard box to destroy (which we allow, we make sure it’s one he’s allowed to shred).

That said, I wouldn’t say he’s always at 200 % energy, some days he does tire out and rests easily.
But we’re a bit worried because he often gets out of breath and overheated from being so hyper, and it feels like the hotter he gets, the more wound up he becomes, a real vicious cycle.

So we’re wondering:

• Does he have this much energy because he’s from an American breed rather than a European one?
• Could we actually be over-exercising him and making him ultra-enduring?
• Should we remove all toys inside the house?
• Should we focus more on mental stimulation exercises?
• Are we the only ones experiencing this?

Thanks in advance for any insights or experiences you can share!