I understand what you mean about an OVERLY hyper dog. I once met a little 8 wk. old pug puppy who was a completely crazy ball of energy. She was bouncing off the walls, biting everyone, barking incessantly. If you tried to correct her, she would attack you, bark and bite. She was a HANDFUL!! LOL! My 2 dogs are both fairly calm and have always been that way.... and obedient. Maybe it's the breeding, or the way they are raised before they go to a new home, or maybe it's just their different personalities, or a combination of many different factors. GOOD LUCK!!
My little Sophie hasn't been doing too good lately, and I wish some of that energy could be passed over to her. She seems to sleep all the time, I wish that she had more energy to play and enjoy life. I like all of the ideas about potty training that have been given. If I were using a doggie litterpan, I'd purchase litter box furniture like this.
http://www.pawshop.com/catliboxfuca.html