# Late night puppy aggression



## lisajh29

Hi, sorry me again with the 13 week old goldie. She has just started going out for walks and was chilled out this evening. But we have noticed that around 9pm she is fighting her tiredness and is restless and then has a mental 15 mins. But during this, she always goes mad on her bed which is next to my chair. When we tries to reach down to her she snarled and bit me. My husband said last night she was on the sofa and when he went to hold her to get her down she did the same. When she gets like this if you put your hand anywhere near her, or even worse, point at her, she is really going for us, snarling and showing her teeth. Now as she is getting bigger and stronger, her bites are starting to really hurt and tonight she meant business.

Can anyone advise how we handle this?

Thanks


----------



## Sled dog hotel

lisajh29 said:


> Hi, sorry me again with the 13 week old goldie. She has just started going out for walks and was chilled out this evening. But we have noticed that around 9pm she is fighting her tiredness and is restless and then has a mental 15 mins. But during this, she always goes mad on her bed which is next to my chair. When we tries to reach down to her she snarled and bit me. My husband said last night she was on the sofa and when he went to hold her to get her down she did the same. When she gets like this if you put your hand anywhere near her, or even worse, point at her, she is really going for us, snarling and showing her teeth. Now as she is getting bigger and stronger, her bites are starting to really hurt and tonight she meant business.
> 
> Can anyone advise how we handle this?
> 
> Thanks


They often get the zoomies and go hyper at night ad dive around and often seem to completely lose the plot. Some pups get so hyped they dont know how to wind down. Tiredness can also cause bad behaviour as you rightly said.

Has this started happening since shes been going out on walks. if so there may be an element of sensory overload as well, that can cause it. How is she out on walks, any signs of stopping and not wanting to go ahead, or is she showing any uncertainty? If she is they you may be having her out for too long or shes experiencing too much at once. So depending on what you are doing then you may need to take the walks and habituation and socialisation a little slower.

Does she also have any wind down activities to take out any fraustration on and wind her down and keep her otherwise occupied? That can sometimes help if she doesnt, chewing is a good destresser for dogs. Things like puppy safe chews and stag bars are good. Pure Dog | Stagbar antler dog chews | natural dog treats | organic dog snacks | hypoallergenic dog chews | long-lasting dog chews | teeth cleaning dog chews | low fat dog treats

Kongs can be good too, if she has wet you can use some of her food allowance ot you can fill them with all sorts of things, here is some ideas
Recipes - Kong

If she is on dry you can keep some kibble back and put it in something like a busy buddy twist and treat which you can also fill with other things
Busy Buddy Twist-n-Treat - YouTube

If she is over tired and getting stimulation then it will likely be harder for her to wind down. You could try popping her into another room around the time before she gets hyped with a dim light and her bed and the chew or kong and leave her to it to self amuse and wind down.

Instead of trying to pick her up or restrain her when she is like it, personally I would work on a mini recall, make it intially a training exercise calling her to you and rewarding with a treat when she comes. Then before she gets ultra hyper and beyond commands, move her as soon as you see her start to get restless or fidgety before it escalates to the wild stage. You should be able to use it when you want her off furniture and things too, Implement the command come, at first luring her with the treat until she gets the concept and learns the command come and knows she has to come to you for the treat.


----------



## hayleyth

Make sure enough mental stimulation during the day, take away toys in the evening so she can settle. Some find it hard to settle ehen their are lots of different toys around. Also maybe moving her bed to a different room, about 8pm i would pop her in a different room with her bed and let her settle, some dogs settle better without noise and other people around. 

Dogs do tend to have a mad few minutes in the evening, but the aggresion is not a good sign. She needs to learn that the evening is the time to settle. Crate training may also be a good idea, put her in crate in evening before bed whih may help her settle.


----------



## Jobeth

My dog used to get yappy when tired. I'd put his thundershirt on and he'd instantly go to sleep. After a while I didn't have to use it.


----------



## Amy-manycats

Sounds like puppy tiredness. How about a nap/quite time/chew about 7 or so, you still want her sleepy at bed time, but not an overtired grumpy monster. 

The same rules about biting still apply no matter how hard she caught you in her temper, don't be tempted to "snap" back and loose your rag even though she is mega trying.


----------



## Malmum

I take my Mals out individually starting at 11 pm for twenty minute walks and it tires them out beautifully for bed. I have to walk them on my own so I stay local and its just three times 'around the block' for a nice sniff and stroll. They love it and so do I co's it's nice and quiet and cool. 

Try it yourself, it doesn't have to be a mission just pop the lead on and nip out Sets us all up for a good night!


----------



## BoredomBusters

lisajh29 said:


> Hi, sorry me again with the 13 week old goldie. She has just started going out for walks and was chilled out this evening. But we have noticed that around 9pm she is fighting her tiredness and is restless and then has a mental 15 mins. But during this, she always goes mad on her bed which is next to my chair. When we tries to reach down to her she snarled and bit me. My husband said last night she was on the sofa and when he went to hold her to get her down she did the same. When she gets like this if you put your hand anywhere near her, or even worse, point at her, she is really going for us, snarling and showing her teeth. Now as she is getting bigger and stronger, her bites are starting to really hurt and tonight she meant business.
> 
> Can anyone advise how we handle this?
> 
> Thanks


Bedtime for a 13 week old puppy should be about 7pm. If she has a crate I would get her used to going to bed in it at that time - cover the crate and/or have it in a quiet area. A last thing toilet break should be calm and quiet about 9 or 10 pm.

A lot of people keep the puppy awake late to avoid it waking up at night, but it won't stop it, or if working all day the evening is the time they want to spend with pup. When pups get into this mood then yes they will bite and be angry, picking them up will just cause them to be even more annoyed. Prevention is better than cure!


----------



## lisajh29

BoredomBusters said:


> Bedtime for a 13 week old puppy should be about 7pm. If she has a crate I would get her used to going to bed in it at that time - cover the crate and/or have it in a quiet area. A last thing toilet break should be calm and quiet about 9 or 10 pm.


She goes out for a walk for 15 - 20 mins, Only started going out 2 days ago. this is about 6pm. She then comes home and winds down and does have a sleep though is only lightly napping. Then she wakes up about 830 to 9pm and this is when she is trying to desperately engage us in rough play and gets very snappy/growly/bitey

She does have a stag but by this point she has no interest in lying down quietly so I engage her in a little training. You can see her little face change and its like her mindset changes - so Im hoping that will do the trick!!


----------

