# Crazy puppy in the evenings.



## maxthelab88 (Oct 6, 2015)

Hello there guys, I posted a while ago about our new cockapoo puppy, this one of ours is settling down and getting on better with our older dog.

BUT. The problem we are having is early evenings onwards, Oscar is still very young and hasn't started walking yet (he's had his injections and will start this weekend), and when the evening comes he becomes very energetic and bitey, relentlessly so until we have to give him a time out, a lot more so than in the day. My mum has become increasingly worried about this even though I've tried to calm her down and tell her its normal. But I just wanted to come on here and see if anyone has any advice/ or similar experiences, it'd be a great help. 

Cheers guys!


----------



## kittih (Jan 19, 2014)

From what I have read it is quite common. Dogs (and cats too if mine are anything to go on) can get all excited in the evening. It is often known as zoomies and sometimes wall of death if running in laps of the room whilst bouncing off furniture is involved. I suspect it is because dogs and cats are naturally crepuscular (more active at dusk and dawn when their prey is about).

Puppies and kittens (and children) can also become hyperactive when they are tired so time outs are a good idea perhaps with a Kong or chew of some sort to focus their attention on.


----------



## Rafa (Jun 18, 2012)

It's normal.

My JR, even when she was able to go for walks, used to have this manic hour in an evening.

It used to end with her tearing round and round the sofa at a flat out gallop.

This burst of energy often happens just before the pup goes soundly asleep.


----------



## maxthelab88 (Oct 6, 2015)

Thanks so much for the speedy replies guys! I'll pass those onto my mum! I had read about zoomies earlier on! We were more worried about the biting more than anything, seeing as it gets a bit more aggressive and nonstop in the evenings, in the day we can stop it fairly easily with a toy or a kong.


----------



## Rafa (Jun 18, 2012)

Again, the bitey behaviour is normal, although very trying!

As a pup becomes more excited, the biting will escalate.

My JR pup bit like a demon, constantly, but when she had her 'zoomies' phase in an evening, it became a real problem. I resorted, one evening, to actually holding her down on the sofa, she was biting so manically. The minute I took my hand off her, she flew upwards and bit me in the forehead.

Fortunately, they grow out of this phase very quickly. Your pup will change his teeth at around the 16/18 weeks old stage and they become much less bitey after that. Also, being able to go for a walk helps a lot.

Try distracting him when he's biting by rolling a ball or throwing a squeaky toy for him.


----------



## Amelia66 (Feb 15, 2011)

yup totally normal zoomies, and the biting is just coming from being over excited. If you make sure he has lots of toys and chews to distract him and continue with timeout when it gets a bit much you should get there eventually.


----------



## Magyarmum (Apr 27, 2015)

How well I remember those "zoomie" evenings! I live in an old house where all the rooms lead off one another and when my previous two dogs were puppies, I'd open all the interior doors so they could zoom around until they were exhausted. Needless to say the pair of them reduced the house to chaos with rugs, cushions and duvets scattered everywhere, but didn't they enjoy themselves, but a small price to pay for having two tired happy puppies!


----------



## Muttly (Oct 1, 2014)

Muttly at nearly 2 years old still has a mad bitey hour after his dinner. Teaching him 'enough' was one of the best things we have taught him so far! No matter what, he can be in full crazy flow and he will stop and calm down. If he's getting to excited in bitey/wrestly play, we say 'enough' and he stops and licks your hand, to signify the end of the game. He also now uses this to say when HE has had enough too 

It would be good to teach him this  When it's too much, say 'enough', stand up and walk away to start, or send him to his bed/crate whatever. 

I'm sure you will see an improvement once you start walking him the weekend too


----------



## Guest (Oct 22, 2015)

Normal. Buddy used to go crazy running round and play biting us. Those needles hurt. We called it naughty time every night without fail at 7.00 he had his naughty time. It's usually when they are overtired.


----------



## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

All mine or the ones I have had as pups and adopted as very young almost adolescent dogs have done it, Its often reffered to as the Zoomies for obvious reasons. Whether its just pent up energy they just don't know what to do with that in turn makes them hyper I'm not sure, but sometimes they seem to lose the plot and seem incapable of focusing and listening whilst doing it. As its in the evening it could also be that they become over tired and just wont quit which brings on the bad hyper type behaviours you don't want that's sometimes another reason you see bitey behaviour too. If they are teething it sometimes seem to make it even worse still.

What I have found that seems to help, is giving them a wind down activity to keep them occupied and something to take out the biting on in a productive way. Chewing is a good destresser for dogs, so Ive found safe type puppy chews, or even some of their evening meal or something in a Kong can help. Obviously if you have more then one dog and one is prone to resource guarding and/or getting possessive of food items then supervised only and make sure each has their own space to chew.


----------



## Fleur (Jul 19, 2008)

We always called it the 'puppy wall of death'  as it reminds me of the old motorbike stunt where the riders would go around the sides of a circular cage.
The dogs just would run, mouthing everything as they go, bouncing off the sofas and walls etc.
Always made me laugh.
And every now and again our 7 year old does it


----------



## elijahssong (Oct 26, 2015)

Our guy is 14 weeks old and does this.. we have taken to using a laser light (which he loves) and playing it all over the floor.. he chases it until he is exhausted.. (usually half an hour or so) Plus it has the added benefit of being hilarious to watch.. just make sure you don't get it in their eyes.. after that he normally grabs a chew toy and settles..


----------



## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

elijahssong said:


> Our guy is 14 weeks old and does this.. we have taken to using a laser light (which he loves) and playing it all over the floor.. he chases it until he is exhausted.. (usually half an hour or so) Plus it has the added benefit of being hilarious to watch.. just make sure you don't get it in their eyes.. after that he normally grabs a chew toy and settles..


The only thing I would caution about the use of Laser lights, is that in some dogs it can cause a lot of behavioural issues. Some can start to become really OCD and fixated on chasing the laser lights and then the fixation can overflow and become a problem in every day life too. It can be beams of sunlight, shadows, reflections from dog tags or other shiny objects like peoples watches for examples and the dog begins to constantly drive itself and owners mad with chasing every day things too that you cant control. The problem can be aswell that once its ingrained its a devil of a behaviour to get them out of or can be.


----------



## elijahssong (Oct 26, 2015)

Thanks.. that is information to keep in mind.....


----------

